Aye. The ayes are 16, the nays are 0. A majority of all Members of Council having voted in the affirmative, the bill passes. The next bill to be called for consideration is Bill No. 000317.
An ordinance authorizing the McDonald's Corporation to construct and SECOND-READING CALENDAR - BILL 000222 maintain an electrified marquee and a three-dimensional icon attached to the building, all under certain terms and conditions.
This bill having been read on two different days, the question now is, shall the bill pass finally? The clerk will please call the roll.
Aye. The ayes are 16, the nays are 0. A majority of all members of Council having voted in the affirmative, the bill passes. Bill No. 000318 will be called up next.
An ordinance granting permission to PECO Energy Company, a Pennsylvania corporation, and its successors, assigns, and SECOND-READING CALENDAR - BILL 000222 contractors to construct, install, maintain and operate, use, repair, replace, or remove a wireless communications system under and across the public rights-of-way of the City of Philadelphia, all under certain terms and conditions.
This bill having been read on two different days, the question now is, shall the bill pass finally? The clerk will please call the roll.
Aye. The ayes are 16, the nays are 0. A majority of all members of Council having voted in the affirmative, the bill passes. The final bill to be called for SECOND-READING CALENDAR - BILL 000222 consideration is Bill No. 000320.
An ordinance amending Section 2 of an ordinance (Bill No. 990305), approved June 24, 1999, entitled "An ordinance authorizing the revision of lines and grades on a portion of Philadelphian No. 120 by striking from the City Plan and vacating Carlyle Street from Oxford Street to Cecil B. Moore Avenue, by extending the time for compliance with the conditions stated therein."
This bill having been read on two different days, the question now is, shall the bill pass finally? The clerk will please call the roll.
Aye. SPEECHES The ayes are 16, the nays are 0. A majority of all Members of Council having voted in the affirmative, the bill passes. This concludes of calendar.
Are there any speeches on the part of the Minority? (No speeches on the part of the Minority.)
Are there any speeches on the part of the Majority? The Chair recognizes Councilwoman Brown.
Thank you, Madam President. We all know that much has taken place this week in the area of education, and one thing that I paid particular attention to were the public hearings provided by the School Board. And I now need to register where I am since this is an issue that I especially care about. We all know, and the fact is, that the majority of the children in our city attend the Philadelphia public schools, and we also know that SPEECHES as recently as a year ago, when the voters were asked what they perceived to be the number-one issue facing the City, it was the improvement of public education. So I'm here to say, and I state, that Philadelphia's place as a world-class city is directly linked to our ability to produce well-educated citizens. We know without question that for the first time in almost decades, we have a committed mayor, we have what I believe to be a committed Council, and we know for sure that we have a new talented, technically astute School Board that is doing all they can to craft a solution around school funding, and I want to give them my vote of confidence for the extraordinary progress they have made so far. Though far from perfect, the recent "negotiated deal" that the Mayor and the School District crafted for us is, indeed, a short-term strategy to help us get through the next year, and we also know that it's not a silver bullet. Every member of this Council and I understand that this negotiated arrangement in no way solves the long-term problems. And I'm of the opinion that SPEECHES we really do need to seize the moment over the next 12 months and work closely with members of the legislature to come up with a thoughtful, long-term solution. For the first time this week, and most notably again yesterday, I felt what many of my colleagues have experienced over the past 12 years: frustration on what is not happening with regards to funding in our public schools. And until Philadelphia children get $12,000 per-unit cost -- since, right now, they only $6900 per-pupil cost -- all the other arguments for me are not meaningful. Once we have equity in funding, then I believe a number of the arguments that I hear for me have meaning. So I support every single effort that has been put on the table to improve the quality of education and the funding crisis currently in our city. In the Mayor's negotiations with the Governor, he pledged $20 million in local funding in addition to the District's 30 million in reductions. I am prepared to work with this Council and the Mayor to identify the necessary funds. SPEECHES Given a thousand choices on how to spend money in this city, one of the most important ways we can spend it is on the education of kids in this city. So I call on my colleagues, I call on your leadership over the next 12 months, 'cause I'm sure it will take that to bring us to the table and keep us at the table, to come up with a long-term solution. So we have to seize the moment because if we don't, we'll be right back at this place next year. If we ask any business leader, what is the greatest business he or she can make to his company? the CEO of that company will tell you it's the investment in the company's human capital. So in closing, what is the greatest investment we can make for the future of this city? The short answer for me is, the children of this city. We need to do all we can to raise and find the money, and some proposals have been put on the table to meet the crises that we're in. I support the proposals that are on the table, and I wanted to state that for the record.
Thank you, SPEECHES Councilwoman. The Chair recognizes Councilman Cohen.
Thank you, Madam President. I think the sentiments just expressed by Councilwoman Reynolds Brown are sentiments that, in general, all members of Council -
I'll move it up further. Maybe that will do it. But I think we all agree that there's a great deal of work to be done, but they often say that the devil is in the details, and that's what we're going to be struggling with. I wanted to comment on what I think is something that I wish did not occur, and that is the news about the Fire Department and the treatment of a woman firefighter. I think that the people of Philadelphia are getting increasingly disturbed by the apparent unfair treatment of the young woman who was one of pioneers in the Fire Department, a department which, until very recently, has been almost an SPEECHES exclusive bastion of male presence. I think it gives the City of Philadelphia a very bad appearance, and there also seems to be a great deal of substance to the charges being made about the unfair treatment. And I just wish that Philadelphia and all of its leadership people would decide to deal very fairly with all minorities, including women, so that the constant tales of unfair treatment come to an end. I don't understand, frankly, how it happens that there are so few women in the Fire Department compared, for example, to the Police Department. And I just think it's very important that this issue be considered seriously by the City Administration. I don't think the process ought to be played out in the courts, but apparently, that's been the only way for this young woman to seek to obtain fair treatment. So I'm just hoping the City pays a great deal of attention and makes sure that this doesn't happen again. To the friends from Chinatown who are here, even though City Council pays no official SPEECHES attention to you because you're not on the order today, we want you to know that you're welcome, and the next stage in the City Council aspect is a hearing on the 20th of June, at 2 o'clock, on the question of whether there ought to be, and if so, to what extent, public financing for the stadiums. You're all invited to attend. It's a hearing by the Committee of the Whole of the City Council. So don't feel that people are ignoring you when they don't reefer to you today because the next official item will take place on June 20th. Thank you very much, Madam President.
You're welcome. The Chair recognizes Councilman Kenney.
Thank you, Madam President. Just in regards to the comments made by Councilman Cohen about the lawsuit in the Fire Department. I am in no way making any judgment on the issues surrounding this particular case. I don't know as much about it, I haven't followed SPEECHES the case day-to-day. All I know is what I read in the newspaper, and I certainly wasn't there when the instance took place. But there's one thing I think that's very important to remember: Regardless of what dispute you may have with your employer, with your fellow employees in any other regard, you always have to go on the run. You have to go on the run when you are called as a firefighter. Male, female, black or white, Hispanic or Asian, it doesn't matter; when you are called to leave that station for a life-threatening emergency or for a fire, I don't care if the guy allegedly leaves in the rescue squad without you, you find a cab, you walk, you get to the run. There's no excuse that I can see or have ever heard for anyone missing a run unless they were injured or couldn't get to work. But once that calls goes out, whether it's a firefighter or a police officer -- you can dispute and determine your arguments later -- but you have to leave the fire station, you have to go in the rescue squad, you have to get on the engine truck or the ladder company, and you cannot miss SPEECHES the run. Because if we get into a situation where employee-employer disputes in the fire and police departments can be settled by the person refusing to go on a job or go on the run, we're going to be in big trouble. I don't know what the outcome of this case is going to be. Again, I'm not making a judgment as to whether she was mistreated or treated unfairly, I'm not taking sides with Commissioner Hairston, but all I know is, if you're a sworn firefighter or officer in this city and you're called, I don't care who you're arguing with, who you're mad at, you better get on the engine, in the car, and do your job. Thank you, Madam President.
Thank you, Councilman. The Chair recognizes Councilman Nutter.
Thank you, Madam President. Madam President, I actually agree with the comments made both by Councilman Cohen and Councilman Kenney with regard to the firefighter situation. I would only add to that dialogue, SPEECHES Madam President, that, yes, when the call is made, you are, by your sworn duty, obligated to make the run. But one of the issues that has arisen in this particular case is, notwithstanding what happened and what the firefighter did or did not do, either by staying behind or the officer who left his partner -- at least that's his testimony as we've read it in the newspaper, the other issue that's been raised here is, was the firing the appropriate action by the Fire Commissioner? There are reports, Madam President, that other people in different situations have not made the call. Councilman Kenney is absolutely correct: when the call goes out, you have to take the run. But I think it is fairly clear that this is not the first person who did not make a run for some particular reason. And in the past, those situations have been handled differently. That becomes a central portion of this entire case. We'll wait and see what happens. As the Councilman said, I'm not going to make a judgment about what happened. I was not there, I don't know the intricacies of the Fire Department. But one of the fundamental issues SPEECHES here is fairness and what has been done in the past and how things are handled, and was the firing action the appropriate action under the circumstances? Thank you, Madam President.
Thank you. The Chair recognizes Councilwoman Blackwell.
Certainly, I agree with what has been said. I guess it's been about a year ago when the issue first came up, and we tried to intercede and tried to check on it. And, as has been said, the issue is not simple, because part of the allegations are that the firewoman in question was treated differently than her male counterparts, which would deal with gender and race underlying questions, that she was not the only one involved but she was the only one singled out. And not only that, as we all know, when it went to the Board, the Board upheld her being able to remain. So there are a lot of issues involved in this case that need to be considered. And, certainly, we applaud all of those SPEECHES who are fighting to bring it to life. We are hopeful that in the end, that all of the attention paid to it will clarify the situation, make sure that it doesn't happen, and that all people in all situations are treated fairly. Thank you.
You're welcome. The Chair recognizes Councilman Cohen. (No response.)
Councilman Cohen, you're light's on. Did you want to be recognized?
Yes. I just wanted to mention that in addition to the facts in the given case, one glaring fact stands out, and that's the small number of female employees in the Fire Department. That to me cries out for an explanation. I cannot understand why the percentage is so small, and it's within that framework that this case arises. Thank you.
Thank you. ADJOURNMENT Are there any other speeches on the part of the Majority? (No further speeches on the part of the Majority.)
Seeing none, the Chair recognizes Councilwoman Tasco for a motion to adjourn.
Thank you, Madam President. I move that Council be adjourned until Thursday, June 15, 2000, 10 a.m. (Duly seconded.)
It has been moved and properly seconded that the Council stand adjourned until Thursday, June 15, 2000. All those in favor will signify by saying aye. Those opposed? The ayes have it and the motion is carried. (Adjourned at 11:15 a.m.) C E R T I F I C A T E I HEREBY CERTIFY that the foregoing proceedings of the Council of the City of Philadelphia of Thursday, June 8, 2000, were reported fully and accurately by me, and that this is a correct transcript of same. RE: STATED MEETING __________________________________, JOSEPHINE CARDILLO, Registered Professional Reporter