COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA COMMITTEE ON PARKS, RECREATION and CULTURAL AFFAIRS - - - Room 400, City Hall Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Thursday, May 10, 2007, 2:16 p.m. - - - Bill 070229 - Amending Chapter 9-200 of the Philadelphia Code entitled "Commercial Activities on Streets," by adding a new section providing for the certification of tour guides and establishing requirements for such certification. COUNCILMEMBERS PRESENT: Blondell Reynolds-Brown, Chair W. Wilson Goode, Jr., Vice Chair Darrell L. Clarke Frank DiCicco Frank Rizzo - - - V A R A L L O Incorporated Litigation Support Specialists 1835 Market Street, Suite 600 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19103 215.561.2220 215.567.2670 2 5/10/07 COMMITTEE ON PARKS & REC. - 070229 WITNESS Ron Avery, Local Tour Guide/Historian 6 Amy Needle, Historic Philadelphia, Inc. 17 Elizabeth Browne, Philadelphia Tour Guide 18 Paula Spilner, Philadelphia Society...... 25 of the Preservation of Landmarks Vicki Sand, Executive Director........... 31 Atwater Kent Museum Angela Patterson, Greater Philadelphia... 35 Tourism Marketing Corporation Wm. Moore, Independence Visitor Center... 39 J. Bari, Constitutional Walking Tour..... 46 Michael Kates, Philadelphia Trolley Works 59 G. Greenberger, City Hall Tour Director 67 Tamara Qayyum............................ 71 Southeastern Cherokee Confederacy Judith Robinson, Tour Guide.............. 81 Kim Sajet, PA Historical Society......... 87 3 5/10/07 COMMITTEE ON PARKS & REC. - 070229
The Committee on Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs has been recessed until 2:00 today this afternoon. Thank you. * * *
Good afternoon. This is the City Council on Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs is now in session, and I would like the clerk to please read the title of the bill.
Bill No. 070229, an ordinance amending Chapter 9-200 of the Philadelphia Code, entitled "Commercial Activities on Streets," by adding a new section providing for the certification of tour guides, establishing requirements for such certification, and providing for penalties, all under certain terms and conditions.
Thank you. 4 5/10/07 COMMITTEE ON PARKS & REC. - 070229 Joining us at this committee meeting are Vice Chair Councilman W. Wilson Goode and members Councilman Frank DiCicco and Councilman Darrell Clarke. We would now like to call up the first panel of witnesses. And shall we ask the Administration to start first? Not here? Very well then. They submitted testimony. Then please let us invite to the witness table: Ron Avery, a local tour guide and historian and actually the trigger and seed for this bill. And we thank you for this, Mr. Avery. Amy Needle, President and CEO of Historic Philadelphia, Inc. Victoria Schwartz, President, Washington Guild of Professional Tour Guides. And Paula Spilner, Director for the Philadelphia Society of the Preservation of Landmarks. 5 5/10/07 COMMITTEE ON PARKS & REC. - 070229 (Witnesses come forward.)
You're all welcome to have a seat. Also joining us this afternoon is Councilman Frank Rizzo. We want to indeed welcome all of you here. I will say to you that this is a circumstance that was brought to my attention by Mr. Avery, and then I actually took a tour with my daughter to see if such circumstances exist, and the answer would be yes. So we've now moved to this forum, where we get a chance to have input from citizens of all types and from all parts of the world as we proceed with action on this piece of legislation. With that, we will start with Mr. Avery, a local tour guide and historian. Good afternoon.
Thank you very much. I have some brief written remarks. 6 5/10/07 COMMITTEE ON PARKS & REC. - 070229 And I made a list of 78 mistakes that I've heard over the years by various tour guides, and I hope photocopies were given to the members of the panel. Do you have those?
Okay. All right. I want you folks to imagine a university English professor at a large university who tells his class that William Shakespeare was a Russian poet and never heard of Earnest Hemingway. Now, of course this is impossible because to be a university tenured professor, you must study and have a bachelor's, a master's, and a doctorate. Imagine going to a physician and telling that physician you have migraine headaches, and his cure is to cut off your left foot. Of course, 7 5/10/07 COMMITTEE ON PARKS & REC. - 070229 that can never happen because to become a physician, it's five, six years of medical school and internship and so forth. Try to imagine a volunteer guide at the Philadelphia Museum of Art pointing to a Rembrandt painting and telling visitors it's a work of Jackson Pollack. This just can't happen because to be an unpaid volunteer guide at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, you go through one-and-a-half to two years of training before you do your first tour. Now try to imagine a Philadelphia guide, like a carriage driver or a trolley guide, for instance, that tells tourists that Jacqueline Kennedy spent much of her childhood in a house on Third Street in Society Hill; that Dr. Benjamin Rush, signer of the Declaration of Independence, killed George Washington. Imagine a guy that has no idea what the 8 5/10/07 COMMITTEE ON PARKS & REC. - 070229 population of Philadelphia is, a guide that tells you that Ben Franklin fathered 80 legitimate children and weighed 300 pounds when he died of syphilis. It's not hard to imagine these things; I've heard them all. And it's been going on for years. I said, how can we ever improve this situation? And I finally came to the conclusion that voluntarily, nothing will ever change, that we'd have to get government involved. I'm very sorry to say that. And if there's another way to do it, I think I would support that. But I think people must be compelled to learn the facts and to be tested and to be licensed. And I would like to keep this as low as possible. I gave a tour yesterday. I think I make for the entire year with my tours maybe $1200 to $1400 a year. It's not a big deal; 9 5/10/07 COMMITTEE ON PARKS & REC. - 070229 it's a part-time thing for most of us. And my proposal for this, and I'll shut up in a minute. Let's create a booklet with a facts sheet. I already have most of this on my computer already, and I'd be willing to do this free of charge and involve all -- for instance, ten facts on Carpenters Hall, and I go to the Carpenters Hall people and I say, "Look at my ten facts; are they wrong? do you want to add anything? " The booklet could probably be done by Kinko's. It could be given to everybody who wants to become a guide in the city. Every question on the test will be answered there, plus they could use that if they want in their 10 5/10/07 COMMITTEE ON PARKS & REC. - 070229 own tours and know that they have correct facts. And give a test -- no trick questions. " I've been asking this to guides a lot. They don't know; the most basic fact they don't know. For instance, Howell House is a very worthwhile place to visit, and I'm a volunteer guide there. " What is this man talking about? You ring the bell, you pay $5, and you take the tour. What church? And all day long, I heard this guy 11 5/10/07 COMMITTEE ON PARKS & REC. - 070229 saying this. I couldn't run out and correct him with the people sitting in the carriage. These are things you should know. What day is the Art Museum closed? I heard the Art Museum's a great place to visit; well, how do I get there and are they open every day? Imagine a guide that couldn't answer that question. So this is what I'm proposing. And one last thing. In addition to studying this booklet, I would propose free voluntary classes for guides, and I would be glad to teach 'em. I've met other guides that have been around for years that 19 would be glad to teach free. " and they said yes. 12 5/10/07 COMMITTEE ON PARKS & REC.
- 070229 So I thank you for your time. And if I have to run, it's because I have to go to your doctor's at 3:00. Go ahead.
We thank you for your testimony, Mr. Avery. Mr. Rizzo.
I walked out without my notes, and I had a note, and the question I want to -- I hope I can get it right -- is, have we absolutely defined what a tour guide is? Because there are so many people dispensing information. I see the person driving the bus, the double decker bus. The driver in some cases is also presenting the information. And, you know, I've noticed it a couple times and I thought 13 5/10/07 COMMITTEE ON PARKS & REC. - 070229 that the looseness of the presentation, making fun of some of our art work, didn't particularly -- didn't particularly sell well with me, what I was hearing. But do we absolutely know who we're asking to draw into this? And it would be a shame to draw in the people that we don't have a problem with and miss the ones that we do have a problem with.
Well, there's a definition in the bill introduced by Councilwoman Blondell Reynolds, and if she wants to tell you -- if not, I could just say it's that you've got to be on the public streets of Philadelphia, not in a building -- like a carriage driver, like a walking-tour person. And you got to, according to bill, the way I read it, you have to be compensated. So that's the definition. 14 5/10/07 COMMITTEE ON PARKS & REC. - 070229 You're on the public streets, you're giving a tour to a group for compensation. I'll stand corrected if I'm...
Well, the volunteers at the Art Museum, then, would not fall into that.
And can tell you, I went on a tour with one of the guides over at the Art Museum. I was so impressed. I learned more in that two-hour tour of one of the -- I forget which event it was, but it was -- it was the best time I ever had at the Art Museum because I really understood what I was looking at rather than trying to figure it out myself. But I just thought maybe the sponsor can describe exactly who we are pulling into this. And are we missing anybody that we need to include?
15 5/10/07 COMMITTEE ON PARKS & REC. - 070229 Well, I thank you. That is some clarity to the definition. Those arts and cultural institutions who have staff purely for that particular institution are not considered in our definition of a tour guide. It is those who are setting tours around Old Philadelphia, Manayunk, Fairmount Park who we believe should have a fluent, informed, accurate, current knowledge of the various historical stops in the City of Philadelphia.
So the Preservation Trust that takes care of the older historic homes in Fairmount Park would not be included in that, then, 'cause they don't get compensation.
They do not receive compensation; that's correct.
Thank you. 16 5/10/07 COMMITTEE ON PARKS & REC. - 070229 Thank you, Madam Chair.
You're welcome. Please, Councilman Frank DiCicco.
Thank you, Madam Chair. Good afternoon, everyone. Mr. Avery, are you the one who did the WHYY tour? I recognize you?
And either to you or to the other panelists and maybe even to the chairperson: How do other cities handle this? What is it that they do, if they're doing anything differently than what we do?
17 5/10/07 COMMITTEE ON PARKS & REC. - 070229 Well, let me start with London just by way of an example.
In London, taxicab drivers are required to undertake a course that includes an in-depth study of London street routes and places of interest. The average preparation time is 34 months. We're not suggesting that; this is purely an example. And if they don't pass the very tough exam, they then cannot get a taxicab license. So that's just one example of what the city of London done. Might any of you have an example of what other cities are doing that have been going through this process like Williamsburg, Virginia, or Charleston, South Carolina.
I know that Savannah, Georgia has -- 18 5/10/07 COMMITTEE ON PARKS & REC. - 070229
Oh, I'm sorry. I'm Amy Needle, President and CEO of Historic Philadelphia. And I know that Savannah, Georgia, has an extensive training because they have tour guides around in their historic area, and I know that have an extensive training procedure as well as a test.
So we're using -- and we'll be happy to -- would you like to add to the testimony? Please welcome and come forward. (Witness comes forward.)
My name is Liz Browne, and I have been a tour guide in Philadelphia since 1960, and I worked for a while as a consultant to start Historic Philadelphia, Incorporated, 19 5/10/07 COMMITTEE ON PARKS & REC. - 070229 and tried to develop -- wanted very much to develop such a program for that organization and did some research into what other cities do. And I have some information that I brought with me that I'd be happy to share with you. But for instance -- well, I don't think I wrote it down, but I have a lot of information, including the legislation from the city of Charleston, South Carolina.
Excellent. And this will be a part of your testimony that you wrote?
And from Washington, D.C. and a little 20 5/10/07 COMMITTEE ON PARKS & REC. - 070229 information from Hawaii even. And I can also tell you that in Paris, where I lived for a while, they have a college-level courses that all guides are required to take, lasting two to three years. So they are very, very well prepared, yeah.
Good afternoon. I appreciate the members of the committee allowing me to testify. My name is Amy Needle, and I am President and CEO of Historic Philadelphia and Once Upon a Nation, and I am here today to express our support for Bill No. 25 070229. 21 5/10/07 COMMITTEE ON PARKS & REC. - 070229 Historic Philadelphia is a nonprofit organization that produces and runs programs, tours, storytelling, and performances seasonally in the historic area. HPI employs over 80 actors and storytellers each season. We run eight historically-accurate tours and thirteen storytelling benches, with each storyteller telling approximately five stories for 101 days throughout the summer. Everything that we do has been thoroughly researched by historians and vetted through the experts at our historic sites and partners at the National Park Service. Three years ago, with the start of Once Upon a Nation, our storytelling and tour component, we created a school for the actors and the storytellers to attend called the Benstitute. It is a three-week intensive training session, complete with a final exam and a graduation, and 22 5/10/07 COMMITTEE ON PARKS & REC. - 070229 it employs historians from Penn, Temple, Villanova, St. Joe's, Haverford College, and storytelling professionals, experts in acting, vocal technique, communication skills, and visitors service. We have received very positive feedback from both the media and those visitors who've experienced our programming. As an example, in June of 2005, Philadelphia City Paper rated all of the Philadelphia-area tours on entertainment and factual accuracy. Our Benstitute-trained actors and storytellers received an 8 out of 10 for entertainment, and we were the only tour program to receive a 10 out of 10 on factual accuracy. Clearly, we love what do, and we take our role in contributing to the overall success of Philadelphia's tourism industry very seriously. And we would like to thank Councilwoman 23 5/10/07 COMMITTEE ON PARKS & REC. - 070229 Reynolds-Brown for recognizing the importance of this issue and for her leadership. It is time to begin the public process to ensure that Philadelphia's visitors leave with not only a sense of satisfaction and a strong desire to return, but with the secure knowledge that what they've heard and learned while in historic Philadelphia was historically accurate and authentic. I would like to again thank the Councilwoman and her staff for their combined efforts and the opportunity to be here to show our support for initiative that will bring the highest level of quality and experience to our visitors in historic Philadelphia. I would also like to add that our Benstitute is currently happening as we speak, and I want to invite any number of Council and the committee to attend the Benstitute. Our graduation is on May 24th. 24 5/10/07 COMMITTEE ON PARKS & REC. - 070229
We thank you for that invitation. Councilman Frank Rizzo?
In this process, is there an audit process where you send people that critique the presentation for any flaws?
Yes. Part of what we learned is that it's not just -- it's -- I should say there's sort of two parts. One is, before any storyteller or tour hits the street, we have researched the story or the tour and had it, you know, sort of taken through the process of National Park Service historians so that before it even hits the streets, we know that it's accurate of. But what we've also learned is over the course of the summer, the storytellers and actors and people that are on the streets need to be audited. And so we do have people that we call, 25 5/10/07 COMMITTEE ON PARKS & REC. - 070229 you know, "secret shoppers," who will stop in and make sure -- people on our staff who will make sure that the story hasn't changed from day 1 to day 101, because it's hot out, and we want to make sure that people continue to tell the right story.
Thank you very much of. Please provide the additional details for May 24th to my staff. Please state your name for the record.
My name is Paula Spilner. I represent the Philadelphia Society for the Preservation of Landmarks, nonprofit organization dedicated to historic preservation and public education. Specifically I am here in my role as director of landmarks tours, a program of guided architecture walking tours in Philadelphia and the region. 5/10/07 COMMITTEE ON PARKS & REC. - 070229 In addition, I have been a volunteer guide in this program for years. I 4 can hardly believe it. 5 The mission of the landmarks 6 tours programs is to interpret the 7 past, present, and future of the 8 Philadelphia region as expressed 9 through its architecture, urban design, 10 and social history. 11 We now offer more than 50 12 different tours of Philadelphia, from 13 Center City to neighborhoods like 14 Tacony, Frankford, Spruce Hill, to name 15 a few, that are not typically visited 16 by tourists. And I brought some of our current -- a brochure of our current scheduled tours if you're interested. Tours are open to the public for a nominal fee and are offered weekly from May to December. In the 20 years that we have been presenting tours, we have welcomed tens of thousands of visitors drawn not only from the region but from around 27 5/10/07 COMMITTEE ON PARKS & REC. - 070229 the country as well as from around the world. We consider ourselves to be not only educators but good will ambassadors for the City of Philadelphia, sharing not only our knowledge but our enthusiasm for this unique and precious place. All of our guides, currently about 60, are volunteers. But they take their mission and their responsibility to the public very seriously. We pride ourselves on communicating well-researched, accurate, and reliable information. To maintain this high level of quality, all prospective guides are required to attend a 12-week course of lectures, hours of lectures. I have 20 the curriculum for the lecture series 21 that concluded about two weeks ago. 22 Ph.D.'s from Drexel, West Chester 23 University, Bryn Mawr College, 24 architects and professional and design professionals. 28 5/10/07 COMMITTEE ON PARKS & REC. - 070229 By the way, all prospective guides pay out of their own pockets for this course, and they also attend additional practical training workshops in addition to the course. I am not suggesting that all tour guides in the City of Philadelphia need the kind of extensive training that we offer. I do, however, want to call your attention to the wealth of resources in our own organization as well as in other city libraries, tour operators, and so forth, as well as individuals like Ron Avery. This wealth of resources should make it imminently feasible to provide at least basic information and training to all who, in effect, represent the City of Philadelphia as tour guides. Landmarks -- I speak for Landmarks when I say we'd be happy to contribute whatever expertise, whatever is needed to ensure that visitors 29 5/10/07 COMMITTEE ON PARKS & REC. - 070229 experience our city not only as enjoyable but informative and based on accurate information. I would hope that an opportunity to become a certified Philadelphia tour guide would come to be seen not as an onerous bureaucratic requirement but as a point of pride, indeed a point of honor, among those who represent our city to its many guests. And I thank the Councilwoman for taking this initiative to make sure that all tour guides reach a basic standard of competence and quality. Thank you.
You're welcome. Any questions, comments from members of Council? (No questions.)
Let me underscore two points that have been made by the testifiers. 30 5/10/07 COMMITTEE ON PARKS & REC. - 070229 One. Yes, this is the beginning of a public process, where we are now and what the bill looks like now, we're fairly confident, will be a different, better bill once we've had a chance to gather input from all stakeholders. And we also do not want it to be viewed as an onerous requirement, so hear that so that we're all clear about where we are and where we hope to end up. I thank you all for your important testimony. PANEL: Thank you.
Thank you very much. The panel next up: Miss Vicki Sand, the Executive Director of the Atwater Kent Museum. Paul Levy or a representative of the Philadelphia Center City District. Meryl Levitz, or her 31 5/10/07 COMMITTEE ON PARKS & REC. - 070229 representative, for the Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation. And William Moore, Independence Visitors Center Corporation. (Witnesses come forward.)
And we'll start with the leadership at the Philadelphia Atwater Kent Museum, Vicki Sand.
Hello. Thank you very much. I am Vicki Sand, Executive Director of the Atwater Kent Museum, and I am here to present testimony related to the proposal to amend Chapter 9-200 of the Philadelphia Code. First, I want to recognize the 32 5/10/07 COMMITTEE ON PARKS & REC. - 070229 leadership of Councilwoman Blondell Reynolds-Brown for bringing this issue to this public forum and for bringing together many of us who have an investment in providing engaging, satisfying experiences for visitors. To be successful, we believe that a program to professionally- certified tour guides needs to reflect historical integrity and current scholarship. It needs to be based on an understanding of the expectations of visitors, and it needs to be sustainable over time. In addition, a program needs to draw upon the rich historical and cultural resources of Philadelphia, including the Atwater Kent, the Mid-Atlantic Branch of the National Archives, the City Records Department, and the Historical Society of Pennsylvania, among other archives. It also needs to have appropriate financial support. 33 5/10/07 COMMITTEE ON PARKS & REC. - 070229 Success will not only depend upon accurate factual information but also upon the integration of compelling stories selected to illuminate the full 300 years of Philadelphia history, including people in eras long neglected. To think of this guide certification process as a simple one of memorizing dates only contributes to the common misperception of history, that "it's just one damn thing after another," to quote Arnold Toynbee. To provide tour guides with opportunities to tell stories with appeal to a broad public audience makes their work more enjoyable and tourists' visits more satisfying. Success will also depend upon creating a process that's sustainable. It will require resources. As with everything successful in Philadelphia, it will require bringing together the communities, many of whom are here 34 5/10/07 COMMITTEE ON PARKS & REC. - 070229 today. What are the expectations of tour promoters? What are the demands and limitations of tour operators and guides? What are the expectations of visitors? How do we integrate stimulating new information and monitor that over time? How do we best deal with turnover have guide staff? Why should business or individual entrepreneurs participate in such a program? which I happen to believe should be volunteer. How will this be added? How will added effort be recognized and promoted by the City and by those who are directing visitors? As the City history museum with a long tradition of successful education programs, the Atwater Kent would be pleased to partner with others to help frame a program that would address these and other issues. We would also be pleased to initiate efforts seeking private 35 5/10/07 COMMITTEE ON PARKS & REC. - 070229 funding to support such an effort that could be matched with potential City commitment. Again, historical integrity is the first step. The ongoing educational commitment with financial support will provide long-term success. Thank you for your consideration. We look forward to working with your office and your staff in advancing this important and significant effort.
We thank you very much for your testimony. Please. Good afternoon.
I'd like to thank Councilwoman Reynolds-Brown and the Committee on Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs for inviting us to speak to the committee about the licensing of tour operators. My name is Angela Patterson, and I'm the Vice President of Special Projects at the 36 5/10/07 COMMITTEE ON PARKS & REC. - 070229 Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation, GPTMC. Meryl Levitz, GPTMC's CEO and President, regrets that she cannot be herself today to testify to the committee. In survey after survey conducted by GPTMC, we have confirmed that history is one of the main reasons tourists give for visiting Philadelphia. Our tourists enjoy a wide range of experiences, but it is our history that most often gets them here. In 2006, there were 1.8 million visits to the Liberty Bell and 642,000 visits to Independence Hall. One third of our visitors surveyed during the summer of 2006 reported that they took a guided tour of some sort during their stay.
A guided tour. Together, these historical 37 5/10/07 COMMITTEE ON PARKS & REC. - 070229 experiences and tours define how satisfied people are with their trip to Philadelphia, how likely they are to tell positive stories to others about their trip, and how likely visitors are to return to do something else in Philadelphia or bring others with them the next time. It is, therefore, extremely important that our visitors' experience of historic Philadelphia be excellent one. We also hear from visitors that it's Philadelphia's authenticity which distinguishes our city from other places tourists could choose to visit. From the historic sites that are the real deal not reproductions, to our neighborhoods and unique architecture, visitors are impressed by how real everything in Philadelphia is. Preserving that sense of authenticity is crucial, and that includes what visitors are told by their tour guides. Ensuring that 38 5/10/07 COMMITTEE ON PARKS & REC. - 070229 visitors receive accurate information about our nation, our historic sites, and our neighborhoods is a necessary part of maintaining that authentic experience. If our visitors feel that they have been misled or misinformed, we have damaged the credibility of our destination and its most defining feature -- authentic historical experience. There is now more for visitors to see and do than ever before in the historic district: The National Constitution Center, the new home of the Liberty Bell, the reconstructed Franklin Square, and the about-to-be- completed Independence Mall and Presidents House. We need to ensure that the tour operators who are part of our visitors' experience offer enlightening and accurate information so that visitors have a good experience, are 39 5/10/07 COMMITTEE ON PARKS & REC. - 070229 inclined to return and bring others with them, visitors recognize that Philadelphia is tourist-ready and tourist-friendly with a well-defined program to offer them knowledgeable tour guides, and that Philadelphia's reputation as the place to learn about our nation's history in an authentic setting is maintained. Thank you for opportunity to express our support for a plan to ensure well informed-and well-trained tour operators in the City of Philadelphia. We look forward to working with you on this important initiative.
We thank you for the testimony of GPTMC. Good afternoon, Mr. Moore.
Good afternoon. How are you. Thank you for the invitation. My name is William Moore, and I'm the 40 5/10/07 COMMITTEE ON PARKS & REC. - 070229 CEO and President of Independence Visitors Center. I'm going to ask my share my testimony with you today. I would like to thank the Committee on Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs for affording me the opportunity to speak on behalf of the city's tour industry. But also, I would like to thank you personally, Councilwoman Reynolds-Brown, for introducing an ordinance that recognizes that Philadelphia's economy depends on tourism and acknowledges our civic responsibility as one of the most historically-rich cities in the United States to ensure that visitors receive an exciting, informative, and accurate introduction to our city. The hallmark of any visit to a great historic city is a great tour; and yet, up until this point, neither the tourism industry nor the City has been able to guarantees a great tour, 41 5/10/07 COMMITTEE ON PARKS & REC. - 070229 regardless of which tour operator the visitors choose. While the City certainly has some outstanding tour operators, some of which I'm pleased to see here with us today, extremely knowledgable tour guides, our ability to (indiscernible) a great tour with credible tour guides is at the crux of our ability to remain a top domestic tourist destination. Some are questioning the importance of this bill and its urgency. Let me try to address some of those concerns. From where I sit, at the Independence Visitors Center -- a facility that just this week, nearly five years old, welcomed its 10 millionth visitor -- it's increasingly clear that Philadelphia has truly regained the reputation of a world-class city. People are staying longer, spending more; and according to our surveys, they are reporting that 42 5/10/07 COMMITTEE ON PARKS & REC. - 070229 they're more likely to come back. Tourism has spiked in recent years, leading to an industry boom not experienced since the bicentennial celebration. But our industry, like any other, remains vulnerable, and that means preserving a reputation is critical. Therefore, we should operate under the assumption that each and every unsatisfied visitor -- our customers, if you will -- can potentially tarnish the image of the city; and ultimately, over time, too many unhappy customers can hurt our industry, which, as we all know, is closely connected to the strength of Philadelphia's economy. Certifying tour operators is hardly a new or untested concept. It's my understanding that at least ten other American cities and European cities require the testing and licensing of tour guides and have 43 5/10/07 COMMITTEE ON PARKS & REC. - 070229 required licensing in some cases for decades. It only makes sense that a city like Philadelphia, as visitor- focused as we are, would enact similar provisions as another way to increase visitor satisfaction and enhance the overall experience of our out-of-town guests. As I've already mentioned, Philadelphia has many exceptional tour operators, but it would be naive to think that their reputation is invulnerable also to the poor standing of others. Certification shouldn't hinder their individual businesses; instead, certification will ultimately strengthen their industry together. This bill is a great idea. It can certainly be potentially a remedy for a situation that's important for all of in us the tourism industry as well as for our visitors. I think additional thought and 44 5/10/07 COMMITTEE ON PARKS & REC. - 070229 consideration should be given on the structure of the bill, but I think this bill can present a reasonable solution. We should take a little but of time ironing out the details and take a closer look at the requirements to make sure the bill is effective and can be implemented fairly. This bill means more than just better tours; it means we can better show off everything that is great about our outstanding city, from its unmatched history to its unique culture.
And I should add that more satisfied visitors clearly means more dollars spent, and that's usually good for all of us. Thank you.
Thank you all for your very important testimony. Any members of the committee have additional comments or suggestions 45 5/10/07 COMMITTEE ON PARKS & REC. - 070229 questions? (No questions.)
May we all receive copies of your testimony? You have submitted that?
Very well. We thank you all very, very much.
So all of you have testimony over to my left? The panel that just finished, you all provided your written testimony to the table over here to my left? Please, that would inform us going forward. We welcome our next panel: The chairman of the Constitutional Walking Tour, Jonathon and Leslie Bari. We welcome Philadelphia Trolley Works, Michael Kates. And we welcome the City Hall 46 5/10/07 COMMITTEE ON PARKS & REC. - 070229 Tour Director, Greta Greenberger. Please come forward. (Witnesses come forward.)
Please state your name for the record, and you may proceed with your testimony.
Sure. My name is John Bari, Chairman of the Constitutional Walking Tour. Good afternoon, Honorable Councilmen and women. I appear here today along with Leslie Bari, Vice Chairman of the Constitutional Walking Tour. I want to thank Councilwoman Blondell Reynolds-Brown for her efforts to enhance the City's arts and cultural community, and I also want to thank the members of City Council's Committee on Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs for giving us this opportunity to 47 5/10/07 COMMITTEE ON PARKS & REC. - 070229 testify before you today. We know that the issue of tour-guide licensing sincerely concerns many of us. And to that end, we know that there are strong feelings on both sides of this. We respect the views of everyone and we appreciate City Council's attention to this matter. First, we absolutely agree with the importance of Philadelphia's tour guides providing accurate, informative, and engaging tours. And to that end, the Constitutional Walking invests considerable resources to provide what we feel is Philadelphia's best sightseeing experience, hosted by Philadelphia's best-trained tour guides. We would also like to extend a special invitation to City Council to take a field trip and follow in the founding fathers' footsteps with us so that you can see first hand how the Constitutional's tour content is 48 5/10/07 COMMITTEE ON PARKS & REC. - 070229 accurate and comprehensive. That said, we are absolutely opposed to any legislation of the and the current form which licenses tour guides. From a big-picture perspective as business people in the City of Philadelphia as well as residents of Philadelphia, we are troubled by the fact that tour-guide licensing has arguably seemed to have become a fast-track legislative initiative by City Council at a time when the City faces much more daunting and immediate challenges in terms of crime, finances, and schools, as well as even more global opportunities as presented by Center City District's wonderful new five-year strategic plan. I'm joined with our thoughts by pragmatic disagreement, I guess, to this through editorials by David Yadgaroff, Vice President and General Manager of KYW News Radio, who aired his editorial, which stated: "The last 49 5/10/07 COMMITTEE ON PARKS & REC. - 070229 thing Philadelphia needs is another layer of bureaucracy to oversee the process. " Further, Bernie Dagenais, editor of the Philadelphia Business Journal, published his editorial against this legislation in which he stated: "As long as there are ways at arriving at historic accuracy that have not been tried, creating another law is just another restriction on liberty in a city that is a poster child for freedom. " I'm going to step back for a moment and give you some background on the Constitutional and our content and tour guide training. We employ tour guides on a year-round basis. We operate under very strict self- regulated standards, adhering to detailed script that has been 50 5/10/07 COMMITTEE ON PARKS & REC. - 070229 fact-checked by qualified personnel numerous times. Our content was created through qualified individuals academically and professionally, including historical researchers and interpreters from the National Park Service. Most recently, even Ron Avery read our 7,000-word script and couldn't find an error in our script. Have we ever made mistakes on our tours? Absolutely. We're all people, we all make mistakes. Mistakes will undoubtedly occur again regardless of whether tour guides are licensed or not. The only way to really avoid this would be to have every tour scripted, vetted and recorded verbatim and then played back verbatim to ensure absolute accuracy each and every time. While the Constitutional does offer an award-winning audio tour, we believe that live tour guides, though, 51 5/10/07 COMMITTEE ON PARKS & REC. - 070229 do serve a real purpose and can really bring history alive to visitors.
Whether you're a tour guide or whether you're the president of the United States, mistakes will happen no 7 matter how much training, no matter how much regulation, and how much practicing exists. " "1776" almost slipped 16 out of the president's mouth, and the 17 crowd on hand erupted in laughter. Unfortunately, though, licensing tour guides in the present shape and the present form as drafted is no laughing matter to those of us who will pay the price for what we believe is this good-intentioned but poorly conceived plan. I want to share with you the 52 5/10/07 COMMITTEE ON PARKS & REC. - 070229 top ten reasons that we feel that Council should vote no to this proposed ordinance as written. We feel that the proposed $150 fee and a weekend worth of training is both excessive and burdensome; and in all likelihood, we as a tour operator would have to subsidize these costs for our tour guides and, accordingly, these will become a tax on our business. We also think that as such, that this will likely increase consumer prices, as tour operators will, in fact, pass this on to consumers. We think as well from research we've done that this will actually deter qualified guides. D. students at Temple, law students at Temple, at Penn, and what have you who are very qualified, who just would not want to sit for a weekend at Community College and pay a $150 fee to do this. A couple of other reasons that 53 5/10/07 COMMITTEE ON PARKS & REC. - 070229 are more specific is that we don't think that this should be revenue-creative or additive to the City of Philadelphia. We think, if anything, it should be revenue-neutral. And according to what we've heard through presentations made at Temple University by the Councilwoman, that $100 would go to the City's arts and cultural staff out of the $150 fee. We think that that is wrong. We also think that it has the potential to focus on too narrow of a scope. Councilman Rizzo voiced an interesting point earlier about who would be governed by this. And we feel that just licensing tour guides would actually be too narrow of a scope. We would think, arguably speaking, that it should be all customer-facing or guest-facing employees who are compensated; and in turn, that would include all of those people at the Visitors Center who are 54 5/10/07 COMMITTEE ON PARKS & REC. - 070229 employees of the National Park Service as well as the Independence Visitors Center who greet guests, provide them information on our country's history, on the area's tours, on the wonderful tourist attractions. So we shouldn't cast too small of a net to the extent that as it's written. " Now, again, this is one of those things. This woman's probably very qualified, but if we're going to be licensed guides, so too should the staff. Most importantly, we think that accepting the fact that errors, omissions, and exaggerations will 55 5/10/07 COMMITTEE ON PARKS & REC. - 070229 happen and continue to happen with or without legislation and licensing. Just because someone has a license doesn't mean that they won't err, that they won't exaggerate; in fact, it may give them greater likelihood to do it. Don't think that we're all just against this and say no, no, no. 10 We do have in our written testimony additional points of consideration and some practical solutions that we'd like to share with Council in terms of no 14 legislation and/or modified legislation. We would like to see a common fact sheet, like Mr. Avery spoke to. We believe that self-regulation is something that is actually working quiet well, and you've heard from not only myself about our self-regulation, but you've heard from Amy Needle at Once Upon a Nation, Historic Philadelphia, and their self-regulation seems to be working wonderfully. 56 5/10/07 COMMITTEE ON PARKS & REC. - 070229 You've heard from a woman at Landmarks, and her self-regulation seems to be working wonderfully as well.
I'd like you to look at what the market forces here are and to see that there are those that are deeply concerned in this and that accordingly, we should not, in essence, be lumped into a group if there are certain other groups who don't provide as much self-regulation as we do there. We think that we should provide a framework of knowledge that's relevant and timely. For example, our guides don't tour Germantown, but in essence, they might have to learn about the battles in Germantown, and I'm not sure that that's necessarily appropriate if you're a tour guide in Valley Forge or if you're a tour guide in the City of Philadelphia or what have you. I also think, practically 57 5/10/07 COMMITTEE ON PARKS & REC. - 070229 speaking, there are many tour guides that come into the city every day every week with tours from outside of the market, and they're not licensed, nor is there necessarily a way to accurately identify who those people are. So if they're not licensed, then it would be discriminatory, arguably speaking, to just license those that live and/or work in the City of Philadelphia. I really would encourage you to consider viable alternatives to legislation with self-regulation. And you had asked what other cities do. Other cities, including Boston and Chicago, according to the National Federation of Tourist Guides Association self-regulate themselves among tour operators to ensure that factual content is accurate and there is integrity to it. I have provided you with written testimony as well as full 58 5/10/07 COMMITTEE ON PARKS & REC. - 070229 copies of the editors on KYW News Radio the Philadelphia Business Journal, and I thank you for your time.
And we thank you very, very much for your testimony. Frank Rizzo.
This is very risky. Antique Row, is it east Pine Street? East Pine? Excuse me? (Laughter.)
That's right. 59 5/10/07 COMMITTEE ON PARKS & REC. - 070229 My father was the captain of the police district there; it was the 19th Police District at 12th and Pine. And he always used to refer -- I used to remember him referring to that block as Antique Row, so that's what made me remember that. Thank you.
You're welcome, you're welcome. Please, sir.
Thank you. My name is Michael Kates, and I run the Philadelphia Trolley Works Big Bus Company, 76 Carriage Company, and several other entities under the 76 Carriage Company umbrella. I would also like to thank you for the opportunity to testify and just give you our feelings on this. We believe that the legislation is in its infancy right now. We will hold most our comments until we see legislation that takes 60 5/10/07 COMMITTEE ON PARKS & REC. - 070229 into account all of the feedback that you've heard today. A few things I would like to mention, and I hope that the Council would consider: We at Philadelphia Trolley Works have changed our logo several times and have changed how we operate, and we're about ready to change it to "You legislate and we'll try to survive," because that's what it comes down to. And it gets really frustrating when, as a private entity without funding, without subsidies for training, without any assistance to provide training, we provide excellent training on an ongoing basis. You had mentioned at the start of today's testimony about the tour that you took with your daughter. I would love to know who that was with and how that justified in your mind why this type of licensing or this type of 61 5/10/07 COMMITTEE ON PARKS & REC. - 070229 regulation is required. We do support the idea of licensing. We think it would help our business to say our tour guides are licensed. But what we also believe is it will change nothing. It will not change the accuracy or the level of accuracy or inaccuracy. The only thing that does that is training and the operators providing that training. You can give a class, you can give classes every year, and the people who give these years will continue to misspeak. What we ask the Council to consider other than legislation is to understand what we go through as a private business. I've got a huge investment in the Philadelphia area. Last year, we carried 114,000 people in a motorized tour environment. Our auto insurance last year was $965,000. We have got a significant investment in the 62 5/10/07 COMMITTEE ON PARKS & REC. - 070229 Philadelphia area; we can't afford any more costs. Of the people that we carried, we have a satisfaction guarantee. If you don't like the tour for any reason, we will give you your money back. We gave refunds last year, 11. Our 9 percentage of satisfied customers is 10 incredible. I'd put it up against any 11 other business in this city. Have we misspoke? are there inaccuracies? Absolutely. Will legislation change it? I think we're naive to this so. So as I sit here in front of your, I can commit to you all of my efforts, all of the efforts of my owner, all of the efforts of my manager to get it right. And I think, for the most part, we get it right. Mr. Avery sat here and said he's created a list of 70-some. I bet you he's probably got 700 or so. But the issue is, my guides 63 5/10/07 COMMITTEE ON PARKS & REC. - 070229 speak for a 90-minute fully-narrated tour four our five times a day. On an average day, we'll give tours that 5 leave from that stand; that's a lot of 6 facts. If there's 70 misstatements, I 7 think we've got to be congratulated, 8 not legislated. 9 And I think we do a real nice 10 job with managing every aspect of our 11 business, accuracy being a key aspect 12 of our business, and we'll continue to 13 do so. 14 And if you choose to legislate 15 in any way that you legislate, it will 16 follow along, and we'll be the best 17 legislated guides in the City. 18 You know, it's certainly not 19 due to lack of effort. We don't put 20 people on the street that we don't 21 believe represent the city the way the 22 City deserves to be represented. 23 I agree with Mr. Bari: There 24 are much bigger problems. But if you want to legislate what we do, we'll 64 5/10/07 COMMITTEE ON PARKS & REC. - 070229 take that legislation, we'll be guided by it, and we'll be the best motorized tour company in the city with licensed guide.
We've been here for 30 years. No other company, nobody in this room 8 can say that. We've been providing tours in this city since 1976. Many have come, many have gone. Many accurate ones have come, many inaccurate have come, but they're all gone. We're left here for 30 years of providing quality tours of the city. And the tours are one thing. We're a partner to this city. We're a full transportation company that lends its efforts to many charities throughout the city. We are a partner to the Philadelphia community. It seems, as I sit here, whether it's the carriage legislation, whether it's increased permits and fees, whatever that is, the Council concentrates on what they can do to 65 5/10/07 COMMITTEE ON PARKS & REC. - 070229 hurt the private business, the tour operator. I would like you to look at what you can do to help. And, quite frankly, this may be a way to help us. If you provide legislation that is thoughtful, that is helpful, that there are no fees associated with, let us all go to the Benstitute, let Amy teach all of my guides the proper thing to do. Now, again, I'm not in a six-block-square radius; I'm a 90-minute fully-narrated tour that covers four miles of the city, that gets about 112,000 people on a vehicle, spending money, not in the mall area, you know, up in the museum district, over in Antique Row, down in Penn's Landing. This is an invaluable resource to the city. Just, please, don't put any more tax burdens on us. Don't cost us more to operate than you already have because, eventually, there's a 66 5/10/07 COMMITTEE ON PARKS & REC. - 070229 breaking point, and I would hate to see the city without a motorized tour operator. And if we're not there with our 30 years of experience, somebody else will be. Now, whether they're from Branson, Missouri, or London, England, or wherever they're from, they'll be here and they will make that money and they will take that money back to Branson, Missouri, or London, England, or wherever they come from. We are trying to survive. We provide a huge tax base in the City of Philadelphia, with 125 full-time employees. And just please consider that when you make your decision.
And we thank you for your very important, informative, instructive 67 5/10/07 COMMITTEE ON PARKS & REC. - 070229 testimony. Please, good afternoon.
Good afternoon. And thank you, Councilwoman Blondell Reynolds-Brown and Councilman Rizzo and Councilman DiCicco and Councilman Clarke, for giving us this opportunity to recognize a very important part of our city's story and its history. We have so much wonderful experiences for people to have here in Philadelphia. And my name is Greta Greenberger, and you probably recognize me as the tour director here at City Hall. And in that capacity, we also have a Visitors Center, and our visitors come into our office every day from all over the region, all over the country, all over the world. And I've come basically to support the efforts of this bill, recognizing that there are aspects of it that should be looked at more 68 5/10/07 COMMITTEE ON PARKS & REC. - 070229 carefully. But certainly, the fact that often we hear misinformation. We have visitors come and ask questions from things that they've heard on other tours such as, Is that Benjamin Franklin on top of City Hall? We hear too much of this sort of misinformation. And yes, we are all guilty of making mistakes and slips of the tongue. But basically, we also know that we have fabulous venues, incredible history, wonderful architecture to share with people. And we support the idea of having a training, having a manual that is created by the efforts of all of these organizations so that we can feel confident that our visitor experience, that we tour guides, as ambassadors of the City, are truly doing a quality job, and that we recognize that people leave here, share their experiences 69 5/10/07 COMMITTEE ON PARKS & REC. - 070229 with others in other parts of the world, and we want the story to be a good, entertaining story, but also one that has correct facts and information. So as I said, I really come to just support this effort and to thank everyone who has taken the time to come here today and share in the concern of the quality of our tours.
Okay. We thank you also for your testimony. Comments or questions from members of the committee?
Other than Mr. Kates' company's performance is excellent. I wish you'd get into the airline business. (Laughter.)
Let me state a few things. One, be assured that this bill 24 is not on the fast track. And yes, it is indeed in its infancy stage. And 70 5/10/07 COMMITTEE ON PARKS & REC. - 070229 yes, we're going to slow-walk this to make sure factored in and reconciled in a way that is okay with the testimony presented here today, reconcile the very legitimate concerns, and quite frankly, new aha moments I've experienced by listening to your testimony. So simply be assured that this is not a fast track. No one is served by fast-tracking anything. And we want to end up at a different place than where we are now. The good news is that we have tour operators in the city who already get it in some respects and already have in place a formula for ensuring that visitors receive accurate, informed, current, exciting information about our city. So I state that for the record. Thank you all for your testimony. 71 5/10/07 COMMITTEE ON PARKS & REC. - 070229 PANEL: Thank you.
Our last and final panel is: Tamara Qayyum; Elizabeth Browne; Michelle Von Deak, Director of Development for Once Upon a Time; and Donna Miller, Administrator for the Historic St. George's Church. Please come forward. (Witnesses come forward.)
We'll start with Tamara Qayyum, and please state your affiliation.
"O Si Yo," which is, in Cherokee, means "greetings to all." I'm Tamara Phoenix Qayyum, a member of the Southeastern Confederacy of Pennsylvania. On behalf of Chief 72 5/10/07 COMMITTEE ON PARKS & REC. - 070229 Buffy Red Feather Brown, my father Marshall Jeffries, and our ancestors, we are here today to support Councilperson Blondell Reynolds-Brown and Ordinance No. 070229 of the Philadelphia Code. It is noteworthy to mention that the last time a Cherokee woman addressed this body was in 1787 in a letter that can be found in the Pennsylvania Archives. It was also during turbulent times. I think the letter was even written when the fathers of this nation, on May 14, 1787, were meeting, trying to reach a quorum about the Constitution. She wrote to ask them to smoke the pipe of peace. And although the times in Philadelphia, with a murder rate of more than 150 in less than six months, civil war, and the war in Iraq, global war, the words that my sister wrote on that day are truly needed now. But I am not here to speak to 73 5/10/07 COMMITTEE ON PARKS & REC. - 070229 you about violence and war, maybe another day. I'm here to share some history and ask you to assure complete history be told. And in 1787 Native-Americans and, most impressively, a Cherokee woman wrote a letter to President Franklin, and she did not send up smoke signals, nor did she ride down Broad Street on horseback, whooping. And she most didn't start her eloquent letter with "how"; she took pen to paper. And today, May 2007, a Cherokee has come to ask that you make certain her story is told. Coincidence? I think no not. History is destined to repeat itself if you choose to forget. Native people have been all but written off by the people who built the Constitution Center. I beg that you not allow the truth to fall silent from the lips of those creators who will greet and guide visitors. There are children who must 74 5/10/07 COMMITTEE ON PARKS & REC. - 070229 not be allowed to grow up thinking the city disappeared one day, risen from the ashes like the mystical bird I am named in honor of. Please assure that they know that even the document which this country was built, the words in that document were taken from the Iroquois laws. Yes, the Constitution of the United States is based upon Iroquois laws that governed the tribes of this region and the southeastern regions, tribes named Allegheny, Susquehanna, Mohawk, Mohican, Lenape, Algonquin, Pequot, and Tsalgi, which is Cherokee, all lived by those words. I witnessed firsthand the lack of knowledge of our tour guides just last summer. My family, husband, daughter, grandson took a ride on the Duck. The guide spoke many half-truths, but the one and only thing he spoke regarding local Native Americans was related to the only 75 5/10/07 COMMITTEE ON PARKS & REC. - 070229 reference point he passed, and that was the statue of the Lenni Lenape chief, and he didn't know this great man was a chief who governed the land along the Delaware. I beseech that you review your history, that you make sure your children know specifically this city's history, that you make positively certain that the people who employ to transmit that history know the truth via education, certification, and/or penalties. Maybe, my Anglo, African, Hispanic brothers and sisters, maybe in knowing the truth, the turbulent spirit that haunt our times will return to a more peaceful spirit. Succinctly, I say "Wado," which means "thank" you in my language, for the opportunity to give you this testimony. I would like to extend the resources of the Southeastern Cherokee Confederacy of Pennsylvania Earth Band 76 5/10/07 COMMITTEE ON PARKS & REC. - 070229 as a point of reference to everyone here for any questions regarding Native People in this region. Our number is 215-549-4191. Thank you, Councilwoman.
Thank you very, very much. Please state the name of the Southeastern --
Southeastern Cherokee Confederacy of Pennsylvania Earth Band.
Thank you very, very much for your informed testimony. Please.
Hello again and thank you for the opportunity to speak. My name is Elizabeth Browne. I live on Second Street. I have lived in Society Hill since 1964, and during most of the years since then, I have been a tour guide for a variety of organizations sometimes as a volunteer and sometimes 77 5/10/07 COMMITTEE ON PARKS & REC. - 070229 paid. From 1994 to '99, I served as a consultant to Historic Philadelphia, Incorporated to develop walking tours and train the guides to give them. And Ron Avery was one of those guides. During that time HPI Director Karen Butler and I developed a proposal for a guide certification program, knowing that the impressions that visitors to our historic district take away with them are, in most cases, shaped by the quality of information they receive from the wide range of providers in the district -- carriage drivers, dock and trolley tour guides, INHP rangers, pre-arranged tour guides on-street interpreters, even the Phlash drivers and the taxi drivers. We wanted to find a way to ensure that accurate stories were told, and certification seemed the best way to do it. And as I mentioned earlier, I researched how certification is done 78 5/10/07 COMMITTEE ON PARKS & REC. - 070229 in other cities, which was very helpful. And as a result of that, we organized a meeting of representatives of many of the tour companies, some of whom are here today, to discuss the idea of guide certification. And as today, the concept got mixed reviews, and there was a lot of resistance to compulsory certification by the City of Philadelphia. As a result, we developed a proposal based on voluntary certification and was based on developing a series of videotapes -- we would probably have a different format today; this was in 1997. But it would bring together local historians, knowledgable people who could give the stories of Philadelphia's history as well as guiding techniques and basic facts about the city. And we felt that this could work on a volunteer basis because we 79 5/10/07 COMMITTEE ON PARKS & REC. - 070229 would issue badges to guides who passed the test to become certified guides, and that anybody who wasn't wearing a badge might not get the business. So that it would be a real incentive to the companies to have that visible sign of quality, Housekeeping Seal of Approval, if you will. And so that would force, perhaps, those businesses to comply or else suffer the consequences. Unfortunately, our proposal was turned down by the Pew Charitable Trust, so nothing happened, and so here we are ten years later trying again, and I really appreciate the fact that it is. And I feel so strongly that in Philadelphia, we do pride ourselves on the fact that the sites of our nation's history are real ones and not Disneyland. We need to back up that authenticity with accuracy. Our history is rich and full of surprises 80 5/10/07 COMMITTEE ON PARKS & REC. - 070229 and great stories. We don't need to make them up. The time has come to certify the richness of our history with well-trained information- providers. If this legislation goes forward, I would be happy to discuss my findings with whoever implements it. And I do thank you for allowing me to share my deep concern. Thank you.
Thank you very, very much. Is there anyone else to testify on this bill? Please come forward. Do any members of this committee have questions for our current testifiers? (No questions.)
Not knowing if you have to leave, Ms. Qayyum, I do want to thank you and Vicki Sand of Atwater Kent who have 81 5/10/07 COMMITTEE ON PARKS & REC. - 070229 spoken to the need for a diversity. Wherever we end up, that the issue of diversity that speaks to the richness of our city is reflected wherever we end up. Thank you very, very much.
Indeed. Thank you very much. Good afternoon. Do you want to state your name for the record?
Good afternoon. My name is Judith Robinson, and I'm here today to testify on Bill No. 17 070229. I am a certified tour guide trained through the now-defunct Foundation for Architecture. We had a very in-depth -- I believe it was over several sessions, and the last class was in 2000. I was in that class. Since then, tourism has really started to expand in our city. 82 5/10/07 COMMITTEE ON PARKS & REC. - 070229 I am really concerned that those of us that are trained now have to go back and be retrained. I don't mind updating my skills because I do that in my profession to be relicensed, but I am concerned that there is a whole new process, and I wonder if there's been any talk of grandfathering in those of us that have been trained in the past. In addition, in this bill, it talks about geography, historic sites, objects, but it doesn't really talk very much about history. Whose story will be told? I trust that we will not use revisionist history, as facts must be told to our children and to anyone coming to this town interested in history. I am concerned that in the past, we have been told so many lies quite frankly that we may have a little trouble trying to find out what the facts are. I'm wondering who's going 83 5/10/07 COMMITTEE ON PARKS & REC. - 070229 to do the training. I read the bill. I understand that there is a process, but who is going to come with the facts? I would suggest that it must read for every tour guide be how the North promoted, prolonged, and profited from slavery complicity -- I'm sorry, complicity. How the North promoted, prolonged, and profited from slavery by Ann Farrow, Joel Lang, and Jennifer Frank. Very, very in-depth research, documentation, et cetera on what has happened in our past.
No, the North. It's a must-read. It was very much enlightening. I think that it would be very, very important for us all to be enlightened in that regard, especially in light of the fact of what's been transpiring right now with the 84 5/10/07 COMMITTEE ON PARKS & REC. - 070229 President's House. I know because we're going to be attracting tourism, some folks like to make things sound nice and sexy, but facts, reality are intriguing too. So I just would suggest that we not rush through with this process, that we be clear on our obligation to be factual, and that we do the right thing as best as possible. I just would like to suggest that we look at several different methods of training so that we can pull from the best information presented to us. Thank you very much for the time. Thank you.
And we thank you very much for your testimony. Please state your full name for the record.
My name is Julia Safer. Can you hear me? 85 5/10/07 COMMITTEE ON PARKS & REC. - 070229
Okay. I have a private concern I'd like to discuss. I have been going through an unjust police investigation for quite a few years now, and I would like to speak to someone in the political world about the situation I'm going through. And that's why I came here. I came here today spontaneously; it was not planned. And I was just hoping that there might be someone who would be willing to speak to me about the situation I'm going through. It's really a horror story. And if I spoke to you or anyone else about it, I would tell you stories that would turn your hair white.
We'd like to think that you've come to one of a number of possible places for help, and we'll be delighted to, once 86 5/10/07 COMMITTEE ON PARKS & REC. - 070229 we wrap up these proceedings and we're at the end, to have you meet with I and my staff immediately after we close this hearing. So it's not a problem at all to sit with you in my office immediately following this hearing.
You're very welcome and we applaud your courage to step up and ask for help in a public way.
My desperation does. I really don't know where else to turn or what to do.
Okay. All right then. So please have a seat right behind the bar, and you will walk up to my office with us.
Okay, anyone else to testify on this bill? 87 5/10/07 COMMITTEE ON PARKS & REC. - 070229
Now would be the time, yes. (Witness comes forward.)
Hello. My name is Kim Sajet. I am the new President and Chief Executive Officer of the Historical Society of Pennsylvania. Please excuse me 'cause I have not prepared formal remarks and I have been on the job a little over a month. But, of course, we've been hearing about this in the paper. And in my new role at the Historical Society of Pennsylvania, our mission is to collect and tell the stories of Pennsylvania. We are the designated historical society for the County of Pennsylvania. We are a certified provider of education to the State of Pennsylvania and the history and the School District of Philadelphia. 88 5/10/07 COMMITTEE ON PARKS & REC. - 070229 And one of the things that I would just like to say is that we, as an organization, are more than happy to work with the many partners in Philadelphia to see a resolution to this. The Historic Society has million records. We are second only 10 to the Library of Congress in our 11 holdings of American history. We are 12 the number one in the United States on 13 immigrant history. We are number three 14 in the United States for genealogical 15 and family history. 16 We have the first proof of the 17 Declaration of Independence. We have 18 two Emancipation Proclamations. We 19 have the treaty with the Lenape 20 Indians. We have the source documents 21 right here up on Locust Street. And so I think one of the things that we need to talk about when you go forward in this is really partnering with the historical 89 5/10/07 COMMITTEE ON PARKS & REC. - 070229 organizations. Someone asked the question about who's actually going to provide the really facts? We have those facts, so -- as does the Atwater Kent, the Free Library, the Atheneum, and other historical organizations. And I think it's very important to make sure that those historical organizations partner with the tourism organizations, that there is a connection between the real object, the real fact, that you can actually hold Washington's diary in your hands if you come to our place and how it translates into the tour operators. So thank you.
Thank you very much for your testimony. Congratulations. This concludes our public hearing. * * * 90 5/10/07 COMMITTEE ON PARKS & REC. - 070229
We will now move into our public meeting. And I will share with you -- after conferring with my colleagues here, we will take two actions today. First let me say thank you to everyone who came forward to offer your important perspective, and we have decided that we will move the bill only to what is called a first reading, and then we're going to push the pause button. And I am going to convene a task force that will meet over the next 90 days. And those of you -- any one of you or all of you who are interested to be a member of this group, we will not burden you with a lot of meetings because we want to, at the end of the 90 days, do something tangible. It may be an amendment or two or it may be further action beyond that. So we will today want to take an action, and that is to simply move 91 5/10/07 COMMITTEE ON PARKS & REC. - 070229 it out of committee on the first reading, hold it, convene a task force, meet, factor in the various perspectives that have come before us, and then decide at the end of that task force what the recommendations should be going forward. Very well. That said, can I have a motion on -- we have to have a... a quorum, so we're waiting for one of our members of the committee to return. While we wait for Councilman Clarke, again, let me underscore we're not fast-tracking this. We've been enlightened this afternoon in a number of good and important ways, and I think the best way for us to more than adequately address both concerns and interests that's been raised is to do it through a back-and-forth over a series of meetings. So if you're interested in serving on this task force, then we 92 5/10/07 COMMITTEE ON PARKS & REC. - 070229 simply need for you to register informally with Joe Meade so that we have a means of contacting you before at least one sit-down in the month of June. And Miss Elizabeth Browne, we would welcome your input given the work you've done already with the documents that you shared today, okay? So can I have a motion on Bill 12 No. 070229. Councilman Goode?
Thank you, Madam Chair. I move that Bill No. 16 070229 be reported out of committee with a favorable recommendation and that the rules of Council be suspended so as to permit first reading at our next Council session. (Motion seconded.)
Therefore, Bill No. 070229 has been moved and properly seconded. All in favor will say aye. 93 5/10/07 COMMITTEE ON PARKS & REC. - 070229 All nos, opposed? (None opposed.)
Therefore, Bill No. 070229 will be reported out of this committee with a favorable recommendation. This -- forgive me? And that the rules of Council be suspended so as to permit first reading at the next scheduled session of City Council. This concludes the meeting of the Committee on Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs. I want to thank my colleagues for coming and staying at this important juncture of our process. We want to thank you all for your interest and for your testimony. It will be read again as we prepare for that task force. We thank you all. Good afternoon. (Proceedings end at 3:36 p.m) * * * 94 C E R T I F I C A T E I HEREBY CERTIFY that the proceedings of the City of Philadelphia Council Committee on Parks, Recreation & Cultural Affairs are contained fully and accurately in the stenographic notes taken by me on Thursday, May 10, 2007, and that this is a true and correct statement of same. __________________________________ JOSEPHINE CARDILLO Registered Professional Reporter (The foregoing certification of this transcript does not apply to any reproduction of the same by any means, unless under the direct control and/or supervision of the certifying reporter.)