Councilwoman Krajewski. 2/6/03 - STATED - 2ND READING AND FINAL PASSAGE
Councilman Mariano. (No response.) (Councilman Mariano recorded as voting aye. See , Line 3.)
Aye. The ayes are 14, the nays are 0. A majority of all Members of Council having voted in 2/6/03 - STATED - 2ND READING AND FINAL PASSAGE the affirmative, the bill passes. The Clerk will please read the title of Bill No. 020808A.
An ordinance extending the discount period and the due date for payment of real estate taxes due in 2003 and enacting special provisions for addition to tax, penalties, and interest if such real estate taxes are paid after the due date, all under certain terms and conditions.
The amendment has been circulated, however, Councilman, I think it would be very helpful to everyone if you would simply explain what the amendment would do to this bill.
What the amendment does is it will now offer for those folks who have filed an appeal on their real estate taxes a minimum of 60 days from the date that the BRT renders its final decision on that appeal to entitle those 2/6/03 - STATED - 2ND READING AND FINAL PASSAGE property owners the 1 percent discount. In effect, they will have between 60 and 90 days to qualify for that discount period without any penalties being imposed. And the reason for this is, as you know, there have been an extremely high number of folks who have filed real estate appeals this year and many of those hearings will not be heard until the end of March, early April, and quite possibly May. If we do not support this amendment, those folks who have exercised their rights to appeal, many of them at the urging of many City Councilmembers, would basically loss the opportunity to qualify for the 1 percent discount. So in fairness to those folks, I think this bill is a fair way to go affording people who have exercised their right to appeal to have the same benefit of the 1 percent discount as well.
Thank you. At this time would you move the motion, please.
I make a motion that the amendment to Bill No. 020808 be approved. (Duly seconded.)
It has been moved and seconded that the amendment be adopted. 2/6/03 - STATED - 2ND READING AND FINAL PASSAGE All in favor will signify by saying aye. (Aye.)
The ayes have it, and the amendment has been adopted. The Chair recognizes Councilman Mariano.
Thank you, Madam President. Madam President, I was out of the room and I want to be recorded as voting yes for Bill 020761A.
Thank you. The record will so reflect that Councilman Mariano voted in the affirmative on that bill. The Clerk will please read the title of Bill No. 020496.
An ordinance amending Section 9-205 of the Philadelphia Code entitled "Sidewalk Sales," by prohibiting sidewalk sales on portions of 18th Street and Callowhill Street.
Thank you. The Chair recognizes Councilman Clarke.
Thank you, Madam President. Madam President, I'd like to offer an 020496. This amendment has been circulated to all Members of the Council.
I'd like to make a motion for an amendment to Bill No. 020496. (Duly seconded.)
It has been moved and properly seconded that the amendment be adopted. All in favor will signify by saying aye. (Aye.)
The ayes have it, and Bill No. 020496 has been amended and it will be placed on next week's Calendar. This concludes our Calendar for today. Are there any speeches on the part of the minority? (No response.)
Are there any speeches part of the majority? At this time the Chair recognizes Councilman Cohen.
Madam President, the papers and radio and TV are having a good time, and I thing people in Philadelphia are very much interested in what's going on at the Convention Center. I don't offer at this time very much, but there's some things that kind of seem clear to me without making final conclusions about the political aspects of the situation or even the financial aspects. One thing seems clear to me, there are a lot of important players that all have to come together no matter who's on the board, no matter who's running the show, unless the Governor or the Mayor or the Convention Center Board all get together at some point, and this is one area where I do believe that bipartisanship is essential. Both parties are going to have to come together or nothing can be served. And since public monies are involved, I think it's very important that all the parties get over their feelings, whatever they may be, whether they're celebrating or whether they're unhappy, and finally decide that each of them is a principal player and they've got to work together. And since labor organizations are very much to happen, I think there are certain standards at least that become clear no matter who makes what decisions. One is that all of the labor organizations must be treated fairly, and in return, the public that uses the Convention Center and the businesses that use it are also entitled to be treated fairly. And to me, in one area where there have been charges -- I don't know the truth or not -- about something called featherbedding, which means getting paid for work that you do not do, has to be eliminated. And I think it should be across the board. Labor should be willing to do that because it makes no sense to spend public monies for work that's not being done. But at the same time, each of the unions has to be treated equally and fairly. And the last thing that I'm ready to comment on is the papers have been full of comments about the two new appointments, Councilman Nutter as Chairman of the Convention Center Board, and Al Mezzaroba, an alumnus of City Council, is an attorney. And all I can say is they happen to be two people I've worked with very, very closely. I don't think I've ever met anyone that was smarter, wiser, more judicial than either one of them or even as cooperative as either one of them. And I don't think, in any event, that their appointments ought to be regarded as in any way creating problems. I think they offer a great opportunity for settling the matter, but I just wanted to speak of my own personal experience with those two men. I don't think this City Council, if we're held responsible since they come from our body originally, I think we can be proud of the work they've done in City Council. And I think before it's all over, we'll be probably very proud of the work they do for the Convention Center. Thank you, Madam President.
You're welcome. The Chair recognizes Councilwoman Blackwell.
Thank you, Madam President. I would like to say thank you to the thousands and thousands of people who joined with me in celebrating the life of Lucien Blackwell. Certainly, I haven't even read all of the commendations, the letters, the cards yet, but I will. I received so many mass cards with the Vatican and back. I'd like to thank all my colleagues and all elected and appointed officials and so many of you in this room who called me and who reached out to certainly extend condolences. I'd like to apologize for those who were not able to get in at the end. Certainly, it was not choice. I asked them to cut the program, but certainly not the people who wanted to say their good-byes. We had people who came from across the country who wanted to see Lucien, and some few were not an afforded or some hundreds were not afforded that opportunity. I apologize. It was certainly not my choice. I would like to say thank you to all the labor leaders, the boxers, Bernard Hopkins and every local boxer who carried Lu to his final resting place. I would like to remark about all the prisoners who wrote me, hundreds of prisoners who wrote. And I'm reminded of one in particular, a lifer that we've been communicating with since the early '70s who reached out who wrote me a letter and sent me a card. thank you to all the people in wheelchairs and people who hobbled up who wanted to say something to Lu. I thank you all as well. I'd like to say that Lu always talked about the proverbial little old lady. He always dealt with the haves and have-nots, and certainly we feel that we must carry on that battle and certainly thank them who were there. We had people who came who said -- you know, one of my regulars, who said he didn't have a suit but he wanted to come to serves. I'd like to thank all the ethnic groups, the Africans who gave a ceremony because really we had services on two days so we could get some remembrances in. The Korean community and so many ethnic groups; the masons, so many groups who came and who made special efforts to uplift us as a family and also to say their final good-byes. Let me conclude by saying the Asian community told me that sometimes when a man is good, God will not let him suffer but God will take him with him. And that is the way we want to remember him. So, again, to each and every one of you and all who can hear me, we'll reach out and we will do that but we say thank you, thank you, thank you, and God bless.
Madam Chair, this weekend, actually, yesterday and the day before on Channel 10 I saw Berks County Commissioner expressing some disgusting theories and ideas about Puerto Ricans. And what surprised me the most also was that Channel 10 then did a poll as to the issue that this bigoted Berks County Commissioner was talking about. The issue in Berks County is that Puerto Ricans and other Latinos are being denied their right to vote because the Berks County Commissioners have violated the Voting Rights Act and by violating the Voting Rights Act in the method that they have refused to print ballots and information in Spanish in order to be able to keep the electorate, which now numbers 37 percent of the Reading, informed. The County Commissioners have refused to go along with the Federal Voting Rights Act, have refused to do what other cities across the country have done and as we do here in Philadelphia, which is to print election information in Spanish and English and other languages. I'm not satisfied with that. They have actually in public and in meetings disparage, insulted and gave outward bigoted comments as to Puerto Ricans and what Puerto Ricans would do if they become Mayor of the City of Reading, something that is not a matter or a question of whether there is going to be a Puerto Rican Mayor of Reading, it is just a matter of when. Channel 10 then did a poll by computer as to whether ballots and election information should be printed in different languages. And the question was kind of loaded. But 87 percent of the people or 80-something percent of the people answered through their computer and some of the comments that were then printed on the screen through their e-mail really gives us a lot of thinking to do. It gives us a situation that we have to pause for thought. This is the year 2003 and we thought that bigotry and comments as to ethnically, culturally, and linguistically was gone. And 80-something percent of the people that answered in that poll stated that if we didn't know any English, we should not be allowed to vote; that if we didn't know any English, we could not participate. These were thoughts that used to be prevalent in this society, and they still are, it seems. But it's not present, as that poll indicates, it is not just present in the minds of the Berks County Commissioners; it seems that it's present in a lot of people within the viewing area of Channel 10. Bigotry is something that is hiding just below the radar. It is something that we have to be very much aware of. Sometimes we have idiots like the Berks County Commissioners who let out their bigotry in public. Others express it through e-mails in the anonymity of their homes and their own computers. I actually want to thank Channel 10 for the poll and the way it was expressed because it should make us a little bit uncomfortable that there are a lot of people out there among us that still hold these feelings. Rights Commission and United States Attorney are taking a hand in the Berks County issue. Ed Rendell has already told his Secretary of State Ramos and he has started through his office to intervene on the issue. But we have to do something other than just take care of their commissioners. As those 80-something percent people indicate, we have to begin and be very much aware of the bigotry, racism, that is still out there. Thank you.
Thank you very much. The Chair recognizes Councilman DiCicco. (Applause.)
I expect the applause was for Councilman Ortiz and not for my introduction. Thank you, Madam President. I just would like to take a brief moment to congratulate the two gentlemen who have been recently appointed to the Convention Board. I've known Al Mezzaroba and his family just about all of my adult life. Al has always considered to be, as Councilman Cohen said, a very intelligent and wise man, and I can a more personal note because back in 1995 Al Mezzaroba was considering running for 1st Councilmanic seat. He decided to withdraw, so I know he was very intelligent. I know him to be a very intelligent man because he decided not to run against me. (Laughter.)
But I would also really like to say that I want to congratulate a person whom I'm proud to call my friend, Councilman Nutter, our colleague, on his appointment as Chair of the Board. All of us know Michael's hard work ethic. He's a very fair man. And the one thing about Michael we all can attest to is that he is very thorough. So I think that Michael's appointment to the Convention Center Board will get through some of the problems that have been existing for a long period of time. The one thing about Michael, he will never make the personal. There were some comments made by some the folks in the paper yesterday about not liking Al Mezzaroba. And those are the kinds of things that I think have gotten us into trouble at the Convention Center. Too many personalities, both personal, have interfered with that process. And I know that Michael, again, from my experience working with him here in City Council for the better part of seven years, will avoid all those childish things that probably go on on a day-to-day basis there and will get through that and will be a blessing to all of us, because I know that Michael will always have one thing in mind when he makes decisions, and that is for the betterment for all the citizens of Philadelphia, not just for Michael Nutter's political future. So congratulations, Michael, on your appointment. (Applause.)
Thank you, Madam President. I would be remiss if I didn't say a special thank you, not only to the Mayor and Governor, but former President Clinton and Hilary Clinton last night when an alarm was going off, I was on the phone with Senator Hilary Clinton who talked about the mutual battles on health reform, et cetera, that we shared with her in the City when she Clinton was in the White House. And certainly she pledged her continuing support to the ideals that we all hold dear and ask that we keep in touch. So I certainly wanted to mention that because, you know, the struggle continues and we look forward to working with and supporting her as we continue on the challenges that affect the health industry and so many others that our people have to endure in this society. Thank you. (Applause.)
Thank you, Madam President. I'd just like to say to Councilwoman Blackwell and to the Blackwell family, you all did a fine job in sending out friend Lu home to his glory. And I know you did everything you could to reach out to all the groups who wanted to express some love for and appreciation to Lu Blackwell for what he did for this City. And the outpouring to him certainly demonstrated the love and respect people had for what he had done. We congratulate you on a wonderful job. I'd just like to say, on another note, his comments about everybody trying to work together is very important. And I support Councilman DiCicco in his comments about the two gentlemen who were working at the Convention Center. But I would seriously say that if all parties don't begin to take seriously the issues around the Convention Center, we're going to have a serious ripple effect in this City with the loss of business because the conventioneers who come to this City, spend their money in our local restaurants, our local hotels, and the decline is down. And then what happens? We begin to layoff employees. And what happens with that? You begin to lose revenue in the City. So everyone who has a stake in the success of the Convention Center, I call on to take fully their responsibility to note that they have a commitment and a responsibility to the citizens of this City of Philadelphia to work together to make sure that we do not have a ripple effect and have our citizens lose their jobs because of the in-fighting. Let's put aside all of our petty differences. And I leave with this, in the words of King, "Can't we just all get along?" Thank you very much. (Applause.)
Thank you, Madam President. Two things. One, I, similar to Councilwoman Tasco, want to say to our friend and colleague Councilman Blackwell, Jannie Blackwell, that I was certainly personally touched by her grace and demeanor in dealing with the events surrounding Councilman and Congressman Blackwell's passing. We also know that the Councilwoman suffered another personal loss a number of months ago with her mother. We see people at times, at least in this business, under some of the most trying and difficult circumstances, and we learn lessons from them as we try to live our lives. And I had to chance to privately express but now publicly express to Councilwoman Blackwell, Jannie Blackwell, my admiration for her in being the strong person that she has been over this very difficult period. Secondly, and to all of my colleagues were made by Councilman Cohen, Councilman DiCicco, and Councilwoman Tasco, I will certainly do my best in taking on this new challenge and responsibility. I will give it everything that I have and also, I'm sure at times, continue to drive many of you crazy at various hearings and budget hearings and the like. I may cut back to 25 questions per witness as opposed to usual 50. There's an immediate benefit to me going over there. But as Councilwoman Tasco, and I've tried to maintain this over the past few days of controversy, which I'm hoping will die down, I have a singular focus about this and one interest and one interest only. It's the customers, the work force, and the hospitality industry. I do not claim to have all the answers. There are 13 people on the Board who I believe are all committed to the same goals. There are some very important players in this. First and foremost is the Chief Executive Officer and the Mayor of our City, Mayor Street, plays an important role in making sure that things turn around over there. The Chief Executive Officer of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Governor Rendell, plays a very important role. The Harrisburg, and regardless of how anyone may feel about the actions that we're taking, all of them play an important role, as well as the union leadership that provides the job opportunities for people at the center and the rippling effect that Councilwoman Tasco talked about into the surrounding industries that are dependent on the proper functioning and operation of that facility. My only interest here is in working with all those individuals and see if we can bring a positive turn-around to the center, and that's where I'm going to dedicate my efforts. I appreciate the comments. And more importantly, I would appreciate any support that can be directed toward making this thing work. And I thank all of you for your encouraging comments. Thank you, Madam President. (Applause.)
Thank you. The Chair recognizes Councilman O'Neill.
Madam President, thank you. The other day I learned for the first time that not only had Councilman Nutter been appointed Chair of the Convention Center Board but a law degree this week. One of the newspapers noted that in an editorial. I just wish they hadn't made it sound like an accusation. Thank you. (Laughter.)
Thank you. Are there any other speeches? The Chair recognizes Councilman Cohen.
I notice that a group of 25 or so people walked into the Chambers a bit late on the subject matter that they were most concerned about and for the placards displaying predatory lending. We want you to know that this Council took action on a resolution introduced by Councilwoman Tasco and commended her and the group that she's working with including ACORN for the wonderful work they're doing in that area. (Applause.)
I see my count is wrong, Madam President, there are far more than 25 representatives here. We're delighted that you're here and hope you continue your activities. Thank you.
Seeing none, the Chair recognizes Councilwoman Tasco.
Madam President, I move that Council stand adjourned until Thursday, February 13 at 10:00 a.m. (Duly seconded.)
It has been moved and properly seconded that Council stand adjourned until Thursday, February 13, 2003. All in favor will indicate by saying aye. (Aye.)
The ayes have it. Council will stand adjourned until Thursday February 13th. (Council adjourned at 11:25 a.m.) C E R T I F I C A T I O N I HEREBY CERTIFY that the foregoing proceedings of the Council of the City of Philadelphia of February 5, 2003, were reported fully and accurately by me, and that this is a correct transcript of the same. RE: STATED MEETING ___________________________ Lisa C. Bradley, RPR and Notary Public