Aye. The ayes are 17, the nays are 0. A majority of all Members of Council having voted in the affirmative, the bill passes. This concludes our calendar for today. Are there any speeches on the part of the minority? Are there any speeches on the part of the majority? The Chair recollect knees Councilwoman Tasco.
Thank you, Madam President. Madam President, I would like to invite the Members of Council to join me in paying tribute to a valiant Philadelphia hero. Gertrude Alston Alexander Barnes died on Thursday past, March 1st. She was an outstanding, dedicated to Delta Sigma Theta Sorority and a North Carolina Sister and a very good friend of my grandmother's. She was a crusader for children, a champion of the absolute SPEECHES necessity and value of an integrated education, and a pioneer in the basic philosophy of racial harmony. She was unrelenting in her pursuant of these objectives. Her other passions included the West Philadelphia Cultural alliance and the Paul Robeson Project. She insisted that Philadelphia live up to its motto of brotherly love. I would like to ask the Council to stand in a moment of silence for the memory and legacy of Gertrude Alston Alexander Barnes who has many more attributes I cannot say here today, but if you knew her had met with her or had known about her history in Philadelphia, you would be very, very pleased and honored. Thank you very much.
Thank you. All members will stand for a moment of silent prayer and our visitors can also join us if they see fit. (Moment of silence.)
Thank you. At this time, the Chair recognizes Councilman Ortiz.
Thank you, Madam Chair. Yesterday over the wire and THE internet I received news that Latinos have become the largest SPEECHES minority in the United States. That population grew over 60 percent over the last 10 years. And that the growth of the population were also not in the places you might actually think about, places like Iowa, Vermont, Maine, showing that Latinos are going to places really that are not considered the stream that they have usually and historically taken. But it shows also that the numbers, although they are big, I think as was stated in the resolution that we spoke about, that also means that poverty and the conditions that afflict that community, that the growth in numbers has not meant a growth in economic power and has not meant a growth in political power. Hopefully, over the next 10 years that will change. But it is significant that this country as it reaches the 21st century is going back to it's native roots of Spanish becoming probably the second most predominant language in the land as it was when it began being known as America. So I think it's something that we will see and we will celebrate as we continue to grow. Thank you, Madam Chair.
You're welcome. The Chair recognizes Councilman Mariano.
Thank you, Madam SPEECHES President. Madam President, today I introduced a resolution calling for the City of Philadelphia, hopefully, the Mayor's Office and Public Property to put -- I found out last week that we subscribe to three weather, two for the Department of Transportation and one for the Aviation Department. The reason I did this was since the television news stations have gotten our weather forecasting into a ratings war -- I mean, one of the stations, Channel 10, was interrupting the 10 o'clock news over a week ago and scared the daylights out of everybody. And although this weather forecasting isn't an exact science, possibly if it's by a service and we put it on our cable access station, SEPTA does it with a resolution I did in my first year of Council, they put all the routes, snow emergency routes on there. If we could do this with the cable access station, maybe the people will feel a little better and would trust the actual forecast they're going to get. Now, we realize it's not an exact science, but what happens here is people panic and they rush to supermarkets, buy shovels, buy bread and milk. I don't know what we're doing with all the bread and milk. SPEECHES Councilwoman Tasco says they're shoveling the bread and milk. I'm not about sure. But it really disrupts the daily life of the people in this City and the whole region. They were sending people home from school early. My youngest son got sent home three days in a row, Friday, Monday and Tuesday, and I didn't shovel any snow so it couldn't have been that bad. It all melted in one day. So what we have to do is get this done and I urge the Mayor and the Managing Director and the Department of Public Property to get this on the public access station so the people have faith again in the forecast. If the company that the City hires doesn't forecast correctly, we hire someone else that has a better track record forecasting the weather. Thank you, Madam President.
Thank you. The Chair recognizes Councilman Cohen.
Thank you, Madam President. Just short announcement. All members Law and Government Committee, just a reminder, at 1:30 this afternoon continued hearings on the health plans of the City, the plans that the City has for SPEECHES the unrepresented employees which include the members of City Council the staff members and all people who work for the City who are not members of unions. The unions will also be present. I understand I received a call last evening that the Chief of Staff will also be here and will be able to furnish us with information and be subject to questioning about the City's plans. Secondly, a reminder that beginning at noon, the resolution Councilman Ortiz and I read involving that extended lunch hour will take place in the Council Caucus Room. All members of the Council and their staff are an invited with particular emphasis, of course, on the women members but they'd like the men members and men staff members to come as supporters. Final thing, just an added note. I was remiss have in not expecting that the "Daily News" follow the "Inquirer" as being supporters of tobacco lobby. If you saw the "Daily News" over the last week, there have been two full-page ads in the name of Wawa but actually from the tobacco lobby urging people to buy Malboro Cigarettes. They're for sale at reduced rates with a caution in the corner that ADJOURNMENT nobody pays any attention to saying "This add is intended for only adults who smoke." Thank you, Madam President.
Thank you. The Chair recognizes Councilman O'Neill.
Madam Chair, thank you. I'd just like to point out to my colleagues that the resolution that was unanimously passed today supporting elected representation for the District of Columbia is very significant in the District of Columbia because we are the birth place of democracy and they wanted our City to be the first among all those municipalities around the country to pass this and be up front because our history here means a whole lot to them in terms that have movement. Thank you.
Thank you. Are there any other speeches? Seeing none, the Chair recognizes Councilwoman Tasco for a motion to adjourn.
Thank you, Madam President. I move that Council stand adjourned until Thursday, March 15 at 10:00 a.m. (Duly seconded.) ADJOURNMENT
It has been moved and properly seconded that Council stand adjourned until Thursday, March 15, 2001 at 10:00 a.m. All in favor will signify by saying aye. (Aye.)
Council will stand adjourned until March the 15th. Thank you. (Council adjourned at 11:00 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 March 8, 2001, 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