Stated Meeting, May 28, 2026

COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA STATED MEETING Room 400, City Hall Philadelphia, Pennsylvania May 28, 2026 10:00 a.m. PRESENT: COUNCIL PRESIDENT KENYATTA JOHNSON COUNCILWOMAN NINA AHMAD COUNCILWOMAN CINDY BASS COUNCILWOMAN KENDRA BROOKS COUNCILMAN MICHAEL DRISCOLL COUNCILWOMAN CINDY GAUTHIER COUNCILWOMAN KATHERINE GILMORE RICHARDSON COUNCILMAN JIM HARRITY COUNCILMAN CURTIS J. JONES, JR. COUNCILWOMAN RUE LANDAU COUNCILWOMAN QUETCY M. LOZADA COUNCILMAN BRIAN J. O'NEILL COUNCILMAN NICOLAS O'ROURKE COUNCILMAN ANTHONY PHILLIPS COUNCILMAN MARK SQUILLA COUNCILMAN ISAIAH THOMAS COUNCILMAN JEFFREY YOUNG, JR. ELIZABETH McCOLLUM NAZARIO, CHIEF CLERK - -

Members, please take your seats. All visitors, please retire to the seats outside the rails. I note that the hour has come and that a quorum of this City Council is present. I ask all those who are present to please set your cell phones to silent and/or vibrate. To give our invocation this morning, the Chair recognizes Archbishop Dr. Mary Floyd Palmer, Presiding Prelate of the Philadelphia Council of Clergy and the Founding Pastor of the Samaritan Temple. She is here today as the guest of Councilmember Dr. Nina Ahmad. She's also a member of the illustrious sorority Zeta Phi Beta, Inc. I will ask all members and guests to please rise. (Councilmembers, guests and visitors rise.)

Archbishop, the floor is yours. ARCHBISHOP

Thank you, Mr. President. Good morning, everyone.

Good morning. ARCHBISHOP

Let us pray. God of our weary years, God of our silent tears, Thou who has brought us thus far on the way, Thou who has, by Thy might, led us into the light, keep us forever in the path. We pray, O God, our help in ages past, our hope for years to come, a shelter from the stormy blast and our eternal home. It is a good day, God, that we have come here together to carry on the business of this august body. First, we thank you for all of the leadership of our city, our Mayor, and the leadership of this Council, our Council President, Majority and Minority Leaders and all of those members in their respective places. Now, God, as we continue to do business on behalf of the people, for those who have been elected and chose to serve, we pray, God, that you will endow them with wisdom, knowledge, understanding and even common sense. We pray, God, that they will be doing it for the better part of the whole and not for the selfish part, but that those that are relying on them to be their voice, they will do so with fidelity and integrity. We ask, God, that you will continue to cover and keep them in a time where violence and political violence is bringing about division and it's being targeted. We pray that you will cover each one attached to them, cover their families and those that know them by blood or law. We pray that you will carry them from here to there without incident or accident. And we pray, God, that because they are a servant serving for you, according to Romans Chapter 13, in which they are called to do the work of the government, we pray that you will continue to lead them and guide them in all truth and that the truth shall win. We do speak against those with ulterior motives who may bring about harm, destruction and/or division, but unite us even more, even right now. And despite what may be happening all around the rest of this nation, let the cradle of liberty, the City of Philadelphia become more united than divided, and that your grace, your mercy and your peace will fall upon this city, that as violence de-escalates and that as neighborhoods blossom once again, we will all be able to come together with the common good, for the common man, the common woman, the old, the young and those that are hoped, the least, the last and the lost will not be forgotten. And if you do this through us, in us, and to us, we will be careful to give you the honor, the glory and the praise that is due you. We thank you. In the name of God the Father, who is our creator, in the name of Jesus Christ our Savior, in whom I believe, and in the name of the Holy Ghost that covers and keeps us, and to all others who may call God by the name of which they love, we will say, Amen, Amen, and Amen. (Amen.) ARCHBISHOP

God bless you.

The Chair thanks the Archbishop for the Invocation. Council will now be at ease. (Council at ease.)

The next order of business is the Approval of the Journal of the meeting of Thursday, May 14, 2026. The Chair recognizes Councilmember Majority Deputy Whip Cindy Bass.

Thank you, Mr. President. I move that the Journal of the meeting of Thursday, May 14, 2026 be approved. (Duly seconded.)

It has been moved and properly seconded that the Journal of the meeting of Thursday, May 14, 2026 stand approved. All those in favor signify by saying aye. (Aye.)

Anyone opposed? (No response.)

The ayes have it and the Journal is approved. The next order of business is request for leaves of absence. The Chair recognizes Majority Leader Katherine Gilmore Richardson.

Thank you. Thank you, Mr. President. On behalf of the Majority, there are no requests for leaves of absence today.

The Chair thanks the Majority Leader. The Chair now recognizes Councilmember Minority Leader Kendra Brooks.

Thank you, Council President. On behalf of the Minority, there are no requests for leaves of absence today.

Thank you very much. The Chair now recognizes Majority Leader Katherine Gilmore Richardson for a motion concerning certain legislative matters that may arise during the course of today's session of Council and that were not listed on the Calendar circulated prior to today's Council session.

Thank you, Mr. President. I move that any of the following matters, if considered today, may be added to the agenda for this session of Council and, as required by law, subsequently published on an amended agenda after the consideration of those matters: resolutions authorizing hearings, amendments to bills on first reading, the reconsideration of a bill vetoed by or re-called from the Mayor, amendments to bills re-called from the Mayor, resolutions taking substantive action to be voted on in this session, a motion to withdraw a bill or resolution that is not on the Calendar, and a motion placing a bill or resolution on or returning a bill or resolution from the Suspension Calendar that is not listed on today's Calendar. The purpose of this motion is to provide the public with notice concerning possible actions by Council that arose too late to be included on the Calendar that was published prior to today's session. (Duly seconded.)

It has been moved and properly seconded that the legislative matters stated by Councilmember Majority Leader Katherine Gilmore Richardson may be added to the agenda for today should those matters arise during the course of this session of council. All those in favor will indicate by saying aye. (Aye.)

Anyone opposed? (No response.)

The ayes have it and the motion carries. The Chair will dispense with the regular order of business to recognize the guests and visitors joining us in City Council Chambers this morning. On behalf of all members of City Council, I welcome you to our Council session. We appreciate your taking the time to join us as we attend to the legislative affairs of our great city. We certainly invite you to come again. At this time, the Chair recognizes Majority Leader Katherine Gilmore Richardson.

Thank you. Thank you, Mr. President. Please join me in welcoming 8th grade Language Arts students from Baldi Middle School, who are visiting us in City Council today to see the ins-and-outs of their local government firsthand. I ask you all to stand. Stand up, Baldi. (Applause.)

They are here with their teacher, Mr. Matthew Mandel, who I had the pleasure of meeting when I moderated a discussion on the AFT President Randy Weingarten's new book Why Fascists Fear Teachers a few months ago, and it's a good book. Mr. Mandel has brought his class to City Hall for years. In fact, he still remembers the very first time he visited this body with his students, but today's visit is extra special because this year Mr. Mandel is retiring. He's a National Board Certified teacher since 2010. He has also served on the Executive Board for the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers since 2002. And in 2025, he received a Lindback Award for distinguished teaching. Though today's visit is bittersweet, we thank you so much, Mr. Mandel, for your years of service to our young people and to our city. You are leaving a lasting legacy that will shape students for years to come. Again, please join me in welcoming these bright students to Philadelphia City Council today and congratulating Mr. Mandel on a well-deserved retirement. (Applause.)

Welcome to City Council. Chair recognizes Councilmember Minority Whip Nicolas O'Rourke.

Thank you, Mr. President. I would like to welcome to the chamber -- about a year ago, a little bit later in the day, I was watching my life change before my eyes, where that was the day that I witnessed the birth of my son. So today is -- it's crazy, because the days after that were a bit challenging for us. Many of you know that, and I shared as much, and many of the folks in this institution, as well as folks around this city, prayed for us, my family, my wife, myself as well as my son. But today is the first birthday of Augusta Leslie O'Rourke. Leslie, can you stand up and show our son. (Applause.)

Y'all show some love to my baby boy. Thank you, Mr. President.

You're welcome. You want to also acknowledge the First Lady, sir? You want to go ahead, sir?

And the Queen of my life --

There you go, there you go.

-- the peanut butter to my jelly, the hummus to my pita bread, my wife for life, Ms. Leslie O'Rourke. (Applause.)

Welcome to City Council. Chair recognizes Councilmember Jamie Gauthier.

Thank you, Council President. I'd like to take this opportunity to acknowledge two of the guests that I have here today. First, Mr. Jamal Johnson. Many of you might remember Jamal. Jamal, in addition to being a veteran who served our country for many years, all throughout the pandemic people could see Jamal protesting the gun violence that was skyrocketing in our communities, encouraging people to come out on their own blocks to keep the peace in their neighborhoods, and he even launched a 26-day hunger strike in 2020 to support my resolution that Mayor Kenney declare a gun violence emergency. He is somebody who I will always consider a friend and who is very inspiring to me. And today, Jamal is actually here with his uncle Mr. Noel George Miles, Jr., who we are honoring with a resolution today. Mr. Miles is a veteran and a renowned painter who, among his many accomplishments, painted the picture of City Hall that we use on every single City Council citation and engrossed resolution. And you all will remember seeing this all the time. (Applause.)

Can we give him a real big round of applause, especially members of Council. (Applause.)

We are so glad to have Mr. Miles here today. Thank you so much.

Thank you very much, sir. The Chair recognizes Majority Deputy Whip Councilmember Cindy Bass.

Thank you, Mr. President. I wanted to ask everyone to join me in welcoming Captain Stuart McCoullum from the 14th Police District, who is here today. We are recognizing Northwest Police brass and leadership, and we wanted to say thank you so much for being here and for your dedicated service. Captain McCoullum joined the 14th Police District in 2025 bringing more than 27 years of distinguished service within the Philadelphia Police Department, and we really just wanted to recognize him for his dedication, professionalism, always available and willing to help work out situations and just really being accessible and just a great person. So thank you so much, Captain, for all of your work for the Philadelphia Police Department. On behalf of the citizens of Philadelphia, thank you for being here today. (Applause.)

Thank you very much. I also see the Philadelphia flag lady, who's giving out the City of Philadelphia flags today. Let's give a round of applause please. (Applause.)

Good friends of our Councilman Mark Squilla. Thank you for being -- let's give her a round of applause everyone. Thank you. Appreciate your support. UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER: (Inaudible).

No, we can't do that today, but thank you for being here though. Appreciate that. Councilmember Dr. Anthony Phillips.

Thank you, Council President. I am pleased to welcome -- we'll be doing a presentation for her later. It is in the district of Councilmember Young, but Ms. Laurada Byers is here today. And so, we'll be talking about her later. But I'm also very, very pleased to welcome the leader of the Tookany/Tacony- Frankford Watershed, Justin DiBerardinis, who is here today with -- (Applause.)

There he is. With all of these individuals from different parts, organizations in the City of Philadelphia who are beginning this work with me and City Council to push for more funding for our parks, recurring funding at an equitable level for all of our parks, and we understand how important it is. So we want to thank all of them for coming to begin this campaign, so that we could really fund our parks so they could be among the best in the nation. Thank you so much, Council President.

Good job, Member Phillips. Every child deserves a great park. Councilmember Jeffrey Jay Young from North Philly.

Thank you and good morning, Mr. President. Today I just want to honor and acknowledge some students from Community College of Philadelphia's Gateway to College Leadership Council. These are students that are age 16 to 21 who for some reason may have disengaged from high school, but now they're back on track at CCP earning their high school diploma as well as getting college credits as well. So just want to acknowledge you students and thank you all for being here today in City Council. (Applause.)

Thank you very much. At this time, the Chair recognizes Councilmember Jamie Gauthier, who will present a resolution recognizing and honoring the Sustainable Business Network, also known as SBN of Greater Philadelphia, on its 25th anniversary for its outstanding leadership in advancing a just, green and thriving local economy, and for its enduring commitment to the independent businesses and communities that make Philadelphia thrive. Would Zoraida Cordero, Executive Director, and those accompanying her please join the Councilmember at the podium. Joining Councilmember Jamie Gauthier are the following Councilmembers: Councilmember Rue Landau, Councilmember Mark Squilla, Councilmember Quetcy Lozada, Councilmember Nicolas O'Rourke, Councilmember Dr. Nina Ahmad and Councilmember Dr. Anthony Phillips. (Councilmembers and guests approached podium.)

Good morning, everyone. For 13 years, the Sustainable Business 14 Network of Greater Philadelphia has 15 been proving that businesses can do 16 well by doing good, and it all 17 started in the 3rd Council District 18 at White Dog Cafe, where White Dog 19 and SBN founder Judy Wicks proved 20 that a restaurant couldn't just 21 survive but thrive by buying local 22 sustainable, in-season products and 23 treating their workers well. 24 This presentation is personal to me, because as some of you may know, I served as the Executive Director of SBN earlier in my career. During my tenure, SBN championed Green City, Clean Waters, worked with former Councilmember Maria Quinones- Sanchez to expand the Sustainable Business Tax credit, partnered with the Commerce Department on the Business Owners' Bill of Rights and even broke from the rest of the business community by fighting for the soda tax because of all of the impact it would make in our neighborhoods. And this is just a snapshot of how the Sustainable Business Network and their members fight for a more prosperous and inclusive economy. And this is important right now because our economy is broken and Washington keeps putting billionaire interests ahead of ours, so it is up to us to create an economy that works for everyday people. And the Sustainable Business Network of Greater Philadelphia proves that we do not need to choose between making money, uplifting our communities and protecting our planet. Today is a celebration, but I also encourage us to use this occasion to recommit to the role we must all play in supporting a triple bottom line of profit, people and the planet. This means buying local, especially along our neighborhood commercial corridors, so that we can keep our hard-earned money in our communities and out of the pockets of billionaires. We need to encourage more businesses to join our movement and to support aspiring entrepreneurs who share our values. And we as a city need to continue to make smart and targeted investments that grow our economy while also protecting our planet and uplifting Philadelphians. Congratulations to Zoraida Cordero, Judy Wicks, Alex Cupo, Nima Etemadi and every current and former SBN member, board member and staff member for years of excellence. I know 14 that we are all committed to making 15 sure that SBN's next 25 years are 16 even more impactful than its first. 17 And with that, we will now read the 18 resolution. 19

20 Whereas, for the past 25 years the 21 Sustainable Business Network of 22 Greater Philadelphia (SBN), founded 23 in 2001 has championed an economy 24 where independent values-driven businesses can thrive, communities prosper and the environment is protected, guided by the Triple Bottom Line framework of People, Planet and Prosperity; and

Whereas, SBN's work is organized across three interconnected pillars, business growth and stability, environmental stewardship and people, community and prosperity supported by a cross-cutting commitment to legislative advocacy, education, financial opportunity and community building; and

Whereas, SBN serves more than 135 member businesses, the majority of which are women-owned, BIPOC-owned, LGBTQ+-owned and immigrant-owned, and reaches thousands more annually through programs, partnerships and policy advocacy that strengthens the city and its regional independent businesses community; and

Whereas, SBN serves values-driven multi-industry businesses across Philadelphia and the Greater Philadelphia region, including independent retailers, restaurants and food businesses, service providers and environmental enterprises. Across Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery and Philadelphia Counties in Pennsylvania; Burlington, Camden, Gloucester, Mercer and Salem Counties in New Jersey; and New Castle County in Delaware have become a trusted convener, educator and advocate that advances local, state and federal policy supporting small businesses, environmental protection and equitable economic development; and

Whereas, through initiatives, including the Urban Forestry Initiative, Green Stormwater Infrastructure Partners, the Climate Action Campaign, Business For Impact and its cohort learning and mentorship programs, SBN has equipped entrepreneurs with tools, mentorship and networks they need to succeed while protecting the environment and uplifting the neighborhoods these businesses serve; and

Whereas, the organization's achievements are the result of the dedication and vision of its founders, board members, past and present, staff member businesses, community partners, funders and civic leaders who have supported its mission over the past years; 4 now, therefore, be it 5 Resolved, by the Council 6 of the City of Philadelphia, that 7 it Hereby honors and recognizes the 8 25th Anniversary of the Sustainable 9 Business Network of Greater 10 Philadelphia, and commends the 11 organization for its steadfast 12 commitment and dedication to all 13 Philadelphians. Please welcome 14 Zoraida Cordero to the podium. 15 (Applause.) 16

The Chair recognizes 18 Zoraida Cordero for remarks. 19 Welcome to City Council. 20

Good 21 morning, everyone. My name is 22 Zoraida Cordero, and I have the 23 privilege of serving as the 24 Executive Director of the Sustainable Business Network of Greater Philadelphia. This year SBN celebrates -- this year SBN 5 is celebrating its 25th 6 anniversary, a quarter of century 7 spent building a more just, green, 8 and thriving economy, ensuring that 9 all businesses in the local area 10 and Greater Philadelphia area are 11 supported, that communities are 12 thriving and that they feel 13 partnered and rooted in this work. 14 For 25 years, SBN has 15 worked at the intersection of 16 environment, economy and community. 17 We represent local and regional 18 businesses that believe 19 sustainability is more than 20 environmental impact. It is also 21 about people and prosperity. It is 22 about helping businesses stay 23 strong, helping communities thrive 24 and making ensure opportunity is shared broadly across our region. Today's resolution means so much more because it recognizes not just an organization, but an entire network of people who have spent a decade building something meaningful together. I want to take a moment to thank Councilmember Jamie Gauthier and all the other Council representatives for sponsoring and recognizing the importance of local businesses and a sustainable economic development in our city. Your support means a great deal to us. I also want to acknowledge everyone who helped bring SBN to this moment. To our founders, thank you for planting the seeds of this organization 23 years ago, for believing that 24 businesses could be a force for community well-being and long-term change. To the Executive Directors who have carried this work forward over the years, thank you for your leadership, your vision and your dedication to strengthening this network. To our Board members, past and present, thank you for your guidance and stewardship; and to our members, partners, funders, sponsors, and supporters, thank you for believing in this mission and for continuing to invest in the future where businesses and communities can thrive together. Most importantly, thank you to the independent businesses across our region who continue to show up every day with resilience, creativity and commitment to their communities. Even though in these incredible times, as we celebrate this milestone, we're also looking into the future. The next years 4 are about continuing to build a 5 regional economy where businesses 6 can grow and stay rooted locally, 7 where sustainability is practical 8 and accessible, where opportunity 9 reaches more people and where 10 communities are stronger because we 11 chose to invest in one another. We 12 are incredibly honored by this 13 recognition, and we look forward to 14 continuing this work together. 15 Thank you. 16

Council will be at ease. 18 (Council at ease.) 19

Keep bringing all these 21 cops from the Northwest, City 22 Council. I think that's great. 23 Thank you, Officer. Appreciate 24 your hard work and dedication -Captain. Excuse me. I stand corrected, Captain. Chair recognizes Councilmember Dr. Anthony Phillips who will present a resolution 7 honoring and recognizing the Russell Byers Charter School on the occasion of his 25th anniversary, and celebrating years of 11 educational excellence, civic 12 purpose and service to children and 13 families in the City of 14 Philadelphia, and further 15 recognizing Laurada Byers for her 16 visionary leadership and enduring 17 impact. 18 Would Jessica Ramos and 19 those accompanying her please join 20 the Councilmember at the podium. 21 Joining Councilmember Dr. Anthony 22 Phillips are the following 23 Councilmembers: Councilmember Mark 24 Squilla, Councilmember Jim Harrity, Councilmember Jeffrey Jay Young and Councilmember Quetcy Lozada. (Councilmembers and visitors approached podium.)

Can we give our youth a round of applause for being in the right place at the right time. (Applause.)

Hopefully, our news outlets are covering the positivity of young people here in the City of Philadelphia, in this case, particularly African American young people. I know they were covering them flash mobs last week, so let's cover our young people being honored here in the City of Philadelphia. This floor is yours, Dr. Phillips.

Well, good morning, everyone. I will be brief. I'm happy to join here with the District Councilperson representing Russell Byers Charter School. Several years ago, when I worked at Teen Shark, which is a college access and mentorship program, I met Laurada Byers. And I will tell you it was probably one of the best meetings I've ever had in my life. This woman in 2001, Laurada, determined to turn her late husband's tragedy from tragedy into triumph, founded the Russell Byers Charter School, which has served thousands of students here in Philadelphia from over 40 zip codes in the city. She is also the founder of the Philadelphia Film Festival and also the past Chair of the Alliance for Philadelphia Charter Schools, in which I worked with her in my capacity as the Vice-Chair of Education here on Philadelphia City Council. What I love about Ms. Laurada Byers is that she has this unbounded enthusiasm for education, and that idea is that children not only have to be really strong academically, but it was about educating the whole child, and we will see that today in the character of all of the students here from Russell Byers Charter School, because they have great character and they have great leadership. And all of that is a tribute to the founding mission of Ms. Laurada Byers. She also believed in partnerships for young people, making sure that they had experiences outside of the classroom, making sure that they had opportunities that can help them understand their full future. She pushed for children to have the roots to fly and to grow, and she created a welcoming -- when I tell you, Russell Byers Charter School is one of the most welcoming school environments ever, for families to grow and prosper. We're so proud of you, Ms. Laurada Byers. We're so thankful for you and your leadership and what you have done for the City of Philadelphia. Your husband talked about education often times in the Inquirer, and you made education a reality of what he wanted to see through the Russell Byers Charter School. Your legacy is going to live through all of these children and many more to come, you and your husbands for so many years. And this was just a small token of our appreciation from the City of Philadelphia to recognize and honor you today. I will yield the rest of my time for remarks from the District Councilmember Jeffrey Young.

Thank you, Dr. Phillips. I just want to say it's an honor and privilege to stand here today to recognize an institution that's in the 5th Council District that has changed the trajectory of so many students and families across the City of Philadelphia. As someone who deeply believes that our future is shaped by what we pour into our young people today, I understand how important schools like Russell Byers are to the strength and future of our communities. For years, Russell Byers has been a place where children are challenged, encouraged, protected and reminded that their voices, their ideas and their futures matter. Real community investment is about people, about creating environments where young people feel seen, supported and empowered to become the next generation of leaders, thinkers, changemakers. That's the impact of Russell Byers. What makes it more important and more meaningful is that through vision, care and purpose, Mrs. Byers saw the importance of creating an educational environment that nurtures both excellence and humanity, because every child deserves more than just survival. They deserve opportunity, exposure, encouragement and the freedom to dream bigger than themselves. In many ways, schools like Russell Byers create stability for families, they build confidence in children, they strengthen communities one student at a time, and especially during times when families are navigating uncertainty around school closures, institutions that lead with compassion, innovation and purpose become even more important for the future of our city. As a Councilmember, I believe we have the responsibility not only to respond to challenges but to uplift people and the institutions that are doing the work to move Philadelphia forward, and that is what Russell Byers Charter School has been doing for the last years. Today we celebrate not just an anniversary, but a lasting impact of educational excellence, civic purpose and belief in the potential of Philadelphia's young people. At this time, it's our honor to present a resolution 10 honoring Russell Byers Charter School.

13 Thank you and thank you to all the 14 children who are here and all of 15 the family and friends and 16 supporters of Ms. Laurada Byers: 17 Honoring, recognizing 18 Russell Byers Charter School on the 19 occasion of its 25th anniversary 20 and celebrating 25 years of 21 educational excellence, civic 22 purpose and service to children and 23 families in the City of 24 Philadelphia and further recognizing Laurada Byers for her visionary leadership and enduring impact; Whereas, the Council of the City of Philadelphia recognizes that schools play a vital role in shaping learners, citizens, and communities, and that Russell Byers Charter School was founded by Laurada Byers and her family in tribute to her late husband, William Russell Grace Byers, who passed away in 1999, a Philadelphia Daily News columnist, who believed in civic responsibility, urban improvement and the transformative power of education; and

Whereas, established in 2001 by Laurada Byers, as a tribute to her late husband's legacy, Russell Byers Charter School opened on September 11, 2001 with 120 students in grades PreK through 2nd, and through her visionary leadership and enduring commitment has grown into a thriving educational community serving approximately 700 students in grades PreK through 8th grade from across Philadelphia; and Whereas, guided by the belief that the greatest gift one can give a child is "roots in wings," Russell Byers Charter School has provided a rigorous and joyful education that cultivates self-assurance, curiosity, strong character and the academic foundation students need to thrive in school and in life; and

Whereas, Russell Byers Charter School demonstrates a deep commitment to early childhood education as one of only two schools in Philadelphia to offer a two-year, full-day kindergarten program, beginning with 4-year- olds, ensuring that students build strong academic and social foundations from the earliest stages of their educational journey; and Whereas, through its Expeditionary Learning model, Russell Byers Charter School embraces an innovative, hands-on approach inspired by Outward Bound, empowering students to become creative problem-solvers, effective communicators and responsible citizens through teamwork, charter character development and real-life learning experiences; and

Whereas, through its "Ours for Life" initiative and strong community partnerships, Russell Byers Charter School extends learning beyond the classroom by providing comprehensive college track support, guiding students through critical academic transitions and leveraging the resources of Philadelphia to deliver dynamic real-world education experiences that prepare students for long-term success; and Whereas, on the occasion of its 25th anniversary, Russell Byers Charter School stands as a lasting example of educational purpose, community investment and the enduring legacy of both William Russell Grace Byers and Laurada Byers' vision for Philadelphia's children; now, therefore, be it

Resolved, by the Council of the City of Philadelphia, that Hereby honors and recognizes Russell Byers Charter School on the occasion of its 25th anniversary for its enduring commitment to educational excellence, civic responsibility and the growth and well-being of Philadelphia's children and further celebrates Laurada Byers for her visionary leadership and lifelong dedication to education and community; Further resolved, that this Engrossed copy of this resolution be presented to the Russell Byers Charter School and Laurada Byers as evidence of the sincere admiration and appreciation of this legislative body. Congratulations. (Applause.)

Chair recognizes Jessica Ramos for remarks.

Good morning, everyone. My name is Jessica Ramos and I have the privilege of serving as Chief Executive Officer at Russell Byers Charter School. I want to thank Council President as well as Councilmembers Phillips and Young. We are indeed honored to receive the proclamation in celebration of the 25th anniversary of the Russell Byers Charter School. We share this honor with our founder Laurada. And personally, I just want to say thank you. Because in a moment when many people face tragedy and turn inwards, you did the opposite. You and your family turned outwards and created a space where all of the students who stand beside me, in front of me, behind me and for years to come have an opportunity to explore the world in a different way. I want to thank the Council for celebrating this milestone. And I'm pleased to welcome 8th grader, Student councilmember Quincy Blinkley, who has a few words.

Good morning, everyone. I'm Quincy Blinkley and I'm in 8th grade and I attend Russell Byers Charter School. I'm so thankful that Mrs. Byers chose to bring the school life. The 4 Rs, respect, responsibility and resilience have helped shape me into the person I am today. I feel ready for the bright future that awaits me. I have participated in so many unique experiences during my time at Russell Byers. One memorable experience is running for student council leadership position. The support from staff, classmates helped push me out my comfort zone and lead with confidence. I'm looking forward to starting my high school career at West Catholic High School in the fall with a scholarship from the Byers School Foundation. I will always be a part of the Russell Byers community. Thank you. (Applause.)

Congratulations. Council will be at ease. (Council at ease.)

The next order of business is communications. The Chair recognizes that the Sergeant- At-Arms deliver the messages from the Mayor to the Chief Clerk. Will the Chief Clerk please read the messages from the Mayor and any other communications in his possession.

To the President, the members of the Council of the City of Philadelphia, I'm transmitting for the consideration of your honorable body the following proposed: A resolution authorizing the Philadelphia Land Bank to dispose of 1304 and 1310 South 28th Street; and 1314-20 South 28th Street (including 1313-23 South Newkirk Street) located in the 2nd Councilmanic District, in accordance with the terms of Chapter 16-700 of The Philadelphia Code. A resolution authorizing the Philadelphia Land Bank to dispose of 1716 North 42nd Street; 4137, 4145, 4163, 4187, 4189, 4245 and 4273 Leidy Avenue, located in the 3rd Councilmanic District in accordance with the terms of Chapter 16-700 of The Philadelphia Code. A resolution authorizing the Philadelphia Land Bank to dispose of 1802, 1804, 1808, 1810, 1812, 1824, 1826, 1828, 1830, 1831, 1835, 1837, 1839, 1850 North Ringgold Street; 1812, 1839, 1844 North Taylor Street; 2411, 2427 West Montgomery Avenue located in the 5th Councilmanic District in accordance with the terms of Chapter 16-700 of The Philadelphia Code. A resolution authorizing the Commissioner of Public Property to execute and deliver to the Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority deeds conveying fee simple title to 855 North Orkney Street in the 5th Councilmanic District of the City of Philadelphia, and further authorizing the Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority to transfer to the Philadelphia Land Bank fee simple title to such properties pursuant to Section 16-405 of The Philadelphia Code. A resolution authorizing the Commissioner of Public Property to execute and deliver to the Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority deeds conveying fee simple title to 916, 920, 924 West Auburn Street in the 5th Councilmanic District of the City of Philadelphia, and further authorizing the Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority to transfer to the Philadelphia Land Bank fee simple title to such properties pursuant to Section 16-405 of The Philadelphia Code. A resolution authorizing the Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority to execute and deliver to the Philadelphia Land Bank, a deed conveying title to 1941-47 East Huntingdon Street, located in the 1st Councilmanic District, pursuant to the requirements of the Commonwealth Land Bank Act. A resolution authorizing the Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority to execute and deliver to the Philadelphia Land Bank a deed conveying title to 1718-26 North 52nd Street located in the 4th Councilmanic District, pursuant to the requirements of the Commonwealth Land Bank Act. A resolution authorizing the Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority to execute and deliver to the Philadelphia Land Bank deeds conveying title to various properties located in the 5th Councilmanic District, including on the following streets: North 6th Street, North 15th Street, North 30th Street, Parrish Street, Seybert Street, West Stiles Street, West Somerset Street, North Marshall Street, North 9th Street, North 27th Street, North 19th Street, North 23rd Street, North Bucknell Street, West Norris Street, North Ringgold Street, North Edding Street, North 16th Street and West Auburn Street, pursuant to the requirements of the Commonwealth Land Bank Act. A resolution adopting the 2026 Hazard Mitigation Plan as the official hazard mitigation plan of the City of Philadelphia. And pursuant to Section 23 4-604 and 2-307 of the Home Rule Charter, I am today transmitting to Council the recommendation of the City Planning Commission. The Commission voted to extend its review 45 additional days on the following bill: Bill No. 260381. And I am pleased to advise you that on May 26, 2026 I signed the following bills which were passed by Council at its session on May 7, 2026: Bill No. 12 250806, Bill No. 250836, Bill No, 250918, Bill No. 251070, Bill No. 14 260026, Bill No. 260134, Bill No. 15 260216, Bill No. 260217, Bill No. 16 260240 and Bill No. 260267. 17 There are no further 18 communications in my possession, 19 Council President. 20

Thank you very much. The 22 messages will be printed in the 23 Journal. 24 Chair recognizes Councilmember Jamie Gauthier.

4 Thank you so much, Council 5 President. 6 I would be remiss if I 7 didn't recognize two more guests 8 with me today. I have Rev. 9 Dr. Andy Jenkins, who's a longtime 10 community leader in the 11 neighborhood of Mantua. He has 12 fought against violence for many 13 years. He's one of the co-founders of the Young Great Society. He led the Redevelopment Authority for many years and brought so much in terms of affordable housing and fighting against displacement in Mantua. And we are also joined by Jim Brown, another Mantua community leader and historian. And they're actually here today to speak on a resolution that honors Mantua as the birthplace of the Philadelphia Mural Arts Program through the Anti-Graffiti program being started in that neighborhood many years ago. Can you all stand up or give a wave so you can be recognized? (Applause.)

Thank you very much.

Thank you very much. I would be remiss if I didn't acknowledge in the same spirit the late great Tim Spencer from Mantua, West Philadelphia and the work that he did with the rest of the leaders regarding the Mural Arts program. Great job, Member Gauthier. (Applause.)

The next order of business is the introduction of bills and resolutions. The Chair recognizes Councilmember Dr. Anthony Phillips.

Thank you, Council President. I have one privileged resolution and also one non-privileged resolution for recognition today.

Thank you very much. Chief Clerk, please read the title of the resolutions.

A privileged resolution authorizing the Philadelphia City Council Committee on Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs to hold public hearings on the condition of the City's public park system, including funding, maintenance, infrastructure, staffing, safety, and opportunities to establish sustainable long-term revenue streams to support Philadelphia's parks, recreation centers and public green spaces.

This resolution will be placed on today's Final Passage Calendar.

And a non-privileged resolution 12 nominating 25 individuals for consideration by the Mayor as appointees to the Commission on Parks and Recreation.

This resolution will be placed on the Final Passage Calendar for consideration at our next session of Council. Chair recognizes Majority Leader Katherine Gilmore Richardson.

Good morning, Council President. Today I offer one non-privileged resolution on your behalf.

Thank you very much. Chief Clerk, please read the title of the resolution.

A non-privileged resolution 13 appointing Patrick Christmas to the Board of Directors of the Philadelphia Municipal Authority.

This resolution will be placed on the Final Passage Calendar for consideration at the next session of Council. Chair recognizes Councilmember Jamie Gauthier.

Thank you, Council President. Today I have two privileged resolutions and six non-privileged resolutions on your behalf.

Thank you very much. Chief Clerk, please read the title of the resolutions.

A privileged resolution honoring and celebrating Noel George Miles, Jr., AWS, for a distinguished career as one of Philadelphia's most accomplished and civically-minded painters.

This resolution will be placed on today's Final Passage Calendar.

A privileged resolution recognizing the Mantua community in West Philadelphia as the birthplace of Philadelphia's Anti-Graffiti Network and Mural Arts Program, now known as Mural Arts Philadelphia.

This resolution will be placed on today's Final Passage Calendar.

A non-privileged resolution 11 confirming the reappointment of Sophia Lee as member of the Board of the Philadelphia Energy Authority.

This resolution will be placed on the Final Passage Calendar for consideration at the next session of Council.

And a non-privileged resolution 22 confirming the reappointment of Barbara Moore as a member of the Board of the Philadelphia Energy Authority.

This resolution will be placed on the Final Passage Calendar for consideration at the next session of Council.

And a non-privileged resolution 10 confirming the appointment of Matthew Bowman as a member of the Board of the Philadelphia Energy Authority.

This resolution will be placed on the Final Passage Calendar for consideration at the next session of Council.

A non-privileged resolution 21 confirming the appointment of Guarav Mehta as a member of the Board of Philadelphia Energy Authority.

This resolution will be placed on the Final Passage Calendar for consideration at the next session of Council.

And a non-privileged resolution 9 confirming the appointment of Sonte Reavis as a member of the Board of the Philadelphia Energy Authority.

This resolution will be placed on the Final Passage Calendar for consideration at our next session of Council.

And a non-privileged resolution 19 authorizing the Philadelphia Land Bank to dispose of 1304 and 1310 South 28th Street, 1314-20 South 28th Street, including 1313-23 South Newkirk Street, located in the 2nd Councilmanic District, in accordance with the terms of Chapter 16-700 of The Philadelphia Code.

This resolution will be placed on the Final Passage Calendar for consideration of the next session of Council. Chair recognizes Majority Whip Councilmember Isaiah Thomas.

Good morning, Council President. Today I have two privileged resolutions, one on your behalf. And I would also like to take a moment of personal privilege to say congratulations to the PFT on celebrating 85 years. And the resolution for the PFT today is sponsored by all 17 members of City Council. We love our teachers. Thank you, Council President. (Applause.)

Thank you very much. Will Chief Clerk please read the titles of the resolutions.

A privileged resolution honoring and recognizing the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers on the occasion of its 85th anniversary for extraordinary service, advocacy, and dedication to the students, educators and schools of Philadelphia.

This resolution will be placed on today's Final Passage Calendar.

And a privileged resolution honoring Jane Golden for her 42 years of visionary leadership of Mural Arts Philadelphia, during which she championed countless murals and public art initiatives that have strengthened the cultural fabric of the City of Philadelphia.

This resolution will be placed on today's Final Passage Calendar. Chair recognizes Councilmember Curtis Jones, Jr.

Thank you, Mr. President. Today I offer one bill 16 and one privileged resolution on your behalf.

Thank you very much. Will the Chief Clerk please read the title of the bill 22 and the resolution.

An ordinance amending Title 9 of the Philadelphia Code, entitled "Regulation of Businesses, Trades, and Professions," to establish security requirements for senior housing facilities, under certain terms and conditions.

This bill will be referred to the appropriate committee.

And a non-privileged resolution adopting the 2026 Hazard Mitigation Plan as the official hazard mitigation plan of the City of Philadelphia.

This resolution will be placed on the Final Passage Calendar for consideration at the next session of Council. Chair recognizes Councilmember Rue Landau.

Good morning, Council President and the public. Today I have four privileged resolutions, and one privileged resolution and one non-privileged resolution on your behalf.

Thank you very much. Chief Clerk, please read the title of the resolutions.

A privileged resolution honoring and celebrating Gay Bingo, an iconic Philadelphia cultural institution, and one of its most recognizable LGBTQ+ traditions and HIV fundraisers on the occasion of its 30th anniversary.

This resolution will be placed on today's Final Passage Calendar.

And a privileged resolution recognizing, congratulating and honoring William Way LGBT Community Center on the occasion of its 50th anniversary for its life-changing work in the City of Philadelphia.

This resolution will be placed on today's Final Passage Calendar.

A privileged resolution honoring and recognizing the Pride Visitor Center on its opening for being a welcoming and visionary hub that will make all LGBTQ+ Philadelphians and visitors feel seen and safe when they come to this City.

This resolution will be placed on today's Final Passage Calendar.

And a privileged resolution recognizing and honoring the incredible work of Philly Queer Fundy in organizing and activating Philadelphia's LGBTQ+ community for direct action, mutual aid and community safety in a beautiful display of solidarity and intersectionality in action.

This resolution will be placed on today's Final Passage Calendar.

And a privileged resolution recognizing July 5, 2026 as Martyrs Day in Philadelphia to honor the memory of five Philadelphians - Octavius Catto, Levi Bolden, Jacob Gordon, Moses Wright and Isaac Chase - who were slain while attempting to exercise their right to vote after the passage of the 15th Amendment.

This resolution will be placed on today's Final Passage Calendar.

And a non-privileged resolution 8 condemning the U.S. Supreme Court majority's further gutting of key Voting Rights Act protections in Louisiana v. Callais, thereby making it more difficult to establish majority minority districts, weakening minority voting power and undermining our democracy.

This resolution will be placed on the Final Passage Calendar for the next session of Council. Chair recognizes Councilmember Quetcy Lozada.

Thank you, Council President. I have one bill.

Thank you very much. Chief Clerk, please read the title of the bill.

An ordinance authorizing various encroachments in the vicinity of 6238 Bustleton Avenue, under certain terms and conditions.

This bill will be referred to the appropriate committee. Chair recognizes Councilmember Jeffrey Jay Young.

Thank you, Mr. President. Today I offer one privileged resolution and four non-privileged resolutions.

Thank you very much. Chief Clerk, please read the titles of the resolutions.

A privileged resolution honoring and recognizing Ms. Anna Jenkins on the occasion of her retirement after decades of distinguished service as an educator and school teacher in the School District of Philadelphia.

This resolution will be placed on today's Final Passage Calendar.

And a non-privileged resolution 19 authorizing the Philadelphia Land Bank to dispose of 1802, 1804, 1808, 1810, 1812, 1824, 1826, 1828, 1830, 1831, 1835, 1837, 1839 and 1850 North Ringgold Street; 1812, 1839 and 1844 North Taylor Street; and 2411 and 2427 West Montgomery Avenue located in the 5th Councilmanic District in accordance with the terms of Chapter 16-700 of The Philadelphia Code.

This resolution will be placed on the Final Passage Calendar for consideration at the next session of Council.

And a non-privileged resolution 14 authorizing the Commissioner of Public Property to execute and deliver to the Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority deeds conveying fee simple title to 916, 920 and 924 West Auburn Street in the 5th Councilmanic District of the City of Philadelphia, and further authorizing the Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority to transfer to the Philadelphia Land Bank fee simple title to such properties, pursuant to Section 16-405 of The Philadelphia Code.

This resolution will be placed on the Final Passage Calendar for the next session of Council.

And a non-privileged resolution 13 authorizing the Commissioner of Public Property to execute and deliver to the Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority deeds conveying fee simple title to 855 North Orkney Street in the 5th Councilmanic District of the City of Philadelphia, and further authorizing the Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority to transfer to the Philadelphia Land Bank fee simple title to such properties pursuant to Section 16-405 of The Philadelphia Code.

This resolution will be placed on the Final Passage Calendar for consideration at our next session of Council.

And a non-privileged resolution 11 authorizing the Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority to execute and deliver to the Philadelphia Land Bank deeds conveying title to various properties located in the 5th Councilmanic District, including on the following streets: North 6th Street, North 15th Street, North 30th Street, Parrish Street, Seybert Street, West Stiles Street, West Somerset Street, North Marshall Street, North 9th Street, North 27th Street, North 19th Street, North 23rd Street, North Bucknell Street, West Norris Street, North Ringgold Street, North Edding Street, North 16th Street and West Auburn Street, pursuant to the requirements of the Commonwealth Land Bank Act.

This resolution will be placed on the Final Passage Calendar for consideration at our next session of Council. Chair recognizes Minority Kendra Brooks.

Good morning, Council President. I have one privileged resolution to introduce today.

Thank you very much. Chief Clerk, please read the title of the privileged resolution.

A privileged resolution 3 congratulating Fab Youth Philly on the occasion of their 10-Year- Anniversary and honoring a decade of visionary, dedicated and impactful work to empower teens and improve communities.

This resolution will be placed on today's Final Passage Calendar. Chair recognizes Councilmember Jim Harrity.

Good afternoon, Council President. I have two non-privileged resolutions on your behalf.

Thank you very much. Chief Clerk, please read the title of the resolutions.

A non-privileged resolution 3 confirming the appointment of Layla Bibi to serve on the Zoning Board of Adjustment.

This resolution will be placed on the Final Passage Calendar for consideration at our next session of Council.

And a non-privileged resolution urging the General Assembly to pass legislation allowing cities of the first class to raise the minimum wage to $25 an hour, an essential step toward ensuring that all Philadelphians are able to keep up with the rising cost of living and have the opportunity to build a better future.

This resolution will be placed on the Final Passage Calendar for consideration at our next session of Council. (Applause.)

Chair recognizes Councilmember Nicolas O'Rourke.

Thank you, Mr. President. Nothing today.

Thank you very much. Chair recognizes Councilmember Mike Driscoll.

Thank you, Mr. President. The Committee on Licenses and Inspections reports out seven bills with a favorable recommendation.

Reports will be in a minute, but any bills you would like to introduce or resolutions, sir?

Oh. Nothing today.

Thank you very much, sir. Chair recognizes Councilmember Brian O'Neill.

Thank you, Mr. President. I have no bills or resolutions.

Chair recognizes Councilmember Mark Squilla.

Thank you, Mr. President. I offer two bills and one non-privileged resolution.

Thank you very much. Chief Clerk, please read the titles of the bills and resolutions.

An ordinance authorizing encroachments in the nature of a sidewalk cafe in the vicinity of 2351 South Front Street, under certain terms and conditions.

This bill will be referred to the appropriate committee.

And an ordinance renaming and designating Girard Fountain Park located on the 300 block of Arch Street as "Janet Kalter Park."

This bill will be referred to the appropriate committee.

A non-privileged resolution 23 authorizing the Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority to execute and deliver to the Philadelphia Land Bank a deed conveying title to 1941-47 East Huntingdon Street, located in the 1st Councilmanic District, pursuant to the requirements of the Commonwealth Land Bank Act.

This resolution will be placed on the Final Passage Calendar for consideration at the next session of Council. Chair recognizes Councilmember Cindy Bass.

Thank you, Mr. President. I offer five privileged resolutions and one bill today.

Thank you very much. Chief Clerk, please read the titles of the bill and resolutions.

An ordinance designating the 21st day of May as the holiday "Ona Judge Day," all under certain terms and conditions.

This bill will be referred to the appropriate committee.

Just one second.

Council will be at ease. (Council at ease.)

Please proceed.

A privileged resolution honoring and recognizing Captain Dana Bradley and the officers and staff of the 39th Police District for their service, community engagement and commitment to public safety in the City of Philadelphia.

This resolution will be placed on today's Final Passage Calendar.

And a privileged resolution honoring and recognizing Captain Walter Burks and the dedicated officers and staff of the 35th Police District for their leadership commitment to public safety and service to the residents of Philadelphia.

This resolution will be placed on today's Final Passage Calendar.

And a privileged resolution honoring and recognizing Captain Stuart McCoullum and the officers and staff of the Philadelphia Police Department's 14th District for their leadership service and commitment to public safety and community engagement.

This resolution will be placed on today's Final Passage Calendar.

And a privileged resolution authorizing the committee on public safety to hold hearings on implementing CPR and emergency overdose awareness training for all City employees to strengthen emergency preparedness and situational awareness across City government.

This resolution will be placed on today's Final Passage Calendar.

And a privileged resolution authorizing the Committee on Public Safety to hold hearings on implementing mandatory conflict resolution and de-escalation training for all City employees.

This resolution will be placed on today's Final Passage Calendar. Chair recognizes Councilmember Dr. Nina Ahmad.

Thank you, Council President. I am co-introducing one privileged resolution with Councilmember Squilla today.

Thank you very much. Chief Clerk, please read the title of the resolution.

A privileged resolution recognizing and celebrating the 2026 Philippine Independence Week Celebration in Philadelphia, taking place from June 6th to June 20th.

Chair recognizes Councilmember Dr. Nina Ahmad.

Thank you, Council President. I would like to request a leave of absence to attend other Council business, and I would like to be marked as voting aye on all bills and resolutions under consideration today.

Duly recorded. Leave is granted.

Thank you.

The previous resolution 22 will be placed on today's Final Passage Calendar. The next order of business is reports from committee. The Chair recognizes Councilmember Cindy Bass for a report from the Committee on Rules.

Thank you, Mr. President. The Committee on Rules reports out one bill with a favorable recommendation.

Thank you very much. Chief Clerk, please read the report.

The Committee on Rules to which was referred the following bill: Bill 18 No. 260207, an ordinance to amend the Philadelphia Zoning Maps by changing the zoning designations of certain areas of land located within an area bounded by I-76, the Schuylkill Expressway Ramp, Hartranft and the Conrail Right-OfWay, respectfully reports it has considered and amended the same and returns the attached bill to Council with a favorable recommendation. There are no further bills to report out from the Committee on Rules, Council President.

Thank you very much. The Chair recognizes Councilmember Cindy Bass for a motion on the bill.

Thank you, Mr. President. I move that the Rules of Committee of Council be suspended to permit first reading this day of the bill just read into the record by the Chief Clerk. (Duly seconded.)

It has been moved and properly seconded that the rules of Council be suspended so as to permit the consideration of the bill just read by the Chief Clerk at today's session of Council. All those in favor of the motion will say aye. (Aye.)

Those opposed? (No response.)

The ayes have it. The motion carries. The bill will be placed in our First Reading Calendar for the day. The Chair recognizes Councilmember Majority Leader Katherine Gilmore Richardson for a report from the Committee on Law and Government.

Thank you, Mr. President. The Committee on Law and Government reports out three resolutions and six bills with a favorable recommendation.

Thank you very much. Chief Clerk, please read the report.

The Committee on Law and Government to which were referred the following resolutions and bills: Resolution 16 260270, a resolution proposing an amendment to the Philadelphia Home Rule Charter to provide for the creation of Creative Philadelphia and providing for the submission of the amendment to the electors of Philadelphia. Resolution 260467, a resolution proposing an amendment to the Philadelphia Home Rule Charter to change City procurement procedures and requirements, and providing for the submission of the amendment to the electors of Philadelphia. Bill No. 260076, an ordinance providing for the submission to the qualified electors of the City of Philadelphia of the proposal set forth in a resolution approved by Council proposing an amendment to the Philadelphia Home Rule Charter relating to the creation of the Philadelphia Child Welfare Commission, and authorizing and directing the appropriate officers to publish notice and to make arrangements for the special election. Bill No. 260264, an ordinance providing for the submission to the qualified electors of the City of Philadelphia of the proposal set forth in a resolution approved by Council, proposing an amendment to the Philadelphia Home Rule Charter to provide for the creation of a Creative Philadelphia, to provide for the powers and duties of such office, and to otherwise provide for incorporation of the office into City government and authorizing the appropriate officers to publish notice and to make arrangements for the special election, all under certain terms and conditions. Bill No. 260458, an ordinance amending Section 17-103 of The Philadelphia Code, entitled "Bonds Relating to Procurement Contracts," to amend requirements related to performance and payment bonds on certain contracts, and providing for disclosure and monitoring of the bond acquisition cost, all under certain terms and conditions. Bill No. 260460, an ordinance amending Chapter 17-1400 of The Philadelphia Code, entitled "Noncompetitively Bid Contracts; Financial Assistance by Updating References and Exclusions," all under certain terms and conditions, respectfully reports it has considered the same and returns the attached resolutions and bills to Council with a favorable recommendation. And Resolution No. 20 260094, a resolution proposing an amendment to the Philadelphia Home Rule Charter, providing for the creation of the Philadelphia Child Welfare Commission, and providing for the submission of the proposed amendment to the electors of Philadelphia. Bill No. 260457, an ordinance providing for the submission to the qualified electors of the City of Philadelphia of an amendment to the Philadelphia Home Rule Charter to change City procurement procedures and requirements, fixing the date of a special election for such purpose; prescribing the form of a ballot question to be voted on; and authorizing the appropriate officers to publish notice and to make arrangements for the special election. And Bill No. 260459, an ordinance amending Section 17-109 of The Philadelphia Code, entitled "Local Bidding Preferences," by establishing a new category of bid preference for businesses that are both local, small, and amending definitions, certifications, goal- setting and reporting requirements, all under certain terms and conditions, respectfully reports it has considered and amended the same and returns the attached resolution 10 and bills to Council with a favorable recommendation. There are no further resolutions or bills to report out from the Committee on Law and Government, Council President.

Chair recognizes Councilmember Katherine Gilmore Richardson for a motion.

Thank you. Thank you, Mr. President. I move that the rules of Council be suspended as to permit first reading this day of the bills just read into the record by the Chief Clerk. (Duly seconded.)

It has been moved and properly seconded that the rules of Council be suspended so as to permit the consideration of these bills just read by the Chief Clerk at today's session of Council. All those in favor of the motion will signify by saying aye. (Aye.)

Those opposed? (No response.)

The ayes have it. The motion carries. These bills will be placed on our First Reading Calendar for today. The resolutions will be placed on the Final Passage Calendar at our next session of Council. The Chair recognizes Councilmember Mike Driscoll for a report from the Committee on License and Inspections.

Thank you, Mr. President. The Committee on Licenses and Inspections reports out seven bills with a favorable recommendation.

Thank you very much. Chief Clerk, please read the report.

The Committee on Licenses and Inspections, to which were referred the following bills: Bill No. 23 250645, an ordinance amending Title 4 of The Philadelphia Code, entitled “The Philadelphia Building Construction and Occupancy Code,” by adopting the 2021 edition of the “International Plumbing Code” as published by the International Code Council, including introduction of new amendments and maintenance of previously adopted amendments to the 2018 International Plumbing Code, as adopted under the Pennsylvania Uniform Construction Code Act, all under certain terms and conditions. Bill No. 260391, an ordinance amending Title 4 of The Philadelphia Code, entitled “The Philadelphia Building Construction and Occupancy Code,” by amending Subcode “M” (The Philadelphia Mechanical Code) and adopting the 2021 edition of the “International Mechanical Code,” as published by the International Code Council, with amendments thereto, as authorized by the Pennsylvania Uniform Construction Code Act, all under certain terms and conditions. Bill No. 260392, an ordinance amending Title 4 of The Philadelphia Code, entitled "The Philadelphia Building Construction and Occupancy Code," by amending Subcode "G" (The Philadelphia Fuel Gas Code), Subcode "PC" (The Philadelphia Performance Code for Buildings and Facilities), and Subcode "EB" (The Philadelphia Existing Building Code), and adopting the 2021 editions of the "International Fuel Gas Code," "Performance Code for Buildings and Facilities," and "International Existing Building Code," as published by the International Code Council, with amendments thereto, as authorized by the Pennsylvania Uniform Construction Code Act, all under certain terms and conditions. Bill No. 260393, an ordinance amending Subcode “A” (The Philadelphia Administrative Code) of Title 4 of The Philadelphia Code (The Building, Construction and Occupancy Code), by revising and clarifying certain provisions; making corrections for compliance with the Pennsylvania Uniform Construction Code Act; and making technical changes; all under certain terms and conditions. Bill No. 260394, an ordinance amending Title 4 of The Philadelphia Code, entitled “The Philadelphia Building Construction and Occupancy Code,” by amending Subcode “B” (The Philadelphia Building Code) and adopting the 2021 edition of the “International Building Code,” as published by the International Code Council, with various amendments thereto, as authorized by the Pennsylvania Uniform Construction Code Act, all under certain terms and conditions. Bill No. 260395, an ordinance amending Title 4 of The Philadelphia Code, entitled “The Philadelphia Building Construction and Occupancy Code,” by amending Subcode “R” (The Philadelphia Residential Code) and adopting the 2021 edition of the “International Residential Code,” as published by the International Code Council, with amendments thereto, as authorized by the Pennsylvania Uniform Construction Code Act, all under certain terms and conditions, respectfully reports it has considered the same and returns the attached bills to Council with a favorable recommendation. And Bill No. 250644, an ordinance amending Title of The 4 Philadelphia Code, entitled “The Philadelphia Building Construction and Occupancy Code,” by adopting the 2021 edition of the “International Energy Conservation Code” and the “International Residential Code- Part IV Energy Conservation” as published by the International Code Council, with previously adopted amendments thereto, as authorized by the Pennsylvania Uniform Construction Code Act, all under certain terms and conditions, all under certain terms and conditions, respectfully reports it has considered and amended the same, and returns the attached bill to Council with a favorable recommendation. There are no further bills to report out from the Committee on Licenses and Inspections, Council President.

Thank you very much. The Chair recognizes Councilmember Mike Driscoll for a motion.

Thank you, Mr. President. I move that the rules of Council be suspended to permit first reading this day of the bills just read into the record by the Chief Clerk. (Duly seconded.)

It has been moved and properly seconded that the rules of Council be suspended as to permit the consideration of these bills just read by the Chief Clerk at today's session of Council. All those in favor of the motion will signify by saying aye. (Aye.)

Anyone opposed? (No response.)

The ayes have it. The motion carries. These bills will be placed on our First Reading Calendar for today. Chair recognizes Councilmember Phillips for a report from the Committee on Parks and Recreation and Cultural Affairs.

Thank you, Council President. The Committee on Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs reports two bills with a favorable recommendation.

Thank you very much. Chief Clerk, please read the report.

The Committee on Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs, to which were referred the following bills: Bill 8 No. 260424, an ordinance 9 establishing temporary parking regulations, and enforcement thereof, and temporary residential and guest parking permits for the vicinity of: the area bounded by the intersection of North 21st Street and North College Avenue, North 21st Street, Master Street, North 25th Street, Cecil B. Moore Avenue, North 33rd Street, West Oxford Street, West Glenwood Avenue, North 32nd Street and continuing along the railroad boundary south from North 32nd Street at West Thompson Street to the intersection of Aspen Street, Pennsylvania Avenue, Hamilton Street, North 21st Street, Fairmount Avenue, Corinthian Avenue, Brown Street, North 21st Street, Poplar Street, Corinthian Avenue, South College Avenue, Poplar Street, West College Avenue, North College Avenue to the intersection of North College Avenue and North 21st Street, all under certain terms and conditions, respectfully reports it has considered and amended the same and returns the attached bill to Council with a favorable recommendation. And Bill No. 260430, an ordinance authorizing the Commissioner of Parks and Recreation, on behalf of the City of Philadelphia, to enter into a multi-year lease agreement with the Fairmount Park Conservancy, under which the City would lease to the Conservancy portions of the City- owned premises known as Franklin Delano Roosevelt Park for the Conservancy’s use, operation, management, maintenance, and repair, all under certain terms and conditions, respectfully reports it has considered the same and returns the attached bill to Council with a favorable recommendation. There are no further bills to report out from the Committee on Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs, Council President.

Thank you very much. The Chair recognizes Councilmember Phillips for a motion.

Thank you, Council President. I move that the rules of Council be suspended to permit the first reading this day of the bills just read into the record by the Chief Clerk. (Duly seconded.)

It has been moved and properly seconded that the rules of Council be suspended so as to permit the consideration of these bills just read by the Chief Clerk at today's session of Council. All those in favor of the motion will signify by saying aye. (Aye.)

Anyone opposed? (No response.)

The ayes have it. The motion carries. These bills will be placed on our First Reading Calendar for today. The Chair recognizes Councilmember Mark Squilla for a report from the Committee on Commerce and Economic Development.

Thank you, Mr. President. The Committee on Commerce and Economic Development reports three bills with a favorable recommendation.

Thank you very much. Chief Clerk, please read the report.

The Committee on Commerce and Economic Development to which were referred the following bills: Bill No. 22 260162, an ordinance amending Chapter 9-600 of The Philadelphia Code (“Service And Other Businesses”) by adding a new Section 9-631.1 to establish requirements for commercial landlords to take certain remedial action against commercial tenants who engage in tobacco retailing without a required tobacco retailer permit and establishing penalties, all under certain terms and conditions, respectfully reports it has considered the same and returns the attached bill to Council with a favorable recommendation. And Bill No. 260163, an ordinance amending Title 9 of The Philadelphia Code, entitled "Regulation of Businesses, Trades and Professions," to establish restrictions and regulations related to the sale of certain intoxicating substances and providing for associated penalties and enforcement, all under certain terms and conditions. And Bill No. 260465, an ordinance amending Chapter 10-100 (“Animals”) of The Philadelphia Code to restrict the operation of carriage horse businesses and to provide for penalties for violations, all under certain terms and conditions, all under certain terms and conditions, respectfully reports it has considered and amended the same and returns the attached bills to Council with a favorable recommendation. There are no further bills to report out from the Committee on Commerce and Economic Development, Council President.

Thank you very much. The Chair recognizes Councilmember Mark Squilla for a motion.

Thank you, Mr. President. I move the rules of Council be suspended and submit the first reading this day of the bills just read into the record by the Chief Clerk. (Duly seconded.)

It has been moved and properly seconded that the rules of Council be suspended so as to permit the consideration of these bills just read by the Chief Clerk at today's session of Council. All those in favor of the motion will signify by saying aye. (Aye.)

Those opposed? (No response.)

The ayes have it. The motion carries. These bills will be placed on our First Reading Calendar for today. The Chair recognizes Councilmember Rue Landau for a report from the Committee on Technology and Information.

Thank you, Mr. President. The Committee on Technology and Information Services reports out two bills with a favorable recommendation.

Thank you very much. Chief Clerk, please read the report.

The Committee on Technology and Information Services, to which were referred the following bills. Bill 24 No. 260385, an ordinance 2 authorizing the Chief Information Officer, on behalf of the City, to enter into a multi-year agreement to purchase support for mainframe and database software protocols and applications, under certain terms and conditions. And Bill No. 260386, an ordinance authorizing the Chief Information Officer, on behalf of the City, to enter into a multi- year agreement to purchase licenses for email, cloud services, enterprise software, data services, security software and other related computing products and services, under certain terms and conditions, respectfully reports it has considered the same and returns the attached bills to Council with a favorable recommendation. There are no further bills to report out from the Committee on Technology and Information Services, Council President.

Thank you very much. Chair recognizes Councilmember Rue Landau for a motion.

Thank you, Mr. President. I move that the rules of Council be suspended to permit first reading this day of the bills just read into the record by the Chief Clerk. (Duly seconded.)

It has been moved and properly seconded that the rules of Council be suspended so as to permit the consideration of these bills just read by the Chief Clerk at today's session of Council. All those in favor of the motion will signify by saying aye. (Aye.)

Those opposed? (No response.)

The ayes have it. The motion carries. These bills will be placed in our First Reading Calendar for today. The next order of business is the consideration of the Calendar. I note that the bills reported from committees with the suspension of rules have been deemed to have had a first reading. These bills will be placed on the Second Reading and Final Passage Calendars for the next session of Council. The Chair recognizes 2ND READING Councilmember Katherine Gilmore Richardson for a motion concerning bills on the First Reading Calendar, resolutions on the Final Passage Calendar and bills on the Second Reading and Final Passage Calendars.

Thank you. Thank you, Mr. President. The following bill on the First Reading Calendar is being held: Bill No. 260298. The following resolutions are being called up from the Final Passage Calendar and the following bills are being called up from the Second Reading and Final Passage Calendar today: Resolution Nos. 260545, 260546, 260548 and Bill Nos. 260063-A, 260212, 260296, 260297, 260301, 260340 and 260379. The following resolutions and bills on the Calendar are being held: Resolution No. 260481 and Bill Nos. 250768, 250807 and 260238. 260302 is being amended. And with that, Mr. President, I'd like to respectfully request a leave of Council for other very important Council business. And I'd like to be recorded as voting aye on all bills and resolutions. Thank you.

Duly recorded. Thank you very much. Leave is granted. Before considering the resolutions and bills, we will consider public comment as follows: Your public comment must concern matters on the Second Reading and Final Passage Calendars for possible action at today's session of Council. All speakers must sign up in order to testify. If you have not already signed up for today's session, please do so now by giving your name to Ms. Hasson at the table outside the rails to my left. Once you have signed up, you will be called in the order in which your name appears on the sign-up sheet. Under ideal circumstances, public commenters each will have three minutes to speak. However, this time limit may vary from session to session. Today the time limit will be two minutes. In order to be fair to all those wishing to speak, I tend to hold faithfully to the two-minute limit. When you begin speaking, you will see a green light on the podium. When there are 30 seconds remaining to your time, the light will turn yellow, which is your reminder to conclude your remarks. Once two minutes have passed, the light will turn red and the Sergeant-at-Arms will disconnect the microphone. The Sergeant-at- Arms is only doing his job. Respectfully, please do not give him a hard time. He's just doing his job. At that point, please yield the podium to the next speaker if you have not already done so. I also reserve the right, pursuant to our rules of City Council, to limit repetitious comments on the same subject matter. I will now ask the Chief Clerk to please call the first person for public comment.

Will Renee Quarterman, William Smalls, Dennis Barneby, David Anker, Milay Galvez, John McAuley, William Tung, Wren Ganey, Jeremy Blatstein and Javonnie Newton, please make your way to the podium. (Witnesses approached podium.)

Good morning. Thank you for the opportunity to speak in support of Resolution 260545. My name is Renee Quarterman. I am a surgical breast oncologist and the leader of Philadelphia for Cuba. I have traveled to Cuba several times on humanitarian aid missions and have observed firsthand the suffering that the United States has caused. Cuba has some of the best-trained physicians in the world and their medical brigades have supported small and large communities on almost every continent. Cuban scientists invented medications to treat lung cancer, diabetic ulcers and Alzheimer's disease. It has done all of these things while being thoroughly opposed by the United States. Since 1959, the United States government has blocked Cuba from development and trade, limiting its potential and wearing away its resources. Cuba's crime was putting its own interests before those of the United States. The first Trump administration placed Cuba on the state sponsors of terrorism list, which decimated Cuba's ability to do business with the world. Cuba is no threat and Cuba is no enemy. The U.S. has most recently cut off all shipments of oil to the island, and Cubans are without power for over hours 4 a day. There are no fans, stoves 5 or refrigerators. My friends and 6 colleagues can't sleep and they 7 don't know where their next meal 8 will come from. 9 Over 100,000 people are 10 waiting for surgery. And I can 11 tell you that by the time the 12 resources are available, many of 13 the people on that list will be 14 dead or inoperable. The infant 15 mortality rate in Cuba, once among 16 the lowest in the world, has now 17 tripled thanks to the blockade. 18 Why should this City 19 Council endorse this resolution? 20 Because like other cities around the world -- sorry, I think my time is up. I got distracted. I just ask that you please endorse and approve this resolution. Thank you. (Applause.)

Thank you very much.

Good morning, everybody. My name is William Smalls. I'm a part of a grassroots organization called Flip Philly Red. But today I am here on behalf of my fellow property owners along Kensington Avenue, and I rise today in opposition to Resolution 14 260545 because with all due respect, I cannot understand why Philadelphia City Council is spending time debating Cuba while Philadelphia itself is in a crisis. This is not the government of Cuba. This is not the United Nations. This is Philadelphia City Hall. And the people of this city are asking a simple question: Why does it feel like this Council fights harder for people outside of this country than citizens living in Philadelphia right now? Philadelphia residents are struggling every single day. Kensington is collapsing. It is a war zone. Councilwoman, drug markets are still open. Families do not feel safe. Businesses are leaving. Working people are barely surviving. But somehow this Council has all the energy for symbolic resolutions, foreign politics and performative activism. I called this months ago. I said once the primaries were over, the energy around the schools would change, working families and the real issues facing Philadelphia would disappear, and that is exactly what is happening now. The election is over and the primaries are clear. And respectfully, when residents walk in this chamber and still see ICE outside sitting on desks, while our communities are suffering, it sends a message, whether you intend to or not. It tells Philadelphians we have more passion for political slogans and federal immigration than fighting and fixing the conditions in your neighborhood. That is the message we're hearing. And in my opinion, if Congress should investigate anything, it should be why Philadelphia residents feel neglected by the very officials sworn to serve us, because the American people have already seen public officials in this country accused of putting foreign interests ahead of people they represent. Thank you.

Good afternoon, Council and Council President and Councilmembers. My name is Dennis Barneby. I'm a longtime resident of Germantown and spent my career in the School District of Philadelphia, where I did many testimonies, both here at the school board meetings and at the state level. I'm here on not a dissimilar issue, the harm being done by our country and the money being wasted there instead of being spent here on taking care of the needs we have here in our own city and our own country. The cruelty of the Trump administration seems to know no bounds. Their actions, unrestricted by a silenced Congress, continue to be directed not toward safeguarding our country or spending on our own needs, but pursuing a foreign policy that seeks cooperative -- a foreign policy that seeks cooperative relations, but instead one that takes advantage of weaknesses, enjoys bullying where possible, and shows force beyond legal limits. Cuba is no threat to the United States. We are wasting our money on unnecessary actions like this. The sanctions imposed in Cuba, if not criminal, are of the highest immorality, dare I say un-American, and need to be reversed to encircle a small nation starving its residents and its children is inhuman. We know change happens through travel, trade and conversation, not by isolation and fearmongering. In spite of many disagreements on governing policy, Cuba has made outstanding biomedical and education advances, which we know practically nothing about. And for this administration, which has been responsible for innumerable illegal arrests, racist creeds, demonizing anyone of color, was moved to this country, while welcoming White South Africans, ignoring its own procedures for legitimizing residency, using our tax dollars to fund its friends with government contacts for prisons, while mistreating those who have illegally been forced into them, and even now responsible for the deaths of our own citizens, to call another country guilty of state- sponsored terrorism is beyond the pale. Please support this resolution. (Applause.)

Good morning. Thank you for your time and your interest. My name is David Anker. I live in East Oak Lane. This is a very personal topic for me and one that I have direct knowledge and experience in. I first traveled to Cuba in 2004. I've lived, I visited the country dozens of times in the last 11 years. 12 Why? My wife's family 13 lives in Havana. And through their 14 lives and households, aunts, 15 cousins, parents, we understand all 16 too well the daily lives and 17 challenges of common people in 18 Cuba. That is to say, my 19 impression is not based on a book I 20 read or one conversation I once 21 had. It's a lived experience once 22 shared in Cuba with Cuban people, waiting in long lines for food or at the bank or simply sitting in a dark home without electricity, with no cooking gas, wondering when or if the water will run out. Daily life in Cuba, and the many hardships, shortages and challenges, are the direct intended result of USA policy towards Cuba. The United States policy towards Cuba began in the '60s. And though it has taken twists and turns, it has been largely unchanged in that we use sanctions as a form of collective punishment. Cuba is the second most heavily-sanctioned country in the world. I have to ask, how successful this policy really is, if for 60 years it has not achieved its intended result? More importantly, how fair is the policy of collective punishment. How reasonable is it to use collective suffering of the common folk to pressure the very few who rule. It is profoundly unfair and it is a violation of the principles of humanity and basic human rights. The sanctions on Cuba should be lifted. New policy based on trade between two equal nations should be adopted. And most importantly, the threats and bluster of military action or intervention in Cuba must end. Regime change is something that any student of history knows is not just wrong, but deeply flawed. I ask you to help Philadelphia shine on this topic, as it has done in so many matters of importance through its illustrious history. Please speak up. Please support this resolution. Thank you. (Applause.)

Thank you for the opportunity to speak today. My name is Milay Galvez Acosta and I was born and raised in Cuba. I have the fortunate to call Philadelphia home for the past years, but most of 8 my family lives in Cuba. Cubans 9 have suffered way too much for way 10 too long. 11 The current humanitarian 12 crisis is not only unfair, but it's 13 also unproductive. We need new 14 policy of engagement and diplomacy. 15 As a Cuban, I have many, many 16 objections with the government in 17 Havana. Trust me I do. But plenty 18 of economic studies have shown that 19 the U.S. embargo affects the Cuban 20 people and not the government. Collective punishment is wrong, strong and unfair. And the illusion that the U.S. military intervention in Cuba will achieve freedom for the citizens of Cuba is a fallacy. Violence will not lead us to a free and democratic Cuba. Trade, diplomacy, engagement is what we need. And as a Philadelphia Cuban, I ask you to support this resolution. Thank you. (Applause.) MR. McAULEY: Good morning, everyone. My name is John Allante McAuley. I'm with a grassroots organization called Flip Philly Red. We're here to offer you something different because you've been voting Democrat for the Mayor's office for the past 70 years. In regard to Resolution 20 260545, a resolution urging the Trump administration to remove Cuba from the list of state sponsors of terrorism, I ask why does the Democratic and Working Families Party support communism? Thank God, Barack Hussein Obama is not in office. Cuba is known for harboring terrorists and protecting cop killers who killed the New Jersey state trooper. We stand with the Cuban people, not its government, who is responsible for economic mismanagement, centralized control, infrastructure decay and political repression. Electricity outages, blackouts often last 12 to 20 hours per day. Many families only eat once a day. One study showed 89% of the population is in extreme poverty. Over 1000 political prisoners reported in recent years for criticizing their government. This includes activists, artists and journalists, but Democrats don't care about that. Their whole message is Trump is bad, orange man is an idiot and we love communism. We should give direct aid to the Cuban people, not lift economic sanctions for their government with all of those American tax dollars that went to USA. Why are those people still in poverty? Cuba stands with American enemies, Iran, Russia, China. And I guess Councilman O'Rourke clearly stands with them as well. Democrats in the Working Families Party control government in Philadelphia. Malcolm X called Black voters who gave unwavering support who, without demanding results, chumps. And I quote, You put them first and they put you last because you're a chump, a political chump. But you can change that in November. November, Stacy Garrity for governor.

Good morning. Tough act to follow there. My name is Will Tung. I'm a volunteer over at Fire Advocacy. I'm here in support of Councilmember Phillips' resolution, calling on hearings toward more parks and rec funding. This is an issue that's deeply personal to me. (Applause.)

Yeah. Thank you, guys. Round of applause. I live around the corner from Kingsessing Rec Center, which just had a ribbon-cutting, right, $27 million, beautiful facility. I never thought it would look like that. Unfortunately, a couple weeks ago there was a leak, right, and it ruined the basketball gym floor. It was a month after the ribbon cutting. And now that the gym floor is closed just because of maintenance, I am deeply concerned that if we don't keep up this investment that we made in the community, that it's just going to go back to the way it was, right. And so, we need to follow up with these historic investments and rebuild with Parks & Rec maintenance funding so that we can keep our parks and rec facilities open and available to the community. I also want to talk a little bit about transit-oriented communities. I'm so glad that transit-oriented communities has made it into Council. We look forward to speaking on it at the Rules Committee next week and, you know, development is here. We have a growing city again and we want to make sure that growth is around public transportation to support SEPTA ridership to make sure our city is sustainable, and that is just where housing should go naturally to decrease the negative impacts of it on the city toward congestion and environmental and all that. So thank you so much, guys. (Applause.)

Good morning, Council President Johnson and Philadelphia Councilmembers. Thank you for the opportunity to speak today. My name is Wren Ganey, and I'm here to voice strong support for the resolution 19 authorizing a hearing on our city's park system. As Advocacy Manager at Penn Future, my work in Philly is deeply focused on quality-of-life issues, and protecting and expanding our green spaces is a top priority. I'm grateful to Councilmember Phillips for his leadership and commitment to our parks and for introducing this legislation. Our parks are not just amenities. They are essential public infrastructure. They cool our neighborhoods during extreme heat, absorb rainwater and protect our homes from flooding, provide safe places for families to gather and support the health and resilience of all of our communities. But we also know that access to high-quality parks is not experienced equally across our city. Some neighborhoods enjoy well-maintained, vibrant green spaces while others face aging facilities, limited programming, and chronic disinvestment. Authorizing this hearing is a critical first step towards understanding those disparities and building a park system that truly serves all residents. A hearing will allow us to bring forward data, community experience, and best practices from other cities so that we can evaluate what's working, where gaps remain, and what long-term investments are needed. It creates a space for residents, community organizations, and experts to speak directly to Council about the conditions in their neighborhoods and the opportunities that they see for improvement. This is a conversation about public health, climate resilience, youth opportunity, and quality of life. By moving this resolution, Council signals that our parks matter, equity matters, and the planning for the future of our green spaces deserves thoughtful and transparent discussion. I ask you to support this resolution and I look forward to the conversation that will lead to actionable strategies for strengthening our park system. On behalf of Penn Future, thank you for your time and thank you again to Councilmember Phillips. (Applause.)

Will Lynn Landes, Michelle Lee, Dr. Jay Arzu, Caroline Mubiru, Cooper Bard, Jayson Massey, and Rebecca Fabiano, please make your way to the podium. (Witnesses approached podium.)

Good morning, Philadelphia City Council. My name is Jeremy Blatstein. I am a little flabbergasted right now. I don't care what side you're on, yet this body shouldn't be talking about Cuba. Like respectfully, it really doesn't make any sense that we're talking about Cuba when respectfully, we should be holding hearings on the Philadelphia Sheriff's Department. Maybe we should be holding hearings on the parks and recs, right. We got to fund our public things. We need to talk about gun violence, right. House of Umoja, shout-out to my guy right here, right. He came up through Queen Mother Falaka Fattah and House of Umoja. It's really important for gun violence, but respectfully talking about Cuba right now is not even the top 100 of the issues facing Philadelphia today. Next, we're talking about spot zoning. Isn't spot zoning illegal in Philadelphia? Yes, it is. But isn't it that maybe there's like five, six, seven or eight different bills today that rezone a piece of property. But I support that today, right. Why do I support spot zoning today? Because it helps small businesses. We need a process to help small businesses get legal. How do you do that? Up-zoning our transit corridors and changing our zoning regulation instead of having to either go to the ZBA or because of councilmanic prerogative, you're spot zoning individual lots to change the zoning to allow that business. That's what's happening right here with this bill and we need to change that so that we can help small businesses additionally. Small businesses, right. We need to get rid of (inaudible). You hear it all the time from your small businesses in your community, they're getting affected right now, and this body's not doing enough and this budget's not doing enough. And last but not least, we're talking about SEPTA, especially more homes near transit, right. This bill, Transit-oriented communities, does not go far enough right now because there's not enough stops in this bill. Each and every District member should be looking at the stops in their districts to add to this bill in order to up-zone. Additionally, we should be eliminating parking minimums across the board in the TOCS. Ride the ride. Grow Philly to 2 milly. Thank you.

Good morning, everyone. My name is Javonnie Asante Newton. I am a member of the organization called Flip Philly Red. Resolution No. 9 260546, the reason I'm opposed to this resolution is that if nobody gets over 50% of first choice votes, the last place candidate is eliminated. Those votes, ballots transfer to the next choice and the process repeats until someone has a majority. For example, if candidate A gets eliminated, your vote automatically goes to candidate B. I also disagree with this resolution, that if Pennsylvania passed legislation allowing local RCV systems, Philadelphia could potentially adopt it for the Mayoral election, City Council races. Primary elections or special elections supporters argue it could reduce vote splitting in crowded primaries, can confuse voters, make counts slower and may not significantly change outcomes. Would it automatically change Philadelphia election? No, the resolution itself does not vote immediately. It's more like we urge the state legislature to let local governments decide, so the immediate effect is political pressure, not a direct change to ballots. Under the current system, someone can win with only a plurality, the most votes, even if most folks prefer someone else. Thank you.

Good morning. I'm Lynn Landes of Philly Republican Network. I'm opposed to Resolution 260546, which calls on the Pennsylvania legislators to allow ranked choice voting, as if our ballots aren't long and confusing enough already. Ranked choice voting is well-known as a backdoor method by which the most popular candidates can lose elections due to the complexity of the process. We should be simplifying our elections, not making them more complicated. Ballot fatigue is a real thing. For example, we should follow the federal model and eliminate elections for judges and for all elected executive branch offices, except Governor, Mayor, and County Commissioners. And elections for Board of Elections and committee people should be replaced with an election for world leaders instead, who can then coordinate with the County commissioners to fill those positions. But what really bothers most voters is that they're never really sure that their votes were counted at all. The paper ballots produced by the machines are not hand-counted unless an election is close, which is .05%, but that simply tells those who want to rig an election to do so by a sufficient margin as to not trigger a recount, and audits are not a reliable method to guard against this kind of election fraud. Why not hand-count all ballots at the polls on Election Day. Whether the ballots are produced by a machine or mailed in, that can be done more easily of course if we simplify our elections. It's time to rethink our election process and most importantly, the wisdom of relying solely on machine-counted ballots, ballots that can be easily miscounted by accident or design. Thank you.

Good morning and thank you. My name is Michelle Lee. I'm speaking in favor of the Parks funding resolution. I'm a parent in South Philly in the 1st District, and I've been a Parks volunteer for over years. I 16 have two little kids. They're 3 17 and 5. We're in parks almost every 18 single day every season. 19 Last weekend we were in 20 four parks in one day. I love our 21 city's park system. It's really 22 world-class. And in the past few 23 years, we've shown that we can 24 build amazing flagship projects like the new FDR Park Playground, the Penns Landing Park, Borski Park, the whole Rebuild program. But just like Will said, you know, we see the cracks immediately. Just last weekend we went to the Anna C. Verna Playground, it's one of the crown jewels. The water fountain was broken. There was broken fencing all around it. When I go to my neighborhood park at Dickinson Square, the sidewalk is so cracked a stroller tips over. The grass has been scratched to dust and this can go on and on. I live very close to Washington Ave. We all know the parks and playgrounds north of Washington Ave have open bathrooms and water fountains. The ones south of it tend not to. The ribbon cuttings are what make headlines. We get a nice photo op, but maintenance is what makes promises real. We're really starved for maintenance in our parks, big and small. For every dollar Baltimore invests in its parks per person. Philly spends $0.54. So I'm not talking New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles. Let's compare ourselves to our peer cities and match at least that energy. I'm a volunteer with two friends groups, Philly volunteers at more than twice the national average, so we're running our world-class system on love and fumes and duct tape, but duct tape can't be the only answer. There are many things volunteers just can't do: chainsaw work, mowing, skilled trades work, like fixing gates, benches, sinkholes, and Street lights, and a lot of problems run deeper than any friends group can solve. I've been hauling the same 100 tires out of a ditch in Fairmount Park for 7 years. We've been sweeping broken 8 glass. So let's invest in our 9 parks. Let's invest in health, the 10 immune benefits, the community benefits, mental health benefits, benefits on reducing crime. Nature is not a luxury. When we underinvest in parks, we pay for it somewhere else. So please vote yes on this resolution. Thank you.

Good afternoon. I'm Dr. Jay Arzu. I am here in full support of the resolution by Councilman O'Rourke. Ranked choice voting is a national best practice where it has been enacted across the United States. From the big city to the north to the great North Alaska, it has worked. The adoption of ranked choice voting tends to happen in three phases. First, when it is initially introduced, some voters are understandably unfamiliar with the process. It becomes our responsibility to educate voters to help bridge this gap. Second comes understanding. Voters begin to appreciate that their preferences can be reflected more fully and more thoughtfully in the democratic process. Third comes appreciation, even enthusiasm. Cities and states that have adopted ranked choice voting have not repealed it, because once voters become familiar with the system, they recognize its value and support it. I'll conclude by saying this: Ranked choice voting is a proven best practice and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania should enact the legislation to allow local jurisdictions to adapt ranked choice voting. Thank you. And I'll be back next week to testify in support of Transit Oriented Communities Bill 260517. I'll see you then. Thank you very much. (Applause.)

Hello. My name is Caroline and I'm here to express my support of Resolution 17 260545. I recently traveled to Cuba April/May of this year for the first time. And while for me, I haven't had any other experience but seeing relatively empty streets. Other travelers who have been to Cuba many times noted to me this is not normal. The Cuban people have experienced an economic, technological and commercial blockade as a result of the United States for over 60 years, which has now escalated to oil/fuel shortages, resulting in 20-hour blackouts, as other people have noted. Blackouts that not only leave the Cuban people without electricity to cook for themselves and their children, but also operate machinery and do various everyday tasks needed to live. One person noted it having psychological effects. As when in the dark for so long, when finally in the light and you see yourself, you need to adjust to seeing yourself. This is all while the structure within Cuba is present to support the Cuban people. From a teacher in an elementary school noting they don't have bad grades, so as not to have the children internalize a bad grade as them being bad, to a school for children with physical and mobility needs having dentists, physical therapists, and other physicians at schools to support them to the point where they can get their annual checkups at school, so the maternity clinic for pregnant people with any level of risk, who also have a team of doctors, from psychologists to OB-GYN nurses that meet weekly to talk about each case they have, so they don't miss any change in vital signs across medical disciplines, which resulted in this clinic having a 0% transmission of HIV and syphilis to infants last year. Each of these examples shows how Cuba prioritizes the care of its people. There were 33 maternal deaths in 2023, 33 across the country. And this is after I described just a little bit of the holistic care at the maternity clinic. 33 deaths in 2023 is contrasted by the 148% increase in infant deaths as a result of this continued increase in sanctions and the blockade. Vote in favor to end the US blockade, remove Cuba from the state-sponsored terrorist list, and oppose any military actions against the island. (Applause.)

Hello, Councilors. My name is Cooper Bard. I'm a rank-and-file Teamster and a local resident. Thank you for the opportunity to speak on Resolution 260545. This resolution 24 is about the future of the Cuban and US people. As a working person in the United States, I have the right to speak out against the actions of my own government, which has carried out nothing less than a multi-generational assault against the working people of Cuba. It is our responsibility to end this assault. US working people were never cut off from the outside world and starved, literally and metaphorically, by a hostile foreign power, but the Cuban people live that daily. They cannot get fuel, which means they cannot run hospitals, can't use farm equipment. Water pumps are inoperable nor can they light their homes. This is not a deprivation brought about by their government, but by ours. We must also stand against our own government when it pit (inaudible) and unjust war. We have all seen how our government's irresponsible wars lead to more global chaos, not peace, not security. We can't be silent when the federal government squanders trillions of dollars destabilizing other countries while refusing to fund basic programs for public health, education, and mass transit in our cities. The Cuban working people fight for civil liberties in their country. Working people in the US are also fighting for our own civil liberties. We have to fight this new McCarthyism in the universities that target students and faculty who speak out against the genocide of Palestinians. We have to fight for the families who are separated by ICE and inhumane holding cells, deprived of their constitutional rights to due process and against cruel punishment in places like Louisiana and Tennessee. Black workers still have to struggle to be present in Congress to have their vote even matter. Our government should not be dictating to other countries at gunpoint what democracy looks like. Councilors, you have an opportunity to join cities and municipalities around the world who recognize law and justice. Thank you. (Applause.)

Will Dr. Samuel Wyche, Adriana Thomas Summer Freeman, C. Michael Robinson, Jamal Johnson, David Alexander Jenkins, Pierre Peters, Rachel Myers, and Mazzi Ingram, please make your way to the podium. (Witnesses approached podium.)

My name is Jayson Massey. He/him here on behalf of March on Harrisburg. And I'm here to urge you to vote yes on 260546 to resolve to enable ranked choice voting in Pennsylvania and approve elections for voters and for candidates like yourselves. I stopped by one of the City Councilmembers' offices today, and they were excited about rank choice voting, and shocked to hear that May's primary turnout was only 22%. Not even in people voted. Can we do better? Yes. Ranked choice voting will help win with reluctant voters. They will move off the fence and into the polls. Why more choices? They hate the winner-take-all elections and this helps them a lot. No more lesser of two evils voting. You may have gotten a flyer from me at the Caucus about this effort. You will notice that the first bullet point is about spoilers. What's a spoiler? Here's an example. James Malone narrowly won a special election for state senate. Three candidates ran: a Republican, a Democrat, and a Libertarian. If the Libertarian gave their votes to the Republican, Malone would have still won by only two votes. Spoilers draw away votes, and it only takes a couple candidates to threaten your jobs here. Ranked choice voting is non-controversial. It's a self- defense plan for democracy. Special elections in Philly already use it. This is how Chris Rabb was elected for a State Rep, and now he's going to Congress, (inaudible) crowd for Chris Rabb. Lastly, at least one of you here has run against a well- funded business person in the primary. This will happen more because there are people like Jeffrey Yaz around, he's Philly's richest man, and he sees his meddling and selections as bets. And as you can see, billionaires are already funding grassroots organizations like Turn PA Dead, so they're coming for you. RCV discourages dismantling by eliminating the winner-take-all part of elections when there's no winner with 50% or more to vote at the last mayoral primary. 10 candidates, the perfect chance to use RCV. Thank you. (Applause.)

Good morning. My name is Rebecca Fabiano. I'm the Executive Director of Fab Youth Philly, and I'd like to thank Councilmember Brooks and Lozada for recognizing Fab Youth Philly's 10-year anniversary through the resolution 8 this morning. Nonprofits like Fab Youth Philly are integral to the safety and vibrancy of our city. It's worth noting that Fab Youth Philly is part of a vast ecosystem made up of hundreds and hundreds of youth-serving nonprofits that serve the hundreds and thousands-plus young people and their families all across Philadelphia. Whether our organizations serve 6-year-olds or 16-year-olds, whether we offer sports programming, mentorship or photography, we all want our young people to have positive relationships with caring adults and their peers. We want them to have opportunities to explore their passions and interests to enter into young adulthood. Young adulthood is confident, capable, critical thinkers and contributors to our city and our world. Our approach at Fab Youth Philly includes identifying gaps and opportunities, then using a strengths-based approach as we identify and collaborate with cross-sector and values-aligned partners. This results in all pools opening for four years in a row, young adults lifted up as leaders and role models in neighborhoods that are safe and vibrant and hundreds of thousands of dollars being generated in wages. Our programming is guided by evidence-based frameworks, rigorous data collection and evaluation and facilitated by incredibly talented, capable, caring youth workers. They prepare young people for the workforce to live life on their own terms by centering positive relationships, providing encouragement and holding teens to high expectations. To date, we've created paid training and employment opportunities for more than 600 young people. Last year alone we paid out more than $150,000 in salaries to teens each summer. On one of the Playstreets, a 7, 8 or 11-year-old will look up at me and say, how old do I have to be to be a play captain. And last year we hired two teens who once were children on the Playstreets, and we hired two former program participants as group leaders. Back in 2020, you heard Donald Trump say bad things happen in Philly. We reclaim that to say fab things happen in Philly, not just about our organization, but to remind everyone that we are a city filled with fabulous opportunities, people, institutions, and especially young people and the organizations that support them. Thank you for the opportunity. (Applause.)

Good afternoon. I'm Dr. Samuel Philip Wyche, Jr. I'm here to speak in support of Bill 260548. I would like to start by expressing my sincere appreciation to the City of Philadelphia and City Council for the recognition by way of this proclamation honoring our father for the years of service he devoted to public service. Detective Samuel Philip Wyche, Sr. was noted for his valor, courage, and distinction as a member of the Philadelphia Police Department. As brief as possible, I'd like to share with you how all the accolades mentioned in the proclamation were carried out, not only in the police force work, but also when not on duty and a part of his legacy. Detective Wyche was a family man, first a husband, a father, brother, son, grandfather, great-grandfather, and great-great- grandfather, teacher, and friend. On a police force officer's salary, he graced the end with the grace of God. All six children completed college and went on to even higher education because of the foundation he established at home. He was a man of integrity and honesty, with high values and morals, conviction. At times it was what he did, not what he said, that had the deepest impact. I would now give you one example of his influences. His influence on me and my siblings, as the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. Following his service on the police force, he worked on the Board of Education. At one point, all of my siblings were teaching in the teaching field. They held positions of special education teachers, principals, counselor of Vietnam veterans in prison and lawyers. It was our father that got up early each morning and made sure that each morning before leaving the house, we would have food in our stomach and wear the right clothes. It was knowing that following the death of his first wife due to diabetes, leaving him with two children to raise before he met and married our mother, that he drew my strength from him when my first wife died due to toxic shock syndrome, leaving me with two children to raise before meeting and marrying my current wife Leslie. His work as a homicide detective was the force behind my interest in serving as a deputy coroner autopsy technician for five years in Allegheny County. His work in homicide and his fighting crime was also influential, influential in my serving as Director of Psychiatry for Graterford Prison to understand the criminal mind from within. It was knowing of his work as a quartermaster during the Second World War, that influenced my brother's service in the Vietnam War and my service as Captain in the 108th Combat Support Hospital Army National Guard. Lastly, I will say that it was his devotion and distinction as a plain-clothes detective working in Intelligence in the Philadelphia Police force that resulted in him being handpicked to protect Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. when Dr. King visited Philadelphia. It was the impressions of my father's dedication and investment in the Civil Rights Movement that influenced me to work to better understand and find a way to dismantle racism. During the movement in the '60s, there were many voices raised by politicians, lawyers, teachers, people in business, people in medicine, performing arts, laborers, and activists. The one voice not heard loud enough was that of mental health workers. It's through my many years of work in mental health that I can say without a doubt, in honor of my father, who lived through and survived racism, racism has nothing to do with the way we look. It has everything to do with the way we think. Racism has nothing to do with what we see. Racism has absolutely everything to do with what we learn to think about what we see. Thank you. (Applause.)

Thank you.

Thank you to City Council and to President Johnson for the support and introduction of Bill -- I'm sorry. My name is Summer Freeman. Thank you for having us here and thank you for your support of Bill 6 260548. On behalf of 17 grandchildren of Detective Wyche and another 19 great-grands, two of whom are here -- three of whom are here, I'm sorry, thank you for this honor. There is no one like my Pop-pop. He led from the front with sacrifice and standards and service, and it shows through all of his children who are all public servants and believe you should leave the world better than you came here. I will say also that I don't believe that someone passes away on the day that their heart stops. They pass away when their name is spoken for the very last time, and you have introduced a bill that makes it so that we can continue to speak his name and keep his spirit alive and it deserves to be kept alive, because there are not many made like that anymore. He was honorable, he was precious, and he made a personal relationship with every single one of us so that all of us could call him our Pop-pop. I'm raised in Jersey, went to Temple and Central 255 with my girl Claudia, and there was nothing like driving up Lincoln Drive and making the right on to Hortter Street, and knowing it was about to go down with my cousins. And I hope to keep that spirit alive every time I turn that (inaudible). Bad place to tear up, but a wonderful place to be. Thank you for embracing my family, Philadelphia. Thank you for honoring my Pop-pop. 33 years was not long enough. (Applause.)

It's our pleasure to introduce the resolution to honor him.

Good morning, Council. I'm (inaudible) Robinson. I am a proud Wynnefield resident. I rise today on in support of Bill No. 250768. Because as a former borough manager in neighboring Delco, I have seen this system from the inside. I'm ashamed to admit I have been a part of the problem. And every single person in this room is also a part of the problem because we all consume and we all produce trash. I've watched municipalities across Southeastern Pennsylvania spend millions of taxpayer dollars sending waste to incinerators, while Black and working-class families continue paying the real cost with their air quality, their health outcomes and their futures. In Collingdale alone, we sent hundreds of thousands of tons of waste and nearly half a million dollars annually into a system where many residents increasingly argue is poisoning their region for convenience of government. So let me say this plainly: Our municipal boundaries may stop at the County line, our pollution does not. Their asthma does not. The environmental injustice does not. Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth. What this Council does here has the power to influence the entire region. We have grown way too comfortable treating poor and Black communities as sacrifice zones. In the name of operational convenience, that must end today. I urge Council and the Mayor to hear the calls of organizers, advocates and leaders like Mayor Roots, who have been sounding the alarm for years, because residents are watching. And ahead of another election cycle, people want to know whether this government is serious about justice or merely comfortable talking cyclically about it. Thank you. (Applause.)

Hi. My name is Lorraine Miles and I'm in place of Jamal Johnson. I'm speaking for my dear brother Noel Miles who has been an advocate, a teacher, a professor of art his entire life, from the time he lived in Richard Allen Projects right up until now. I am just so proud of you. I just wanted to say this is something well-deserved. His prints are all over City Hall. They used it for the 2001 Republican Convention, which we have forgiven him for, but it's wonderful. Thank you. Noah. (Applause.)

I just want to say real quick, since we do have some extra time, that I think that it's important that people do know that he's alive, that he's here and the people that see his photo should know who the man is. And I personally am proud of him. I want everyone else here to recognize him. And if you don't mind, he's 90 years old. He earned the right. Can we please give him a round of applause? (Applause.)

I cannot -- any of this without Greta Greenberger. And if you've lived as long as I have, and hopefully she will live longer, she has the kind of creative energy that has called for the beautification of City Hall. So damn the politicians and let the artists go ahead. Because after all, Ancient Rome would never have lived without Claudius or whoever that other jerk was. (Applause.)

My name is Greta Greenberger. I've been a tour guide at City Hall for almost 30 years. Years ago Noel came to me and asked if he could do some paintings in rooms like this and other major rooms in the building, and we composed a book in 2002 with his beautiful watercolors. I don't know where the one example went. I am in the process of reprinting it. You should all have it for your knowledge about our history of these beautiful rooms. And Noel is so gifted, and we have about of his 10 paintings in the Visitor Center on 11 the ground floor. If you have not 12 been into Room 121, the walls are 13 covered with Noel's original 14 watercolor paintings. We have a 15 gift in this man and thank God he's still with us, and thank you for letting me tell you this. (Applause.)

Thank you.

Madam Chair, members, and guests, Dave Alexander Jenkins and I rise per the resolution as presented by Member Harrity, on the Chair's behalf to raise the damn wage. I recall speaking to this very truth standing behind Representative Green as she championed the fight in Harrisburg to correct this injustice. It was then that I begged the Assembly to remember that the truths held self-evident, that created us equal, the we, the people of the United States of America, the truths that endowed us with unalienable rights, those of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness could not be realized by a people shackled by poverty. Brothers and sisters of love, what happiness could be achieved with a minimum wage of $7.25 per hour or just under $15,000 a year? It was then, as now, that I took to the liberty to share that I interpret the protections of our 5th and 14th amendment, which prohibit the deprivation of life, liberty, or the pursuit of happiness without due process, and I apply it to such an unlivable wage that for me, and perhaps many of you, this meets the standard of what I call entrapment. As the wage is grossly negligent in addressing the need, which we know to be no less than $23.26 per hour, just to meet the standard of a living life. The current minimum wage invites the behaviors of impropriety forced upon those whose wages lead to actions that breed the consequences that will and do strip them of the very liberty, property, and their lives without process. Members, we must never relegate the people we are sworn to protect to, to lives that are struck into survival mode, lives that demand criminality to survive. As the heart of this Commonwealth and the cultural core of its economic engine, let us rise with moral clarity and practical urgency, protecting the dignity of our neighbors. As I said then and say now, raise the damn wage. (Applause.)

Thank you, City Council. My name is Pierre Lee Peters. I live in Brewerytown, and I'm sure you can tell from my shirt that I'm supporting the resolution on Cuba. I share the message of previous supporters and reiterate that Cuban people deserve self-determination. We must do everything in our power to stop the economic isolation and energy starvation of Cuba, enforced by the Trump administration. This resolution will push the needle towards normalizing relations between our two countries, releasing this beautiful island nation from our stranglehold. Cuba's radicalization was daring to liberate itself from foreign occupation. Its extremism was announcing that it belonged to those who would nurture it, not those who exploited it. Cuba's act of terror was giving land to those who labored over it for generations. Our own revolutionary project, 250 years ago, conveniently forgot about the millions who actually built this country and instead of bombs, Cuba sends doctors to forgotten corners of the world. They offered aid to families who lost everything in Hurricane Katrina and treated 911 first responders when the United States cast them aside. Cubans do this because they feel a debt owed in continued service to humanity. Designating Cuba as a state sponsor of terrorism is one of many efforts to tighten the grip of a false narrative. Cuba is not, has never been and will never be a threat to American society. We cannot keep allowing the United States to bully independent nations through retribution. I had the opportunity to visit Cuba this month, where I witnessed firsthand the conditions that these people live under. Although this energy crisis was engineered by the Trump regime, it was crucially built over decades of American foreign policy. What we have done to this vibrant country and culture is thoroughly unforgivable. Just like in parts of Philadelphia, homes and infrastructure are crumbling and economic opportunities have decimated. Cubans share what they have, not what they have left over. And for this reason, Cuba is vital to the health of the global community. Thank you. (Applause.)

Will Rose Johnson, Ethan Blackwood, Rev. Holston, Osborne Hart, Drew Tiff, Jack Mraz, Megan Dunn, Keith Crippen, Ogbonna Paul Hagins and Jigar Mehta, please make your way to the podium. (Witnesses approached podium.)

Thank you. My name is Rachel Myers, and I am privileged and incredibly proud to serve as a member of Fab Youth Philadelphia's Board of Directors. I'm delighted to speak today in regards to the resolution 8 recognizing Fab Youth Philly's 10-year anniversary. I want to thank Councilmember Brooks and Lozada for putting forth this resolution and for the other members of Council for recognizing a decade of impactful work for young people across Philadelphia. I wanted to take a moment and just share with those assembled today a bit about the impact that Fab Youth Philly has had across Philadelphia and continues to have for young people, providing opportunities to learn, to play, and to lead across our community. And so, I'd like to share a few words from former Play captains who are unable to be here today and speak way more eloquently about this work than I'm able to. As they've written, as a Play Captain, I learned how to adapt quickly, to think creatively, and to create a positive environment where kids feel safe, included, and excited to participate. Being in that role showed me how meaningful it is to give back to my community and to support younger youth in having fun while learning. I learned that being a Play Captain with Fab Youth Philly helped me grow into a more confident and responsible person. It gave me real-world experience. It strengthened my teamwork and leadership skills and showed me the importance of community involvement. And as these words highlight, if they don't give you goose bumps, the power of play, the work of Fab Youth Philly, creating ripples through the community, strengthening relationships, building a stronger Philadelphia for us all and preparing young people with the skills of confidence, competence, compassion, and contribution to bridge into a bright and successful adulthood. I thank Council for considering this resolution as a demonstration of your continued investment in young people across our communities.

Good morning, Council. My name is Mazzi Ingram. I'm a nationally- recognized environmental justice advocate and educator. I'm also the founder of Climate Action Careers, but most importantly, I'm a Fab youth. (Applause.)

Thank you. I joined Fab Youth Philly in 2021 as a Safety captain, where I expanded my scope of knowledge of violence prevention and offered a solution, mine being educational opportunity. That same summer I felt empowered to take action and hosted a back-to-school drive to help underresourced college students. Fab Youth Philly helped me acquire donations and was one of my strongest supporters. We helped send 11 college students or 11 students to higher education, including myself. Shortly after, I shipped off to Brandeis University and told everyone that my goal was to learn as much as I could and bring it back to the hood. Fab Youth Philly heard me and supported me by connecting me with the National Summer Learning Association summer internship in our nation's capital, where I worked as an Out-of-School Time policy intern with the After School Alliance. When I geared up to return home to Philly after graduating May of last year, Fab Youth Philly welcomed me home warmly as a Play Captain group leader. You know, there's nothing that compares to the Philly when you get a dozen kids of Kensington rushing up to you with smiles as wide as their tiny arm spans or watching them turn cardboard into carnival games or painting rocks into pets. Most recently, Fab Youth Philly supported and partnered with me on my vision for sustainable fashion workshops through my current role as a facilitator for our Makers Lab. I presented the idea and Fab helped make it happen. I am living proof that fab things are happening in Philly. Thank you. (Applause.)

Thank you for your testimony. Before you proceed, Chair recognizes Councilmember Jamie Gauthier.

Thank you, Madam Chair. I request a leave of absence to take care of other Council business. And I'd like to be recorded as voting aye on all bills and resolutions. Thanks so much.

You're welcome. Thank you. Duly noted. Please proceed with your testimony. State your name for the record and proceed.

Good afternoon. My name is Rose Johnson. I live in Mt. Airy, and I would like to start by thanking Councilman O'Rourke for introducing the resolution on ranked choice voting, and also Councilmembers Gauthier and Landau and Brooks for co-sponsoring the resolution. I'm a regular voter. I don't think I've missed an election or even a primary in more than 30 years, and I believe that it's really important for moving our society forward and bringing forth some of the things that are important to us, but I also do a lot of talking to my neighbors and canvassing for issues or candidates, and I know that a lot of people are frustrated and some give up. I myself feel frustrated sometimes with our electoral system, and I believe that ranked choice voting is not the only thing we need to fix things, but it's an important thing that will move us forward. When people rank candidates, they don't feel forced to just go with one of the leading folks to avoid wasting their vote. It gives people more choice and makes them feel more confident that they can really express their own values at the polls. Studies have shown that where we're ranked choice voting exists, voter enthusiasm goes up and voter turnout is increased. And certainly, you know, I've heard that Philly has really the lowest voter turnout, voter participation in the state. So anything that helps us get turned out and get people engaged, I think is an important thing. I would also say, you know, someone expressed how ranked choice voting is confusing, but we rank things all the time. And even they have ranked choice voting in Alaska, and there, when a group tried to get rid of it, the people kept it. So I encourage Council to do everything you can to support and move the state forward on this. Thank you. (Applause.)

Hello, Councilmembers. My name is Ethan. I'm a resident of Philly and a volunteer with March on Harrisburg, a pro-democracy group here in Pennsylvania. Councilmembers, by voting yes to Resolution 260546 for ranked choice voting, you have the important opportunity today to stand up for voters' rights to express their true preferences and decide between all their options for themselves at the ballot box, rather than lose most of their choices in the run-up to the election. We all know what happens when two candidates for office are too similar to each other. For example, think about Helen Gym, Rebecca Rhynhart in the Mayoral primary, or perhaps Street and Sanford in the recent Congressional race. These candidates suffered losses because our traditional plurality system has a limitation and forces voters to withhold their vote from one candidate if they want to support the other. Since candidates know this, people like Morgan Cephas running for Congress or Maria Quinones-Sanchez running for Mayor 2023 would rather drop out if they're behind in the race than continue and risk crowding the field. To see how much better it could be, we only need to look at our neighbor, New York, which uses RCV for its mayoral and other local elections. When spoiling is not a concern, we see this beautiful thing called co-endorsement. Brad Lander was behind Mamdani, but he didn't have to make the hard choice of whether to drop out or not. He just said, hey, if I'm your guy, Mamdani should be your second choice. Please rank him after me and one of us will win this thing. In summary, ranked choice voting is nothing scary. All it does is create more good choices for voters and candidates alike. So let's take this simple step towards bringing this better system to elections here in Philly. (Applause.) REV. HOLSTON: My name is Reverend Gregory Holston. I'm the Executive Director of Just Nation. I'm here about the trash going in Chester, as we continue to burn that trash in Chester. That story is my story. I grew up in South Philadelphia. The church that was my home church is Church Redeemer Baptist on 25th and Dickinson Streets. I lived for the first 14 years of my marriage and raising our children at 24th and Morris Streets. Every day we will come out of our porch and see a puff of smoke come from the refinery. They told us it was steam. Years later we learned it was cancer, and I watched members of that congregation, people I loved dearly, who believed in me, I watched their bodies deteriorate of cancer year after year. And I saw this city do nothing about it. So when I saw the Black woman of Chester saying exactly the same thing, that cancer after cancer was destroying their community, the people they love so dearly, toxins coming from us, where we have a city that has a Black woman Mayor, a Black person as City Council President, a majority Black Council, yet we are poisoning people who are poor and Black right in the town next to us, I don't know what to say. Too many times I've come here and I say, isn't it obvious that you can't do that, isn't this obvious that we can't do that, are we so tied into the structure of this government, are we so tied now into the system, the system that we came in to change and transform, that we're going to let that happen. Stand up against this. Vote to stop it. Stand up to your Mayor and tell her no, you cannot stand and keep telling you care deeply about poor Black people, and every time you turn your face away from when poor Black people come to you and tell you to stop. (Applause.)

My name is Osborne Hart. I'm the Socialist Workers Party candidate for Lieutenant Governor of Pennsylvania. Our campaign, in the strongest possible terms, condemns the US rulers' accelerated acts of aggression against the Cuban people and their government. We condemn the total oil blockade designed to punish every woman, man, and child on the island. Our campaign calls on working people here in the United States and worldwide to organize emergency picket lines, rallies, and other public protests now to demonstrate our rejection of the U.S. government's decade 67-years bipartisan attacks that are aimed at strangling the Cuban people and dismembering their socialist revolution. Washington's sharply escalating economic military measures against the Cuban people also target working people and the working class and other oppressed and exploited in the United States. We've seen our hard-won constitutional rights to organize, speak out, and act against U.S. policies abroad and in this country, including the expanding war moves that are under assault today. Working people in Cuba face enormous difficulties produced by cumulative damage for decades through 13 U.S. presidents over 67 years, economic sanctions, other assaults now topped by the escalating military threats and five months of nearly 100% naval blockade of oil deliveries. Contrary to the lives of the U.S. government and the media, millions of Cubans are determined to fight Washington's brazen efforts to impose a new Platt Amendment on the sovereignty of their country. That was the message conveyed by hundreds of thousands of Cubans across the island on May Day, and again May 22nd. Our job here and elsewhere all over the world is to take action alongside them, to refute every one of Washington's lies, to mobilize the widest possible opposition in the streets. So I urge the U.S. hands-off Cuba, defend the Cuban Revolution, build these actions. Thank you very much. (Applause.)

Will Erica Brown, Mijuel K. Johnson, Leo Cachet and Lorraine Miles, please make your way to the podium. (Witnesses approached podium.)

Good afternoon, Philadelphia. How's everyone feeling? How's it going? I'm Drew Rinaldi Subits. I'm the Director of Landcare and Workforce Development at TTF Watershed Partnerships, servicing Tacony Creek Park, the community surrounding that area. We're also building a nature preserve, open to the public, right behind Friends Hospital off the Roosevelt Boulevard, to put 50 more acres of publicly accessible nature back into the hands and places for Philadelphians to go. I'm here in support of Councilmember Phillips' bill on park funding. Really appreciate the support on that, Councilmember Driscoll. Also, want to give a shout-out to Councilmember Lozada, who's been a great advocate of ours and who jumped in the creek a month or two ago to help clean it. Appreciate that. Respect that. In the park system for over a decade now and what's become abundantly clear is that these are not just parks to go throw a Frisbee in or hang out for a little bit. These are spaces of absolutely essential mental health wellness. People go to these parks to find some peace and quiet. People go to these parks just to breathe. Philadelphia is loud. There's lots of violence. There's struggle everywhere. Well- documented, people need a place that they can just go and breathe and feel safe. That's what these parks serve as. They are absolutely indispensable infrastructure for our city. And I also want to kind of point out that I think there's a misconception that these parks -- you see a green space on a map and you're like, oh, park, we got parks, check, parks are living infrastructure, biotic infrastructure, if you will. They are living and breathing. All infrastructure requires maintenance, but parks require even more frequent maintenance because they're living and growing. The majority of things in there are living. Here at TTF we're doing workforce development. We have a young crew of folks who we're training to do this work. Got Liam over here, I think, Kari. We got Elijah and Damien somewhere. We're training people how to do this work so they can take this as a career, make their neighborhoods safer, create those spaces so people can go to get that reprieve, to breathe, to get that mental health support and have a place to recreate and enjoy themselves. So I want to urge you to support this, not only mental health support, recreation jobs for our communities. Historically, this work has been done only by contractors, and a lot of times that money then leaves town. Invest in our parks. Invest in our young people. Thank you. (Applause.)

I'm Jack Mraz speaking in favor of 260545. I'm a Cuban American, a Philadelphian and I'm sick of watching our government carry out a genocidal campaign against the people of Cuba. The U.S. has been waging a one-sided war against the Cuban people for 67 years now. This war comes in the form of a blockade, severely restricting the country's economy and functionally cutting off Cuba from trading with the entire world. The blockade blocks Cuba from acquiring essential medical supplies, humanitarian aid and necessary resources for daily life, like oil for its electricity grid, creating an urgent starvation and medical crisis. Major hospitals right now don't even have a single functioning electrocardiogram machine because of a forced lack of resources to power. Babies are dying right now, this very second, because of us and our government. This blockade doesn't just hurt the Cuban people, but the entire world. Cuba has sent over 100,000 health professionals to more than 70 countries, with over 22,000 doctors currently serving, providing critical health services to underserved communities in more than 50 countries, including the United States right now. Currently, due to pressure from the United States to expel these lifesavers for the crimes of being born Cuban, people in countries around the world are suddenly unable to have lifesaving, medical care that they need. To respond to the speakers from earlier, asserting that this is irrelevant to Philly, the embargo also prevents people in the U.S. from accessing Cuban biotech medications, which have no American analogues, including those which prevent diabetic foot amputations, a vaccine for treating advanced lung cancer, and the only medicine in the world which can delay or stop the advancement of early stage Alzheimer's disease, which could save the lives of many Philadelphians suffering unnecessarily today. Instead of focusing on killing Cubans, our government should be focusing on improving the lives of Philadelphians. Although it may be symbolic, this resolution 12 will put Philadelphia on the right side of history, and will put us in line with 117 resolutions that have been passed already by governmental bodies in the U.S., representing more than 60 million people, including Pittsburgh. We can't let Pittsburgh show us up. Please vote in support of Resolution 260545. Thank you. (Applause.)

Hello. My name is Megan Dunn and I am here to ask all the Councilpeople to support Bill 260545. Cuba is not a threat. I know there's a lot of disinformation on this. But the more you look into it, the more you'll realize. In fact, they've sent doctors across the sea to provide health care to those who need it and have universalized their own health care, which is something the United States has not done. Right now the economic sanctions have killed many people in Cuba, and it's important to talk about it here and pass this resolution in Philly because this small change can lead to larger national change and ultimately free the Cuban people as well as free the American people. We can learn from them and their example in health care, in community, and in being a better denizen of the world. Thank you. (Applause.)

Ogbonna Hagins, fourth-generation chattel slavery survivor. I want to be clear about what is being proposed. Ranked choice voting is not a minor procedural adjustment. It is a structural change in how political power is counted and distributed in this city. Before we even discuss that, we must address what Philadelphia has yet to establish. The 13th Amendment did not only abolish slavery, it also prohibits the badges and incidents of slavery, including the political disempowerment of a free class and its descendants. The Civil Rights Act of 1866 guarantees equal benefits of all laws and proceedings, including the electoral processes. Today I will be providing Councilmember Curtis Jones with an ordinance recognizing the distinct political status of American Freedmen and establishing the Office of Freedmen Affairs as soon as possible. Right now Philadelphia has no office of Freedmen Affairs and no 12 institutional mechanisms to evaluate an equal political impact or protect the group that historically built this city under bondage and Jim Crow. In this vacuum, ranked choice voting is not a neutral reform. It becomes a structural change imposed without the safeguards required to ensure equal political protection. While ranked choice voting may function in jurisdictions where political agency is already institutionally secured, here in Philadelphia it's at risk fracturing cohesive voting blocks, increasing ballot exhaustion and already burdened communities, and allowing coordinated majority advantage to shape outcomes under neutral appearance. That is not reform. It is reproduction of political disadvantage through system design. We cannot change how we vote until the American Freedmen have agency like every other group. Ogbonna Hagins. Over and out.

My name is Jigar Mehta. I'm talking about ranked choice voting. Council President, thank you very much for this opportunity. Ranked choice voting has to evolve beyond picking the elected official. It has to evolve to policy. We need to start seeing ranked choice voting at policy level because it doesn't matter now. No matter what you do, you can play by the game, you can get as many people to support you. We're working for you guys. Understand the policy that -- we've been working for people are suffering, suffering. We have people that are giving up their 401(k)s. Retirement people are giving up their savings for the City of Philadelphia. I love this city. Everybody here loves this city. But because of the fact that it doesn't matter if you follow the process, if at the end of the day no matter what you do, it takes a simple decision, a political decision to decide that you're not going to be able to get a hearing when you've been promised a hearing. You're not going to be able to get a vote when you've been promised a vote. And all those people that have been watching, paying attention, that have hope in their heart is taken away right now. Dr. King, what he talked about was a knock at midnight, a knock at midnight that was about the persistence of prayer. It was also about the middleman. It's about when people that don't have a voice, that right now can't even afford to come to this room, they can't afford it. They count on people like us to help knock on the doors for them. So what I'm asking for is let's evolve the entire system. Let's make it so that we have a choice around what policy actually comes up for a vote. We can set up civic assemblies. It's been done before, where now the people's voice matters, not just for who gets elected, sir, but also what policy actually gets voted on. So I am in favor of ranked choice voting, but I want to evolve it so it includes policy as well. And please, by the grace of God, please help these people go to liftphilly.org. These are over 400 people that are saying they are struggling in our city. We haven't even gone to social media yet. Thank you. Thank you, sir. (Applause.)

My name is Erica Brown, and I love all of you. I'm here especially to thank Councilmember Phillips for the resolution to add funding to rec centers. And Council President Johnson, I have this rose I want to give you when we're done.

Thank you.

And thank you for your strong negotiations with the Mayor. As you may know, this is day 8 of our hunger strike to make Philly affordable. And the city and the Mayor has $1.1 billion in surplus that can be spent on us right now, and we want to add fire to your negotiations and help you get what this city needs right now, plus 120 million for food to help 50,000 people get food who are kicked off of food stamps, plus 20 million to preserve deeply affordable housing, plus 25 to keep full-time substitute teachers their jobs who are going to be fired, to double the rec centers budget like the Mayor said she would do on her campaign trail, to double the library budget, to add 30 million to Zero Fare so people can get where they need to go, and to add 50 million to the Philadelphia Energy Authority, which would give the city 86 million, because whenever you give them money, they multiply your money by 1.7 times. So I love you all. I love the Mayor, and we got to show how we can love this city together. Free Cuba. Free Sudan. Free Iran. Free Palestine. Free Philly. Make Philly affordable. (Applause.)

Thank you. Sergeant-at- Arms Lopez, could you make sure I get my rose please. Mijuel Johnson, please begin.

Hello. My name is Mijuel K. Johnson, and I'm here in support of the resolution 5 for Martyrs Day, Wednesday, July 5th. I'm the institutional liaison for the 1838 Black Metropolis project and we are in support of the resolution calling for Martyrs Day, July 5, in recognition of the slain five individuals of the Election Day massacre of 1871, including Octavius Valentine Catto. The 1838 Black Metropolis Project and ASALH, the Association for the Study of African American Life and History, the Philadelphia and Montgomery County, Pennsylvania branches will be hosting events for voter registration and rights education on July 5th for Martyrs Day. We've reached out to the City Commissioner's Office as well as the Committee of Seventy in support of these efforts but have yet to hear back, and we are in full support of the resolution for Martyrs Day, July 5th. Thank you. (Applause.)

Hello, City Councilors. I am Leo Chais. I'm here as a private citizen. I'm here in support of 260546. I believe we need more voter turnout. I believe that ranked choice voting is the way to get more voter turnout, and our current model does not guarantee that whoever gets in that position has 51% of the vote. As an example, we had a Congressional district election in PA 3, where the winner had 41% of the vote. Now, in a four-person election that's a big deal. However, there's no guarantee that of all the people voting in that election wanted Chris Rabb to win the most, right. There's no way of knowing that unless we had a ranked choice voting, where people would get their input and rank their choices. It opens up a more nuanced choice of their leaders, and it removes the incentive for leaders to not team up with a ranked choice voting system. You can have cross endorsements and not lose out on any individual policies you want to make. You can make the question of what's the best way for me to lead a city and instead, make it a question of what's the best way for us to lead the city, what are our policy decisions, and you can shift the conversation away from a me to an us. In America, we have a couple of states that have banned ranked choice voting. These states, such as Alabama, Florida, and Louisiana, are notorious for undemocratic processes. They've been in the news about gerrymandering very heavily. It's no mistake that they ban ranked choice voting in some or in all capacities. We should make the choice to push forward ranked choice voting to incentivize people to come out to vote for their choice so that does not get thrown away. I thank you for your time. I cede my time. (Applause.)

Council President, that concludes our list for public comment for today.

Thank you very much. This concludes today's public comment period. 5/28/26 - STATED - 2ND READING We will now consider the resolutions on the Final Passage Calendar and bills on the Second Reading and Final Passage Calendars. Would the Clerk please read the title of Resolution No. 9 260545.

A resolution urging the Trump Administration to remove Cuba from the list of State Sponsors of Terrorism and urging Congress to vote to end all economic sanctions against Cuba.

The Chair recognizes Councilmember Nicolas O'Rourke work for a motion regarding Resolution 21 No. 260545.

Thank you, Mr. President. I move for the adoption 5/28/26 - STATED - 2ND READING of the resolution. (Duly seconded.)

It has been moved and properly seconded that Resolution 7 No. 260545 be adopted. All those in favor of the motion signify by saying aye. (Aye.)

Anyone opposed?

Nay.

One nay, Councilmember O'Neill. The motion carries. The resolution is adopted. Would the Clerk please read the title of Resolution No. 21 260546.

A resolution calling on the Pennsylvania General Assembly to 5/28/26 - STATED - 2ND READING enact legislation that would allow local jurisdictions to adopt ranked choice voting.

Chair recognizes Councilmember Nicolas O'Rourke for a motion regarding Resolution No. 9 260546.

Thank you, Mr. President. I move for the adoption of the resolution. (Duly seconded.)

It has been moved and properly seconded that Resolution 18 No. 260546 be adopted. All those in favor signify by saying aye. (Aye.)

All those in favor signify by saying aye. 5/28/26 - STATED - 2ND READING (Aye.)

Anyone opposed?

Nay.

One nay, Councilmember O'Neill. The ayes have it and the motion carries. The resolution is adopted. (Applause.)

Will the Clerk please read the title of Resolution No. 16 260548.

A resolution honoring the life, legacy and distinguished service of Detective Samuel P. Wyche, Sr., who served on the first all-Black detective unit, the Dick Anderson Squad, in recognition of National Police Week 2026. 5/28/26 - STATED - 2ND READING

Chair recognizes Councilmember Cindy Bass for a motion regarding Resolution No. 6 260548.

Thank you, Mr. President. I move for the adoption of the resolution. (Duly seconded.)

It has been moved and properly seconded that Resolution 15 No. 260548 be adopted. All those in favor signify by saying aye. (Aye.)

Anyone opposed? (No response.)

The ayes have it. The motion carries. The resolution is 5/28/26 - STATED - 2ND READING adopted. Would the Clerk please read the title of Bill No. 5 260063-A.

An ordinance renaming and designating the property commonly referred to as Panati Playground, located at 3100 North 22nd Street to the "Allegheny West Recreation Center," in recognition of the community and neighborhood that it serves.

This bill having been read on two different days, the question now is shall the bill pass finally. Chief Clerk, please call the roll.

Councilmember Phillips.

Aye. 5/28/26 - STATED - 2ND READING

Councilmember Gilmore Richardson was aye. Councilmember Gauthier was aye. Councilmember Thomas.

Aye.

Councilmember Jones.

Aye.

Councilmember Landau.

Aye.

Councilmember Lozada.

Aye.

Councilmember Young.

Aye.

Councilmember Brooks.

5/28/26 - STATED - 2ND READING Aye.

Councilmember Harrity.

Aye.

Councilmember O'Rourke.

Aye.

Councilmember Driscoll.

Aye.

Councilmember O'Neill.

Aye.

Councilmember Squilla.

Aye.

Councilmember Bass. 5/28/26 - STATED - 2ND READING

Aye.

Councilmember Ahmad was aye. Council President Johnson.

Aye. Ayes are and 9 nays are 0. Majority of all 10 members having voted in the 11 affirmative, the bill passes. 12 Chief Clerk, please read 13 the title of Bill No. 260212. 14

An 15 ordinance to amend the Philadelphia 16 Zoning Maps by changing the zoning 17 designations of certain areas of land located within an area bounded by McKinley Street, Leonard Street, Devereaux Avenue, and Bustleton Avenue.

This bill having been read on two different days, the 5/28/26 - STATED - 2ND READING question now is shall the bill pass finally. Chief Clerk, please call the roll.

Councilmember Phillips.

Aye.

Councilmember Gilmore Richardson was aye. Councilmember Gauthier was aye. Councilmember Thomas.

Aye.

Councilmember Jones.

Aye.

Councilmember Landau.

Aye.

Councilmember Lozada. 5/28/26 - STATED - 2ND READING

Aye.

Councilmember Young.

Aye.

Councilmember Brooks.

Aye.

Councilmember Harrity.

Aye.

Councilmember O'Rourke.

Aye.

Councilmember Driscoll.

Aye.

Councilmember O'Neill. 5/28/26 - STATED - 2ND READING

Aye.

Councilmember Squilla.

Aye.

Councilmember Bass.

Aye.

Councilmember Ahmad was aye. Council President Johnson.

Aye. The ayes are 17. The nays are 0. Majority of all members having voted in the affirmative, the bill passes. Chief Clerk, please read the title of Bill No. 260296.