COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA STATED MEETING Room 400, City Hall Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Thursday, April 3, 2014 10:35 a.m. PRESENT: COUNCIL PRESIDENT DARRELL L. CLARKE COUNCILWOMAN CINDY BASS COUNCILWOMAN JANNIE BLACKWELL COUNCILMAN W. WILSON GOODE, JR. COUNCILMAN WILLIAM K. GREENLEE COUNCILMAN BOBBY HENON COUNCILMAN KENYATTA JOHNSON COUNCILMAN CURTIS JONES, JR. COUNCILMAN JAMES KENNEY COUNCILMAN DENNIS O'BRIEN COUNCILMAN DAVID OH COUNCILMAN BRIAN J. O'NEILL COUNCILWOMAN MARIA D. QUINONES-SANCHEZ COUNCILWOMAN BLONDELL REYNOLDS BROWN COUNCILMAN MARK SQUILLA COUNCILWOMAN MARIAN B. TASCO MICHAEL A. DECKER,
Good morning, everyone. (Good morning.)
We have established a quorum. I'd ask all guests and visitors to please retire behind the rail. The members have taken their seat. We will start the Council session today. To give our invocation this morning, the Chair recognizes Reverend John K. Jallah, Executive Director of Agape African Senior Center and Associate Minister at the New Fellowship Baptist Church. He is here today as the guest of Councilwoman Jannie Blackwell. I would ask all guests and visitors to please rise. (Members and guests rise.)
Good morning. Please be seated. Please be seated. Good morning. (Members and guests are seated.)
Somebody does ask me if I'm going to sing to the CD. I say, Well, if I sang here, then the whole place would be in confusion. Immediately you would have to call (unintelligible) and all that. So I eliminated singing. Amen. I'm not going to sing. I'm going to lead a prayer. I'm going to lead a devotion. I thank you for the President for inviting me, my Councilwoman, and my other Councilmen and all of you. Thank you. God be with you. Let me read Proverb 29, Verse 2. Proverb 29, Verse 2, when the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice, but when the wicked bearer ruled, the people mourn. Just for this invocation, let me take the opportunity that God give me to appear before you to remind you that your action, whatever you do in this Chamber, affects real people. Whatever real people. And according to the passage I read, you have options. You can either do it the righteous way, God's way, the right way or you can do it the wicked way, the ungodly way, the selfish way, the (unintelligible) way. So your maker is saying that the choice is yours. But you should remember that your decisions, your actions affect real people. They affect us, the residents of Philadelphia, and they affect beyond because, you know, Philadelphia is connected to the whole world. There are residents here that have families all over the world. So by righteous here, God is not seeing perfection. God is not seeing perfection. God is seeing people, his children, his creation. Those who choose is by choice. Those who choose to do the right thing, those who will choose to just give justice to somebody because it's the right thing to do regardless of decision that come before you here, you either decide to do it the right way just because it's the right thing or you can do it the other way. But when you do it the other way, the wicked way that God described, of course, you know that you do not have your master's approval for that. You do not have God's approval for that. But when you do it God's way, the right way, the righteous way, you have God's blessing. Amen. (Amen.)
Amen. Shall we stand and pray. (Members and guests rise.)
Our father in heaven, I thank you for your children whom you have called to serve their people in this Chamber at this time. Bless them, guide them, protect them, and give them wisdom to exercise the authority you have delegated to them in so that when they are people, residents of the City of Philadelphia, we prosper and rejoice. We pray for our city Mayor and all who works with him. We view them with wisdom to exercise authority righteously. We pray for this great country by your grace, the greatest country on earth, that you will continue to keep us by your power. We uplift our President, Barack Obama, his family and all who work with him. Protect and guide them. Give them the wisdom and fortitude they need to meet the challenges they face each and every day. We pray for the people of the United States, especially the people of Pennsylvania and the City of Philadelphia. Deliver us from all evil and keep us as the apple of your eyes. In the name of the father, the son, and the holy spirit. (Amen.)
Thank you for those inspiring words. (Council at ease.)
Thank you, Councilwoman. Thank you so much. The next order of business is the approval of the Journal of the meeting of Thursday, March 27th, 2014. The Chair recognizes Councilman Greenlee.
Thank you, Mr. President. I move that the Journal of the meeting of Thursday, March 27th, 2014 be approved. (Duly seconded.)
Thank you. It has been moved and properly seconded that the Journal of the meeting of Thursday, March 27th, 2014 stand approved. favor? (Aye.)
The ayes have it, and the Journal is approved. The next order of business is requests for leaves of absence, and the Chair recognizes Councilman Jones.
Thank you, Mr. President. On behalf of the democrats, there are no requests for leaves of absence today.
The Chair thanks the gentleman. The Chair recognizes Councilman O'Neill.
Thank you, Mr. President. On behalf of the republicans, there are no requests for leave of absence.
The Before we proceed I would like to recognize members of the alumni association, City Council's own, our good friend, Councilman Frank Rizzo. (Applause.)
And where is our other good friend, Councilman Frank DiCicco? I just saw him. (Applause.)
I want to thank you guys for always checking up on us making sure we're doing the right thing. Thank you. Good seeing you. Good seeing you, Fran. At this time, I would like to dispense with the regular order of business and I would like to thank everyone who has come here today. We really appreciate the fact that you felt enough about your government that you came down to witness it in person. We you enjoy your stay here today, so much so that you come back again. So, again, thank you all very much for being here. At this time, the Chair recognizes Councilman Greenlee, who will present a resolution on my behalf honoring Benny Golson. Would Mr. Golson and those accompanying him please join the Councilman at the podium. And joining Councilman Greenlee, we have Councilwoman Blackwell, Councilwoman Brown, and Councilwoman Tasco, and we actually have Stephanie Marsh with the Administration.
Thank you, Mr. President. Good morning, everyone. It's great to honor a native Philadelphian who has been so internationally recognized over these many, many years. This is a resolution honoring, recognizing, and celebrating the lifetime musical achievements of Benny Golson for world of music through radio, television, and film. Whereas, Benny Golson is a multi-talented internationally recognized jazz legend, undertaking the roles of composer, arranger, lyricist, producer as well as a tenor saxophonist of world note; and Whereas, being born and raised in North Philadelphia, Mr. Golson attended Benjamin Franklin High School, and played with several other promising young musicians, including John Coltrane, Red Garland, Jimmy Heath, Percy Heath, Philly Joe Jones, and Red Rodney; and Whereas, few jazz musicians can claim to be true innovators and even fewer can boast of a performing and recording career that literally redefines the term "jazz." Mr. Golson has made major contributions to the world of jazz through such jazz standards as: Killer Joe, I Remember Clifford, Along Came Betty, Stablemates, Whisper Not, Blue March, Five Spot After Dark, Are You Real?; and
Whereas, from 1959 to 1962, Golson co-led the Jazztet with Art Farmer. Golson then left jazz to concentrate on studio and orchestral work for 12 years. During this time he composed music to such television shows as Ironside, Room 222, M*A*S*H, and Mission: Impossible; and Whereas, Mr. Golson has written music for national radio and television spots for some of the major advertising agencies in the country for commercial advertisements for such companies as Canada Dry, Carnation, Chevrolet, Chrysler, Clorox, Dodge, Gillette, Heinz Food, Jack in the Box, McDonald's, Mattel Toys, Nissan, Pepsi Cola, and Texaco; and Whereas, the Howard University Jazz Studies Program created a prestigious award in his honor called the, quote, "Benny Golson Jazz Master Award," end quote, in 1996. In 1995 Jazz Masters Award from the National Endowment for the Arts. In October 2007, Golson received the Mellon Living Legend Legacy Award presented by the Mid-Atlantic Foundation at a ceremony at Kennedy Center; and
Whereas, additionally, during the same month, he won the University of Pittsburgh International Academy of Jazz Outstanding Lifetime Achievement Award at the university's 37th Annual Jazz Concert in Carnegie Music Hall. In November 2009, Mr. Golson was inducted into the International Academy of Jazz Hall of Fame during a performance at the University of Pittsburgh's annual jazz seminar and concert; and Whereas, for more than 60 years, Mr. Golson has enjoyed an illustrious musical career in which he has not only made scores of recordings but has also composed and arranged music for the likes of Count Basie, Miles Davis, Sammy Davis, Jr., Mama Cass Elliott, Ella Fitzgerald, Dizzy Gillespie, Benny Goodman, Lionel Hampton, Shirley Horn, Quincy Jones, Peggy Lee, Oscar Peterson, Lou Rawls, Mickey Rooney, and Diana Ross, just to name a few; and Whereas, Mr. Golson has recorded over 30 albums for many recording companies in the United States and Europe under his own name and innumerable ones with other major artists. A prodigious writer, Mr. Golson has written well over 300 compositions; and
Whereas, Mr. Golson is the only living jazz artist to have written 8 standards for jazz repertoire. These jazz standards have found their way into countless recordings internationally over the years and are still recorded; and Whereas, Mr. Golson has absolute mastery of the jazz medium. He has not only blazed a trail in the world passionate about teaching jazz to young and old alike. He has lectured at the Lincoln Center through a special series by Wynton Marsalis. He has lectured to doctoral candidates at New York University and to the faculty at National University in San Diego; and Whereas, honored with doctorates from William Paterson College, Wayne, New Jersey and Berklee College of Music, Boston, Massachusetts, Dr. Benny Golson is also working on a major college textbook and his autobiography. This humble musical giant continues to impress critics, fans and fellow musicians with his prodigious contributions to the world of jazz; and
Now, therefore, be it resolved, that we hereby honor, recognize, and celebrate Benny Golson on his contribution to the world of music through radio, television, and film and on his continued success. And be it further resolved, of this resolution be presented to Benny Golson as evidence of the sincere sentiment of this legislative body. This is a true and correct copy of the original resolution, adopted by Council on the 19th of March 2014. Introduced by myself for Council President Clarke and co-sponsored by all members of City Council. Mr. Golson, it's an honor. Congratulations. (Applause.)
Wow, this is hard to believe. I've often wondered in all my years of being a resident of Philadelphia what did City Hall look like, and it took me 85 years to find out. I am so appreciative of being here today because I had a meager beginning at 17th and Diamond where we 14 years of age. That's when I got my saxophone, and it was the summertime and, of course, I played in the living room on the front of the house and the windows were open and often neighbors could hear me, and they wanted to kill me. But a friend of mine joined me in a year or so named John Coltrane, and they wanted to kill two people. But we all became successful. We traveled all over the universe, I guess you could say, Europe, South America, Japan, played with major bands. But in all of that traveling, I never left my heart in San Francisco. It was always Philadelphia. (Applause.)
And although at that young age there were so many of us here vying to get out of Philadelphia and go on the road that is traveled from city to city, Chicago, Los Angeles, Boston, Miami or Oconomowoc, Wisconsin, we always -- I always had my mind and my here, and I feel that being here today is an epiphany. It's a magnum opus in my career. And I know there's a lot of people responsible for me standing here as I speak today, beginning with our President, President Darrell Clarke, and all the members of the City Council and Betsy Riley and Stephanie Golson and so many others that I don't know, and if I knew, I couldn't remember their names at my age. But I feel that I'm a living anachronism. I'm an old man now, but that has meaning to it. It means that I've moved on ahead and made room for those who will follow, so that one day you'll see some of those ones possibly standing where I am today. I am so thankful. This is momentous and memorable. I'll never forget it. Thank you so much. (Applause.)
Let me take advantage of the opportunity. Our own Stephanie Marsh, one of the twins back here is a vice principal, her husband, in the Philadelphia school system, and the other Golson is certainly a past President of Yo Philadelphia Club, one of the most renowned organizations in our city. Thank you.
Thank you so much. At this time, the Chair recognizes Councilwoman Blackwell, who will present a resolution honoring Pastor Brian Jenkins. Would Mr. Jenkins and those accompanying him please join the Councilwoman at the podium. Councilwoman, we have Councilman Kenney and also have Councilwoman Bass and Councilman Squilla.
Thank you, Mr. President. We're honored to make this presentation and note although we've worked with Brian Jenkins and his wife and his organization over the years, that we're certainly proud that he is in Councilman Squilla's district and we're proud that he is co-sponsoring this with us. Resolution honoring and recognizing Pastor Brian Jenkins, Founder and Executive Director of Chosen 300 Ministries, Inc. for his courage, drive, and commitment to fighting homelessness and poverty in the City of Philadelphia.
Whereas, Pastor Brian Jenkins was born in the Tasker Projects in South Philadelphia in 1971; and Whereas, Pastor Jenkins, at birth, losing his mother by death at the age of five and a product of the Department of Human Services of Philadelphia, was adopted and raised in the foster home of Theresa Jemison and the late Willie Jemison, Jr.; and Whereas, in 1991 Pastor Jenkins was united in marriage to Shandai Moore-Jenkins who later gave birth to their twin boys, David and Jonathan; and Whereas, in 1996, due to an encounter with a homeless man, Brian and his wife, Shandai, were inspired to create a meal initiative at 16th Street and Benjamin Franklin Parkway, which later led to them creating Chosen 300 Ministries, bringing people of different backgrounds together to meet the needs of the less fortunate; and
Whereas, under the leadership of Pastor Jenkins, Chosen 300 Ministries, Inc. has engaged 87 churches/organizations and more than 1,700 volunteers in year round services to the at-risk; Whereas, since its inception in 1996, Chosen 300 Ministries has distributed more than 1,000,000 meals to the homeless of Center City Philadelphia, West Philadelphia and Pottstown; and Whereas, Chosen 300 has also developed 16 international food distribution centers in Guyana, Jamaica, India, Nigeria, South Africa and Liberia; providing more than 300,000 pounds of food each year;
Whereas, in 2003, Chosen 300 worked closely with Council and former Mayor John Street to come up with an effective compromise to increase indoor meal programming while maintaining outdoor meal services for the homeless; Whereas, Chosen 300's Spring Garden Street location has afforded them 50 religious institutions the ability to participate in indoor meal service for at-risk, leading to more than 100,000 meals distributed each year to those in need; and Whereas, in 2012 Chosen 300 played an integral role in combatting the ban on the outdoor serving of meals to the homeless which resulted in an injunction against the ordinance in Federal Court; Whereas, Chosen 300 is developing a new West Philadelphia location at Haverford and Lancaster Avenue to provide more services to the homeless and impoverished families in Philadelphia; therefore, be it resolved
That the City Council of Philadelphia hereby honors and recognizes Pastor Brian Jenkins, Founder and Executive Director of Chosen 300 Ministries, Inc. for his courage, drive, and commitment to fighting homelessness and poverty in the City of Philadelphia. Further resolved, that an resolution be presented to the Reverend and his beautiful wife as a sincere expression of City Council's appreciation and recognition and our willingness to continue to battle with him. We're proud that this was agreed to and signed by all members of City Council. (Applause.)
The Chair recognizes Pastor Jenkins for remarks.
First, recognizing the very fine President, Darrell Clarke, Councilwoman Jannie Blackwell, and all the members of City Council and, most importantly, my beautiful wife that is standing next to me that walks with me in ministry and walks with me in missions in helping people. lot of folks of different faiths that are here today, but because I am who I am, I greet you in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ who died and was buried and rose again with all power in his hands.
I knew I'd get an amen somewhere. You know, I was born in the City in 1971 and my mom died when I was 5. My father walked out on me before I was born, and I was a product of the Department of Human Services and grew up -- I was actually in an orphanage in Stenton Child Center and grew up in foster care, and I knew that God had purpose for all of it, and it was through the sharing of someone else that I became who I am. Two weeks ago my foster mother went home to be with the Lord, and we celebrate her and so I share this award with her, because it was by her example that I share with others. I remember growing up watching her cook in the kitchen and sending meals down to the seniors and to the sick in our community. But there's also a young lady here that inspired me, and I remember watching the news in 1993, and many of you may remember this, but there was this lady that was getting arrested, put in handcuffs for helping the homeless down in the Concourse, and that's none other than Councilwoman Jannie L. Blackwell. (Applause.)
And I remember watching the news and I said, If I can just be like her. And truly it has been a partnership with Councilwoman Jannie Blackwell, and also other members of City Council have been a blessing to us in helping us weave through the web of the legislative process. We have been able to now serve over 100,000 meals a year to the homeless of Philadelphia, having region, and you heard the resolution. But it hasn't gone without trial and it has not gone without tribulation. We've been afflicted by legislation, afflicted by rules of the City, but the Lord is with us, and I know that this City Council has been behind us, and we want to say thank you. There is still legislation that is out there, and although we have won the injunction, the case is still spending. So what this resolution does is send a message down to Pharaoh on the second floor to let my people go, because we cannot afflict those that are homeless, those that are downtrodden. I close with this. When this building was built between 1901 and 1908, it was the tallest occupied building in the entire world and the hat of William Penn's head, no building could go beyond, but in 1987, they started building buildings beyond his head, and what stopped looking at the people. We began to look at wealth. I want to challenge you, City Council, that as you make laws, as you develop legislation, that you begin to focus on the people again. Yes, development is important. Yes, wealth is important, but what's most important are the people. Jesus said it best in the 25th Chapter of the Book of Matthew that I was hungry one day and did you feed me. I was naked, did you clothe me. I was in prison, did you come to see about me. And the goats on his left, he said, Depart from me because you didn't take care of me, but on the sheep, he said, Come, the blessed, to my father, inherit the kingdom from the foundation of the Earth, because I was in these circumstances and you took care of me. The interesting thing about the sheep is that they said to the Lord, When do we see you like this. They just said, you know what, it's just the right thing you and challenge you to make sure that you continue to do the right thing and take care of the poor of this city. God bless you. (Applause.)
Thank you. At this time, the Chair recognizes Councilwoman Quinones-Sanchez, who will present a resolution honoring Angel Luis Lozada. Would Mr. Lozada and those accompanying him please join the Councilwoman at the podium. And joining Councilwoman Sanchez is Councilman Kenney.
There are many people in the City of Some folks are in front of the camera; some folks are behind the camera. This person that we're recognizing is someone who is a friend and a trailblazer. As we read the resolution, you'll learn a little bit about his activism at Temple with the Latino students and others, but he is someone that has covered us and been very patient with us many times, and so I'm going to ask you to be patient as we recognize him, as he is joined by his family and his friends. We have the President and General Manager of ABC, Bernie Prazenica and Tom Davis -- I'm sorry. My apologies. They tear up my name all the time too -- and Tom Davis, Vice President and News Director of it. Julio, you want to join him. Julio who works with me is also someone who was part of the Temple Student Association, and Louie and him did a lot of good work and activism, so I want him to join us this morning. So recognizing and honoring Angel Luis Lozada -- you notice Council President got your name right -on the occasion of his retirement from WPVI after a long and distinguished career in journalism. Whereas, Angel Luis Lozada was born in New York City on September -- I won't say the year -- to Puerto Rican parents living in the Upper West Side of Manhattan, and spent most of his childhood living in the Queensbridge public housing project; and Whereas, after graduating from New York public schools Mr. Lozada came to Philadelphia in 1969 to study at Temple University, where he became involved in efforts among the student body to increase the number of Latinos and students of color and served as President of the Federation of Puerto Rican Students; and Whereas, Mr. Lozada entered student but graduated with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Journalism in 1973, and after one semester of law school that fall he left to enter the workforce and began a freelance career as a producer, writer, and photographer, in addition to his work as a community activist; and Whereas, in 1976 he began working as a production assistant at WPVI in the Public Affairs department, and after a short departure from the station to work as the director of the community advocacy group Accion Puertoriquenia he began working for Action News as a sound technician;
Whereas, during his time at Action News, Mr. Lozada's adventures as a photojournalist have taken him all over the United States and the world on assignments. Mr. Lozada has covered every President since Jimmy Carter, numerous political conventions, and major news items such as the 1985 earthquake, the 11th G7 Summit in Bonn, Germany, the Oklahoma City bombing, post-Soviet Russia, the election of Nelson Mandela, Operation Desert Storm, famine in Somalia, bus bombings in Israel, and the papacy of John Paul II; and Whereas, over the years at WPVI Mr. Lozada rose through the ranks to become Chief Photographer, a position that he has held for nearly thirty years, and has been honored with several awards, including the 1988 Mid-Atlantic Emmy Award for Individual Achievement in News Photography, the 1990 Society of Professional Journalists' Sigma Delta Chi for Best Feature, and numerous awards from the Pennsylvania Associated Press Broadcaster Association for News Photography; and Whereas, Mr. Lozada considers his life's crowning achievements to be his marriage of 39 years to his wife, Nilza, and their two children, Luis Paz Lozada, a Major in the United States Air Force, and Laura Maria Lozada, a teacher in the School District of Philadelphia;
His wife was also a long-term teacher and leader of the bilingual program at Edison High School, and we miss her badly at Edison right now. Whereas, rather than to chase politicians, he now plans to spend more time chasing his two beautiful grandchildren, Elena and Carlos, as Mr. Lozada is retiring this April; now, therefore, be it Resolved, that the Council of the City of Philadelphia hereby recognizes and honors Angel Luis Lozada on the occasion of his retirement from WPVI after a long distinguished career in journalism. Further resolved, that an engrossed copy will be given to Mr. Lozada as the sincere expression of appreciation of this body. Sponsored by Council. Thank you. (Applause.)
Not being much of an extemporaneous speaker, although I work in the communications field, I wrote my remarks a little bit, and I beg your indulgence. Council President, esteemed members of Council, and most especially my sister, Councilwoman -- my sister in the struggle, Councilwoman Quinones-Sanchez, who graciously initiated and executed this wonderful recognition and resolution, I'm grateful for it and I'm humbled by it. I can't tell you how strange it is for me to be on this side of the railing at this podium without a camera on my shoulder and not on that riser on a tripod, like one of my guys, Marc Cam, if you would give it up for Marc. He's been time too. (Applause.)
In fact, this is so weird that I have to give kudos Mr. Decker, who I just found out today is a fellow Latino in part, and his prodigious reading and accuracy and the speed with which he reads. There have been times when I've been on that podium and I see him read the bill, the resolutions and I want to raise my hand and bid on a cow like at auction or something. I, of course, want to acknowledge my family, my beautiful daughter, Laura; my nephew, William Frohnhoefer -- there's a Puerto Rican name for you; he came all the way from Long Island to be here -- my friends and family, my mother-in-law, and particularly this Caribbean-looking gentleman here, whom some of you might know, Tom Paine Cronin, the retired President of District Council 47 and one heroes, because the man has traveled the world standing up against oppression where it exists and he truly is one of my heroes. He knew how to spell apartheid before Americans knew what it was. So having said all that -- and my brother-in-law, Tony, and my brother in the struggle, Julio Olmo, who was there from the very beginning, and my brother Angel and so forth. If I don't mention all these people, I have to answer to them, and since I'm not going to be seeing you much longer, you know how it goes. You know, in 1969, I came to Philly a young brash New Yorker who thought he knew a lot more than he actually really did, and I arrived at the door of the Temple University. The plan was to get my education, get my degree, and get back to the center of the universe, as I viewed New York then. And in those days, the trips back home to New more frequent than they eventually became, because, you know, a funny thing happened on the way to the forum, I should say to the New York Coliseum. Philadelphia, despite its greatness and rich history of the place where our country was born, it was often, at least among New Yorkers, underestimated but by many think exists in the shadows of New York and of Washington, DC. I began to take hold of that young man and slowly but surely in a sublime way began to seduce him. Then I met a girl. I fell in love with that girl and married that girl. She gave me two kids and I gave her three. But what happened was that he found himself falling in love with the landscape and, more importantly, with the human topography of Philly, its diverse people who all the time will give you a firm handshake and a hug that really makes you feel welcome. And the funny thing happened was that the center of the me. Philly had become my home. Don't get me wrong, I'm always grateful that New York was the crucible that formed me, but Philly became my home. The trips, as I said, became less frequent to New York, much to my mother's chagrin, and Philly became the place where I wanted to stay. I've always been very, very, very lucky. You know, typically most people in television become professional gypsies. They go from one station to the other until they make more money or get a better position or get better -- more time on air. And I was lucky, from the outset I became to WPVI, which in TV circles is a legendary station, to Action News, which is a legendary news program, and I was fortunate. From the very beginning, I had got to stay in one place. And after a few years, as Maria pointed out in the resolution, in the Public Affairs Department, I moved to wherever and whenever it happened, and one of those places with distinct regularity was this Council. In fact, in those days, you covered Council every week, without fail. You covered the Board of Education, without fail. It was too important not to be there each and every week. So the regular stops, as my colleagues in the media can attest, is this City Council, and it's been my distinct pleasure to cover you guys.
In fact, City Council can be very educational, very informative, and very, very entertaining. I harken back to the late 1970s when a young, brash Councilman named John Street and a seasoned veteran named Lucien Blackwell, Jannie, and another seasoned veteran named Frannie Rafferty used to entertain us by giving us an exhibition of their boxing skills, and being an ex-New Yorker, I would think to myself, Boy, these brothers in Philly are really for real. They wear their passion on sleeves, and that's the takeaway for me and my career. I have always tried to conduct myself and pursue my professional career with a certain amount of passion. I think it's a key element. The other thing that we have I think in common, those of us in the media with Council, is that you hope all the time, even though you're at the lance of being loved and reviled all the time, that you're doing something that's a greater good. And it's motivated me and the fact that we become -- those of us in the media have the privilege of recording the first editions of history, and to me that's really a turnout, and it's always been the thing that's driven me. And my hope -- and I thank you so very much for this recognition -- is that sometime in the distant future, maybe not so distant future, in some small way sometime, some young person will see an image or a piece of video I shot way back when and will laugh at the funny clothes and hairdos or the old-fashioned cars or the way Council looked back in the day, and will realize that he or she is looking through a window on the past called history. Maybe he or she will even wonder about the guy who made the image but, more importantly, will be passionately inspired to record a little bit of history themselves. And I thank you all. And all I can say at this point is, I'll see you on TV. If not, from the front row seats back there from here on forward. So thank you very much. )
Thank you so much. And last, but not least, at this time the Chair recognizes Councilwoman Sanchez, who will present a resolution proclaiming the week of April 4th, 2014 as the Fourth Annual Philly Tech Week. Would Brian Kirk and those accompanying him please join the Councilwoman at the podium. And joining Councilwoman Sanchez, we have Councilman David Oh.
It is with great pleasure that both Councilman Oh and I do this on behalf of our former colleague, Councilman Green, who, as all of you know, was an avid techie and someone who sponsored actually this resolution every single year. So we miss him, but he's doing good work, so I want to thank him for introducing us to the importance of a paperless society that we're still working towards and the great young people who make a part of the Philly Tech Week. This resolution, proclaiming the week of April 4th to April 12th as the Fourth Annual Philly Tech Week presented by AT&T, and honoring the broad and vibrant Philadelphia technology Whereas, the Philadelphia technology, innovation, and creative communities are again coming together to celebrate their importance to the region's economy, culture, and future; and Whereas, the Philadelphia technology community - with leadership from local technology news organization Technical.ly Philly - has again organized a series of more than 120 scheduled events around technology and innovation in Philadelphia called Philly Tech Week, scheduled for the week of April 4th to 12th; and Whereas, this week includes such events as Women in Tech Summit, Development Day, Arcade @ the Oval, Bootstrappers Breakfast, Switch Philly, Entrepreneur Expo, the Philly Robotics Expo, Student Startup Summit 2.0, the Chevrolet Innovation Tour, The Future of Digital Marketing, Commit Service Pledge, 3rd BBQ -- we're all going to that one -- and the Signature Event presented by AT&T; and Whereas, Philly Tech Week this year will be kicked off with the first-ever game of Tetris played in LED lights over more than 100,000 square feet of the Cira Centre building, thanks to the engineering of Drexel University students; and
Whereas, the organizing groups include Benjamin's Desk, TechGirlz, 900AM-WURD, William Way Community Center, Wilco Electronic Systems, PACT, Philly Startup Leaders, Hive76, KEYSPOT, Hacktory, Girl Develop It Philly, nvigor, AL DIA, NextFab, Jarvus Innovations, Indy Hall, Little Giant Media, DreamIt Ventures, Urban Apps+Maps Studios, and Venturef0rth; and Whereas, the participating institutions include the University of Pennsylvania, Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce, Economy League of Philadelphia, City of Philadelphia Commerce Department, the Wharton School of Business, Drexel University, and the University of the Arts, the Free Library of Philadelphia and Knight Foundation; and Whereas, the sponsoring businesses include AT&T, Comcast, Chariot Solutions, University Science Center, AWeber, Silicon Valley Bank, Morgan Lewis, Independence Blue Cross, 50onRed, Trellist Marketing and Technology, Think Brownstone, Chevrolet, CapTech and Brandywine Realty Trust; and now, therefore, be it
It's amazing what young people can do. Resolved, by the Council of the City of Philadelphia, that it declares the week of April 4th through the 12th as the Fourth Annual Philly Tech Week presented by AT&T; and encourages all Philadelphians to participate in the series of scheduled events, the conversations, and the action around technology and innovation; and commends the broad and vibrant Philadelphia technology community for creating jobs, increasing community and remaining committed to the betterment of the City. Further resolved, that a copy will be given to representatives of the Philly Tech Week as evidence of our sincere sentiments, and sponsored by all members of City Council. (Applause.)
Unfortunately my dear colleague Brian Kirk, due to a family sickness, couldn't be here. My name is Christopher Wink. I'm a fellow co-founder of Technical.ly Philly, a technology news site, and with my colleagues Corinne Warnshuis, Juliana Reyes, Peter Erickson, and Joe Divis of AT&T, the organizers of Philly Tech Week, with 300 organizations. you, Councilman Oh and Councilwoman Sanchez. One, if you guys could please pass legislation making tomorrow not rain, I'd appreciate that. Arcade @ the Oval, Cira Centre Tetris will probably be rained out and pushed to the weekend. But it will add over the weekend something to the technology conversation we so often say, right? Whenever we talk about Philadelphia being innovative, we still talk about creating a computer, which is amazing 60 years ago. We talk about starting the country, which is amazing, but it was 207 years ago. And I think we should talk about having the world's largest video game. So anyone from Council who wants to come play, we'll get you a T-shirt. We game on skyscrapers for Philadelphia. I'd love for you to play. I also want to add, at 3:00 p.m. today, we're having a City Council hearing with technology business leaders, employee, someone with 15 employees, someone with 75 employees, and some 150 employees, and an investor talking about how the City of Philadelphia can be used to become a bedrock of what the economy of Philadelphia can be. And then, lastly, to give you a representative taste of the meaning that can come out of this week, we're launching, as Councilwoman Sanchez said, the Commit Pledge, asking technologists to pledge digital service over the next year with organizations that want to impact through technology. So we're trying to connect the technology class with all corners of Philadelphia, from neighborhoods in Germantown and Northeast through to Center City corridor, South Philly and the like. So thank you so much for the interest and support. 3:00 p.m. at the City Council hearing, and we look forward to you coming out and play video games on Thanks, guys. (Applause.)
Thank you. Before we move on to communications, the Chair recognizes Councilman Greenlee.
Thank you, Mr. President. Unfortunately I have to leave Council on personal -- on a personal matter. I would like to leave my vote as aye on all bills and resolutions, please.
Thank you. The next order of business is communications. The Chair requests that messages from the Mayor to the Chief Clerk. Mr. Decker, please read those messages.
To the President and members of the Council of the City of Philadelphia, pursuant to Sections 4-604 and 2-307 of the Home Rule Charter, I am today transmitting to the Council the recommendation of the City Planning Commission on the following bills: Bill Nos. 130411, 140016, 140097, 140098, 140102, 140133, and 140149; and I am pleased to advise you that on March 31, 2014, I signed all the bills that were passed by Council at its session on March 20, 2014; and I am transmitting for the consideration of your honorable body a resolution approving the redevelopment contract of the Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority for the redevelopment and urban renewal of a Breeze Urban Renewal Area, identified by house number and street address as 1721 Tasker Street; and Also a resolution approving the redevelopment contract of the Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority for the redevelopment and urban renewal of a portion of the Point Breeze Urban Renewal Area, identified by house numbers and street addresses as 2325 through 35 Cross Street and 2330 through 36 Greenwich Street; and A resolution approving the redevelopment contract of the Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority for the redevelopment and urban renewal of a portion of the North Philadelphia Redevelopment Area, identified by house number and street address as 2554 North Thirtieth Street; and A resolution approving the redevelopment contract of the Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority for the redevelopment and urban renewal of a Cities Urban Renewal Area, identified by house number and street address as 3126 Page Street; and A resolution approving the redevelopment contract of the Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority for the redevelopment and urban renewal of a portion of the American Street Industrial Corridor Urban Renewal Area, identified by house number and street address as 1702 North Third Street; and An ordinance amending Bill No. 130946 (approved March 12, 2014), entitled "An ordinance authorizing the Commissioner of Public Property, on behalf of the City of Philadelphia, to purchase from the Philadelphia Authority for Industrial Development a certain tract of land together with the improvements thereon situate in the area bounded by 46th Street, Market Street, Haverford Avenue, and 48th Street, known as 4601 Market Street," to include an Economic Opportunity Plan; and An ordinance authorizing the revision of lines and grades on a portion of City Plan No. 271 by striking from the City Plan and vacating Hope Street from Laurel Street to Pollard Street and reserving and placing on the City Plan a right-of-way for sewer and drainage purposes within the lines of Hope Street being stricken and authorizing acceptance of the grant to the City of said right-of-way, all under certain terms and conditions.
Thank you, Mr. Decker. Do you have any additional messages?
Thank you very much. The next order of business is the introduction of bills and resolutions, and the Chair recognizes Councilman Kenney.
Thank you, Mr. President. I have no bills or resolutions today.
Thank you, Councilman. The Chair recognizes Councilwoman Blackwell.
Thank you, Mr. President. Today I introduce two bills, one on your behalf, and three resolutions, one co-sponsored by Majority Leader Curtis Jones and one co-sponsored by Councilwomen Blondell Reynolds Brown, Cindy Bass, and Marian Tasco.
An ordinance amending Chapter 21-1600 of The Philadelphia Code, entitled "Housing Trust Fund," to provide annual operating support for affordable rental units that are developed using the 4 percent federal Low Income Housing Tax Credit.
That bill will be referred to the appropriate committee.
And an ordinance amending Bill No. 130946 (approved March 12, 2014), entitled "An ordinance authorizing the Commissioner of Public Property to purchase from the Philadelphia Authority for Industrial Development a certain tract of land together with the improvements thereon situate in the area bounded by 46th Street, Market Street, Haverford Avenue, and 48th Street, known as 4601 Market Street," to include an Economic Opportunity Plan.
And a privileged resolution Honoring and Recognizing the Honorable President Matthew Schure, Ph.D. for his Trailblazing Efforts in the Fields of Higher Education and Osteopathic Medicine and his Leadership at Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine on this Occasion of his Retirement.
That resolution will be on today's Final Passage Calendar.
And a privileged resolution proclaiming the month of April as Financial Literacy Awareness Month in the City of Philadelphia.
That resolution will also be on today's Final Passage Calendar.
And a non-privileged resolution calling on the City Council of the City of Philadelphia to declare the need for all peoples of the United States of America to have equal access to opportunities and accept the responsibility to attempt to rectify the unequal obstacles that exist for various populations across this great nation.
That resolution will be on next week's Final Passage Calendar. And the Chair recognizes Councilman Henon.
Thank you, Council President. On your behalf I am introducing three non-privileged resolutions.
A non-privileged resolution approving the redevelopment contract of the Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority for the redevelopment and urban renewal of a portion of the Model Cities Urban Renewal Area, identified by house number and street address as 1233 Germantown Avenue.
That resolution will be on next week's Final Passage Calendar.
And a non-privileged resolution approving the redevelopment contract of the Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority for the redevelopment and urban renewal of a portion of the North Philadelphia Redevelopment Area, identified by house number and street address as 2554 North Thirtieth Street.
That resolution will also be on next week's Final Passage Calendar.
And a non-privileged resolution approving the redevelopment contract of the Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority for the redevelopment and urban renewal of a portion of the Model Cities Urban Renewal Area, identified by house number and street address as 3126 Page Street.
And that resolution will be on next week's Final Passage Calendar. The Chair recognizes Councilwoman Tasco.
Excuse me. Point of order. I have one bill to introduce.
An ordinance establishing a one-way regulation on Greeby Street, from Walker Street to Erdrick Street, westbound.
That bill will be referred to committee. And the Chair again recognizes Councilwoman Tasco.
A privileged resolution congratulating Marlene Trice on receiving the Pennsylvania AARP Andrus Award for Community Service.
And that resolution will be on this week's Final Passage Calendar. The Chair recognizes Councilman Johnson.
Council President, I have one bill, two non-privileged resolutions and one privileged resolution.
An ordinance to amend the Philadelphia Zoning Maps by changing the zoning designations of certain areas of land located within an area bounded by Lindbergh Boulevard, Suffolk Avenue, and Island Avenue.
And a privileged resolution recognizing and commending Reverend Dr. Alyn E. Waller and Mr. Tariq Karim El-Shabazz, Esquire for their extraordinary performance in Jeff Stetson's production The Meeting.
That resolution will be on this week's Final Passage Calendar.
And a non-privileged resolution approving the redevelopment contract of the Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority for the redevelopment and urban renewal of a portion of the Point Breeze Urban Renewal Area, identified by house numbers and street addresses as 2325 through 35 Cross Street and 2330 through 36 Greenwich Street.
And a non-privileged resolution approving the redevelopment contract of the Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority for the redevelopment and urban renewal of a portion of the Point Breeze Urban Renewal Area, identified by house number and street address as 1721 Tasker Street.
That will also be on next week's Final Passage Calendar. The Chair recognizes Councilman O'Brien.
Thank you, Mr. President. I have two privileged resolutions today.
A privileged resolution recognizing Deaf History Month in Philadelphia by honoring the valuable societal contributions by the hearing impaired and deaf community.
And that resolution will be on this week's Final Passage Calendar.
And a privileged resolution recognizing April 2014 as Autism Awareness Month in honor of individuals living with Autism, their families and those working to improve the quality of life for the entire Autism community.
That resolution will also be on this week's Final Passage Calendar. The Chair recognizes Councilman Goode.
Thank you, Mr. President. I offer no bills or resolutions today.
Thank you, Councilman. The Chair recognizes Councilwoman Reynolds Brown.
Good morning, Mr. President. No bills or resolutions this morning.
Thank you, Councilwoman. The Chair recognizes Councilman Jones.
An ordinance authorizing the City of Philadelphia Department of Public Property to construct, own and maintain an accessible ramp and step encroachment located at 1300 North 61st Street.
That bill will be referred to committee. The Chair recognizes Councilman O'Neill.
Thank you, Mr. President. I have no bills or resolutions.
Thank you, Councilman. The Chair now recognizes Councilman Squilla.
Thank you, Mr. President. I offer two bills and one non-privileged resolution -- one privileged resolution.
An ordinance authorizing the revision of lines and grades on a portion of City Plan No. 271 by striking from the City Plan and vacating Hope Street from Laurel Street to Pollard Street.
And an ordinance legalizing an existing hot air duct encroaching on the public right-of-way at 522 Washington Avenue.
And a privileged resolution honoring the Neumann-Goretti High School Girls Varsity Basketball Team for winning the Philadelphia Catholic League Championship, the PIAA District 12 AA City Championship and reaching the PIAA AA State Championship game while finishing the season with an overall record of 29 to 1.
That resolution will be on today's Final Passage Calendar. The Chair recognizes Councilwoman Bass.
An ordinance establishing a one-way regulation on West Logan Street, from Germantown Avenue to Greene Street.
That bill will be referred to committee. And the Chair recognizes Councilman Oh.
Thank you, Mr. President. I offer one bill, one non-privileged resolution, and I'd request, Mr. President, the opportunity to speak on the bill and resolution after they are introduced.
An ordinance providing for the submission to the qualified electors of the City of Philadelphia of the proposal set forth in the Resolution approved by City Council proposing an amendment to The Philadelphia Home Rule Charter so that there shall be imposed upon the City of Philadelphia's Pension and Retirement Systems financial discipline by amending "Section 3-803" of "ARTICLE III EXECUTIVE AND ADMINISTRATIVE BRANCH ORGANIZATION," "CHAPTER 8 - INDEPENDENT BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS," to re-balance the membership of the Board of Pensions and Retirement by adding independent experts.
And that resolution will be referred to committee.
And a non-privileged resolution proposing an amendment to The Philadelphia Home Rule Charter so that there shall be imposed upon the City of Philadelphia's Pension and Retirement Systems financial discipline by amending "Section 3-803" of "ARTICLE III - EXECUTIVE AND ADMINISTRATIVE BRANCH - ORGANIZATION," "CHAPTER 8 - INDEPENDENT BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS," to re-balance the membership of the Board of Pensions and Retirement by adding independent experts.
And that will also be referred to committee. Councilman Oh.
Thank you very much, Mr. President. This Council is a new body. I oftentimes remind people when I hear criticism that just like any team or collection of people that changes, we're a new body that has come into existence two years ago. And I want to thank my colleagues for their hard work and many discussions about the critical issues facing our city and particularly your leadership, Mr. President, that has led that way. One of them that I think the voters and citizens of our city are most concerned about is our current pension crisis. And I'd refer to a study done by the Pew Foundation in 2013 that cited that 61 cities in America face a $217 billion gap, and of the 61 cities, the bottom nine performing systems, pension systems, included Philadelphia. Ten years ago, the pension took 7 percent of our Operating Budget, but today or in 2013, it took 17 percent of our Operating Budget, which means less money for all the programs that we need, including supporting education and persons in poverty. This is a big challenge for us. With a $4.86 billion deficit of retirement money, which is the money that we owe a fiduciary responsibility to the workers and employees of this city to have their money for them, we are in a very difficult situation. And based on recent testimony, I think that part of the problem is the configuration of our pension system. Therefore, I am offering into this discussion for our Council body in consideration of all Councilmembers the following four reforms in this amendment. And the first is to add four professional members to the Board of Pension and Retirement based on qualifications by education and expertise. Currently the appointments are primarily done by position held. And so I am including in this bill that an expert be added in the area of pension law, finance, accounting, and actuarial science to help govern the Board and to help it to remain independent and to ensure that it is acting in its fiduciary responsibility for the employees of our city on behalf of our taxpayers and citizens. Second is the promotion of transparency by requiring that the Board minutes, financial reports, performance measurements, and other things are posted on the website of the City Pension and Retirement Systems. That, in portion, has started, but it's not enacted into law, and currently the minutes of the Investment Committee and Benefits Committee are posted, but not the minutes of the Pension Board itself. Third, a requirement that the City contribution for each of the pension and retirement systems of the City be no less than the annual required contribution, or ARC, as defined by the Governmental Accounting Standards Board, or GASB, which is an industry standard. And, finally, the imposition of a cap on the annual assumed investment rate of return based on the average of previous available average ten years for the market yields published by the United States Federal Reserve in a five-year constant treasury rate series and the annualized total rate of return on Standard and Poor's 500 Index, one being the conservative U.S. treasuries, but balanced by the fact that a more aggressive growth-oriented S&P 500 would average out that. With those reforms, Council President, I believe that we will be able to address what is a very, very tough issue, and, that is, dealing with our pension deficit. And because it is such a tough issue, I think it is so important that we do this, because the easier answer is to not address this problem. And in the last ten years we've gone from paying approximately $200 million per year towards the pension to now 600 million. So I appreciate the opportunity to speak, and I thank my colleagues and yourself, Council President, for all your leadership. Thank you.
Thank you, Councilman. The Chair recognizes Councilwoman Sanchez.
Thank you, Council President. I have one non-privileged resolution, one privileged resolution, and a bill that I also would like to speak to as it's introduced, co-sponsored by my Council colleagues Kenyatta Johnson and Councilman Jones.
An ordinance amending Title 19 of The Philadelphia Code, entitled "Finance, Taxes, and Collections," by expanding access to property tax relief programs for owner-occupants, all under certain terms and conditions.
Thank you. That bill will be referred to the committee.
And a non-privileged resolution approving the redevelopment contract of the Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority for the redevelopment and urban renewal of a portion of the American Street Industrial Corridor Urban Renewal Area, identified by house number and street address as 1702 North Third Street.
Thank you. That will be referred to committee -- that resolution will be placed on next week's Final Passage Calendar.
And a privileged resolution recognizing and honoring the Philadelphia Children's Alliance for their commitment to promoting healing and justice for victims of child sexual abuse in Philadelphia, and declaring April 2014 to be Child Abuse Awareness and Prevention Month in the City of Philadelphia.
And that resolution will be on this week's Final Passage Calendar. Thank you very much. That concludes the introduction of -- did you want to speak?
Yes. Thank you, Council President. Today I introduced a bill that is part of my continuing work to keep people in their homes. I want to recognize the Administration and all my Council colleagues for all their efforts as we tried, in a very quick amount of time, to enroll all of the residents and homeowners in the various relief programs as part of our AVI reform measures. However, this week when we reviewed the data in many parts of the City, including in poor, working-class neighborhoods such as my 19133, we saw an enrollment of less than 50 percent in some of these important relief programs. What have we learned? That these major reform efforts and all of our efforts were still not enough, particularly in language minority communities. This bill will allow the Administration to determine and review their denials and hardship cases and enroll homeowners who may have been disqualified for many of these vital programs and allow them to enroll them in their respective qualifying programs. I have remained steadfast in my efforts to develop and grow and collect more City revenues and to protect and preserve Philadelphia's high homeownership rate, particularly among the working poor. We have a responsibility to protect the most vulnerable constituencies in the City of Philadelphia, particularly our seniors and working poor, so that they can remain in their homes in every part of the City. Until last week I didn't realize the value of an asset of a house, both emotionally and mentally, and what it means to a family to be able to stay in their home. This bill seeks to give struggling families peace of mind and an opportunity to afford to stay in their homes. I look forward to working with you, Council President, as we have on all of these issues related to AVI, and the rest of my colleagues as we try to protect homeowners, particularly in poor communities. Thank you.
Thank you, Councilwoman. Thank you so much. That concludes the introduction of bills and resolutions. The next order of business is committee, and the Chair recognizes -- who has the committee report for Councilman Greenlee? The Chair recognizes Councilman Kenney.
Thank you, Mr. President. The Council Committee on Rules reports four bills with favorable recommendations.
Thank you, Councilman. Mr. Decker, please read the report.
To the President and members of the Council of the City of Philadelphia, the Committee on Rules, to which was referred Bill No. 130411, entitled "An ordinance amending Title 14 of The Philadelphia Code, entitled 'Zoning and Planning,' by revising parking requirements for the Main Street/Manayunk and Venice Island Neighborhood Conservation Overlay District and requiring the submission of a parking plan to the Registered circumstances"; and Bill No. 130768, entitled "An ordinance amending Title 14 of The Philadelphia Code, entitled 'Zoning and Planning,' by revising certain provisions relating to definitions of certain industrial use categories and regulations"; and Bill No. 130955, entitled "An ordinance continuing the Chestnut Hill Business Improvement District in the area that generally includes both sides of Germantown Avenue from 7640 to 8705, certain blocks of streets that intersect that portion of Germantown Avenue, and both sides of Bethlehem Pike from 10 to 105; approving an extension to the boundaries of the District, and continuing Chestnut Hill Business Improvement District, a Pennsylvania non-profit corporation, as the neighborhood improvement district management association for the District"; 140053, entitled "An ordinance to amend the Philadelphia Zoning Maps by changing the zoning designations of certain areas of land located within an area bounded by Springfield Avenue (extended), 58th Street, Lindbergh Boulevard, 60th Street, Elmwood Avenue, 77th Street (extended), and Cobbs Creek," respectfully reports it has considered and amended the same and returns the attached bills to Council with a favorable recommendation.
Thank you, Mr. Decker. The Chair again recognizes Councilman Kenney.
Thank you, Mr. President. I move the rules of Council be suspended so as to permit first reading this day of Bills No. 130411, 768, and Bill No. 140053. (Duly seconded.)
been moved and properly seconded that the rules of Council be suspended so as to permit first reading this day of Bills No. 130411, 130768, and 140053. All those in favor say aye. (Aye.)
The ayes have it, and those bills will be placed on our First Reading Calendar for today. Bill No. 130955 will be placed on our First Reading Calendar at our next session of Council. The next order of business is consideration of the Calendar. I note that the bills just reported from committee have been deemed to have had a first reading and will be placed on our Second Reading Calendar at our next session of Council. As there are no additional 2ND READING bills on the First Reading Calendar, the Chair recognizes Councilman Jones for the purpose of calling up bills and resolutions on the Final Passage Calendar.
Thank you, Mr. President. The following resolutions and bills are being called up for Second Reading and Final Passage Calendar today: Nos. 140214, 140240, 140241, 140243, 130699-AA, 130587, 140072, 140073, 140099. All other resolutions and bills are being held.
Thank you, Councilman. Before considering these bills and resolutions, we will have our public comment session. It will go as follows: If you're interested in testifying on a bill or resolution that is on the Final Passage Calendar -- I want to emphasize that -- the Final Passage Calendar, I'd ask that you please sign up at the table to my left if you have not already done so. When your name is called, we'd ask you to please come up to the podium. There's a device on the podium. There is a light on that device. When the light turns green, it is your time to speak. When it turns yellow, you have 30 seconds to conclude your remarks, and when it turns red, we ask that you please respect the timeline, which is three minutes, and conclude your remarks. Mr. Decker, would you please call the name of the first individual who is interested in testifying today.
Mustafa Majeed, commenting on 140001-A. (Witness approached podium.)
I'm here because I called you yesterday morning on the situation that I knew needed to be addressed. I would have hoped -- I said I would have hoped that you would have called me back, but since it's not like that -
Are you speaking about the phone call or are you going to speak about a particular bill?
Sir, hold on. The purpose of the public comment is to speak on a particular bill. So are you going to speak on a bill?
What I'm asking you, I'm trying to get you to reschedule the hearing on the budget -
Sir, I say again, the purpose of the public comment session is to speak on a bill or resolution on the Final Passage of Council.
Even if it's concerning one of the commissions that work here and they have been violated, disrespected?
Sir, you're disrespecting the process. If you want to speak on a bill or resolution at public comment, it must be a bill that's on the Final Passage Calendar. If you want to speak to me about another matter, we can do so after the Council session today. (Microphone turned off.)
All right. I'm just saying, if you want to speak to me about a matter, a non-phone call, we can do this directly after this. Okay? Thank you, sir. Thank you, sir, for respecting the process.
Marvin Robinson, commenting on 120232. (Witness approached podium.)
I just want to comment on this resolution. I just want to thank the Honorable Jannie Blackwell for coming up with this. This is very important for those that live in Philadelphia Housing Authority that y'all all come together as a body to watch what executive board members or anybody in houses do to the residents. So I just want to actually personally thank Jannie for coming up with a resolution to help the residents, and also I just want to also thank my Councilman, Curtis Jones, for being in my corner about the housing, because I did have some problems about housing. I'm not going to go into the details about it, but I just think this is an outstanding resolution that Jannie came up with, that y'all be the watcher for 4/3/14 - STATED - 2ND READING the safety of housing. That's it. Thank you.
There are no other speakers on the public comment list, Mr. President.
Thank you. That concludes our public comment session. At this time, we will move to our Calendar on bills and resolutions. Mr. Decker, would you please read the title of Resolution 140214.
A resolution authorizing the Commissioner of Public Property to execute and deliver to the Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority, without consideration, deeds conveying conditional fee simple title to certain City-owned lots or pieces of ground with the buildings and improvements thereon, situate in the Twenty-Ninth Ward of the City of Philadelphia.
The Chair recognizes Councilman Kenney. 4/3/14 - STATED - 2ND READING
I move for the adoption of the resolution. (Duly seconded.)