Aye. The ayes are 16; the nays are zero. All members present having voted in the affirmative, the bill passes. Mr. Decker, please read the title of 120653.
An ordinance authorizing Aquinas 2021 Chestnut Street to construct, own and maintain various encroachments within the City right-of-way on Chestnut Street between 20th Street and 21st Street and on Ranstead Street between 20th Street and 21st Street.
I 10/4/12 - STATED - 2ND READING have it listed as an amendment. The Chair recognizes Councilman Greenlee.
Thank you, Mr. President. I offer an amendment to Bill No. 120653. A copy of the amendment has been circulated to all members of Council, and I move for the adoption of that amendment. (Duly seconded.)
It has been moved and properly seconded. All those in favor of the amendment? (Aye.)
The ayes have it. Bill No. 120653 is amended and will be placed on next week's Final Passage Calendar. Mr. Decker, please read the title of 120657.
An ordinance 10/4/12 - STATED - 2ND READING authorizing PNC Bank to construct, use and maintain encroachments within the right-of-way on South Street between 10th Street and Alder Street and on Alder Street between South Street and Bainbridge Street.
This bill having been read on two separate days, the question is shall the bill pass finally. Mr. Decker, please call the roll.
Aye. The ayes are 16; the nays are zero. A majority of all members present having voted in the affirmative, the bill passes. Mr. Decker, please read the title of 120659.
An ordinance authorizing KHP II Chestnut Street, doing business as Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants, to construct, own and maintain various right-of-way encroachments at 433 through 41 Chestnut Street.
Thank you. This bill having been read on two separate days, the question is shall the bill pass finally. 10/4/12 - STATED - 2ND READING Mr. Decker, please call the roll.
Aye. The ayes are 16; the nays are zero. A majority of all members present having voted in the affirmative, the bill 10/4/12 - STATED - 2ND READING passes. Mr. Decker, please read the title of Bill No. 120660.
An ordinance amending Section 2 of an Ordinance (Bill No. 040511), entitled "An ordinance authorizing the revision of lines and grades on a portion of City Plan No. 55 in the area bounded by Aramingo Avenue, Frankford Creek, and Adams Avenue," by extending the period for compliance with the terms and conditions stated therein.
This bill having been read on two separate days, the question is shall the bill pass finally. Mr. Decker, please call the roll.
Councilwoman Quinones-Sanchez. 10/4/12 - STATED - 2ND READING
Aye. The ayes are 16; the nays are zero. A majority of all members present having voted in the affirmative, the bill passes. This concludes our Calendar. I'm sorry. Mr. Decker, do you have any other resolutions?
A privileged resolution recognizing and commending the West Philadelphia High School on their 100th Anniversary, introduced by 10/4/12 - STATED - 2ND READING Councilwoman Blackwell.
Thank you, Mr. President. I move for the adoption of the resolution. (Duly seconded.)
Moved and properly seconded. All those in favor? (Aye.)
And a resolution recognizing November 2012 as Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month, introduced by Councilman Henon.
Thank you, Mr. President. I move for the adoption 10/4/12 - STATED - 2ND READING of the resolution. (Duly seconded.)
Moved and properly seconded. All those in favor? (Aye.)
And a resolution acknowledging the skills, contributions and employment needs of individuals with disabilities by declaring October as Disability Employment Awareness Month in Philadelphia, introduced by Councilman Jones.
Thank you, Mr. President. I move for the adoption. (Duly seconded.)
10/4/12 - STATED - 2ND READING Moved and properly seconded. All those in favor? (Aye.)
And a resolution proclaiming November, 2012 as "Lung Cancer Awareness Month" in Philadelphia and urging all who work, live, or study in the city to learn more about lung cancer and lung cancer prevention while taking steps toward making lung cancer a public health priority, introduced by Councilman Jones.
Thank you again, Mr. President. I move for the adoption. (Duly seconded.)
Been 10/4/12 - STATED - 2ND READING moved and properly seconded. All those in favor? (Aye.)
And a resolution recognizing November 2012 as National Family Caregivers Month in the City of Philadelphia, introduced by Councilman Oh.
Thank you, Mr. President. I move for the adoption of the resolution. (Duly seconded.)
Been moved and properly seconded. All those in favor? (Aye.)
There are no other resolutions on the Final Passage Calendar, Mr. President.
Thank you, Mr. Decker. Are there any speeches on the part of the minority? The Chair recognizes Councilman Oh.
Mr. President, I do have an administrative task to do prior to making a comment, which I would like to do, but I have learned that the administrative procedure so that this resolution does not continually appear on the Calendar until such time as we place it on the Calendar is to move that it be placed on the Suspension Calendar until up again.
That is for a resolution -- I'm sorry; for the bill. I'm sorry. Yes.
The ayes have it. It is placed on the Suspension Calendar.
The issue that we all are concerned about here in Council is how to make our city better and how to make it more engaging and more prosperous so people have good jobs and good opportunities, good education in a safe community and a good quality of life. And to that extent, I would like to invite everyone who has an interest to participate in the hearings that we have scheduled next week. While we have scheduled a series of hearings for Tuesday and Wednesday covering a wide variety of topics, I know that all these topics are of interest to all of us and some; for example, manufacturing with Councilman Henon, who is leading that effort and has interest, transportation with Councilman Kenyatta Johnson and everyone else who heads a committee or has great interest, that if there's something particular on the schedule that you're interested in, to please come and participate or let me know, and I'll schedule the Councilpeople in to participate in the hearings. So thank you very much, Mr. President.
Thank you, Councilman. The Chair recognizes Councilman Goode.
Thank you, Mr. President. I'll be brief. First, let me thank my colleagues today for approving my 80th bill to become law. Second, I want to invite my colleagues to join me for the founding meeting of a new network of progressive municipal officials to be held in Washington, DC on November 16th, ten days after the reelection of President Barack Obama. It's called the National Progressive Municipal Network. Its purpose is to build a broad coalition of local elected officials to share best practices and policies and develop strategies for advancing shared goals, like responsible banking, living wages, and paid sick leave. This network will only be as strong as its members. That's why I invite you to join me and the other interim Board members, the Honorable Nick Licata of Seattle City Council, the Honorable Brad Lander of New York City Council, the Honorable Joe Moore of Chicago City Council, the Honorable Chuck Lesnick of Yonkers City Council and others. When? November 16th through 18th. Where? The Marriott Park Hotel in Washington, DC. Please join and/or register at www.localprogress.net. For your convenience, I will directly forward this afternoon. Thank you, Mr. President.
Thank you, Councilman. The Chair recognizes Councilwoman Tasco.
Thank you, Mr. President. Mr. President, last spring I called on my colleagues and citizens throughout Philadelphia to contact the Philadelphia State Senate delegation to urge them to oppose House Bill 2191, which legalized payday lending in Pennsylvania. With only a few session days left this fall and the predatory payday lending industry pushing hard to pass this bill, I renew this call with greater urgency. Please, my colleagues, call your State Senator and urge him or her to vote against House Bill 2191. House Bill 2191 legalizes payday lending in Pennsylvania under the misguided belief that this legislation is needed to provide consumer protections able to make payday loans over the Internet. However, payday lending is already illegal in Pennsylvania, and the Pennsylvania Supreme Court has upheld enforcement actions by the Department of Banking against online payday lenders that are operating illegally. Due to Pennsylvania's longstanding usury laws, 24 percent is the limit for annual interest rates on small dollar loans, and compared to other states with payday lending, these usury laws have saved Pennsylvanians approximately $233 million annually. House Bill 2191 does not provide consumer protection for Pennsylvania, because it legalizes various predatory features of payday loans, including triple-digit interest rates over 350 percent; short minimum loan terms, which are the borrower's next payday; single balloon payments, forcing borrowers to repay the entire loan, fees, on the next payday; and requiring post-dated checks or pre-authorized electronic debits as security for payday loans. Over 50 organizations across Pennsylvania oppose House Bill 2191, and these groups have formed a coalition entitled, quote, Stop Predatory Payday Loans in Pennsylvania. And this coalition includes AARP Pennsylvania, Community Legal Services, Esperanza, Housing Alliance of Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania AFL-CIO, Pennsylvania Council of Churches, PCCY, The Reinvestment Fund, United Way of Southeastern Pennsylvania, and Veterans Leadership Programs of Western Pennsylvania. Once again, I urge you to support this large coalition of organizations, constituents, and voters by calling members of the State Senate and, in particular, the Philadelphia delegation and ask them to vote no on 2191. And last spring I did call the sponsor of this bill and had a discussion with him about it and the negative impact on Pennsylvanians, but he definitely believes that his bill would help Pennsylvania. So I ask my colleagues to call their Senators. In addition to House Bill 2191, I also call on my colleagues to tell the State Senate that they oppose House Bill 2224, which is commonly known as "parks for cash bill." Under current state law, local courts are charged with oversight for determining whether park land can be used for another use. However, this bill will remove judicial oversight and would make it easier for park land to be sold for many uses for which it was not intended. Consequently, the original purpose for park land, open space for the public, will be ignored. Approximately 75 member organizations, including the and the Philadelphia Park Alliance, oppose this bill. Considering these concerns and this opposition, I call on the Senate to vote against House Bill 2224. Thank you very much. And that park is used very dear to us in Philadelphia, after all the work we've done in this Council to protect our parks and provide parks to be for public service. So thank you very much, and thank you, my colleagues. Please call your State Senator. They need to hear from you and not just me. Thank you.
Thank you, Councilwoman, particularly on your continued good work on your consumer affairs. Thank you so much. The Chair recognizes Councilman Jones.
Thank you, Mr. President. I want to thank particularly Judge Simpson for exercising implementation of the voter ID law that would impact so many people who do not have proper ID and would have disenfranchised them from voting in the November election. Particularly, I want to give credit to the Voter ID Coalition that stood up and educated us on the importance of this ruling, particularly the NAACP, the Committee of Seventy, Joe Certaine, you, Mr. President, and particularly Councilwoman Bass, who represented us in Council, and Commissioner Singer of the City Commissioners Office all banded together and many members in this hall did things small, did things big to bring attention to this unjust law and its improper timing. So I want to thank the judge for exercising judgment in that regard and maybe eliminating and delaying a catastrophe at the polls at a critical point in deciding our presidential for your work too, Mr. President.
Thank you, Councilman. Thank you for your good work. The Chair recognizes Councilman Green.
Thank you, Mr. President. I will be brief. I just wanted to say I opened the Inquirer this morning and read the article on Mayor Nutter and six of his current and former staffers joining the Board of Community College of Philadelphia, and I just want to say that I commend the Mayor and congratulate him for the focus on improving Community College and particularly the focus on workforce development that I know he's going to concentrate on while he's there, and say that I think it's tremendous that he's putting the power of his office and personal reputation at risk in an area that is clearly important to the future Philadelphia. And hopefully his engagement there will result in federal funding or other sources of revenue for Community College, but if not, I hope that he comes back to us with next year's budget with the requested appropriation we approved for 2008 so that they can get on the business of preparing our workforce. Thank you, Mr. President.
Thank you, Councilman. The Chair recognizes Councilman Squilla.
Thank you, Mr. President. Myself and Councilman Kenyatta Johnson would like to invite all our colleagues to our weekend of Columbus Day festivities that we're having. Tomorrow at noon in Chambers we'll be having a resolution read and then followed by lunch of some really good Italian delicacies. So that will be great tomorrow in the Caucus Room. We'll then on Sunday, please join us to march down Broad Street at the Columbus Day Parade for a good time. Hopefully the weather will be with us. We'll be lining up at Broad Street, Broad and Moore around 11:30. I hope you'll be able to celebrate with us. To start the celebration today, we're just going to pass along some cannolis for everybody so that hopefully people here in Council could enjoy a little bit of the good Italian food that's going to be served tomorrow, but also in recognition of my desk mate, Cindy Bass's birthday, who just wanted two for a special occasion. So thank you.
Thank you, Councilman. Happy birthday, Councilwoman. Snuck that by us. We'd have had a cake in here had we known that. The Chair recognizes
Thank you so much. It's not exactly my birthday, but thank you so much. Just a couple of things that I would like to mention this morning. I want to piggyback off of Councilman Jones' comments earlier on the voter ID decision that was made earlier this week, and I wanted to thank all of those that worked tirelessly to fight against the voter ID requirement. This week it was essentially removed as a requirement, and rightfully so. And now that we have at least temporarily halted this lie that was turned into a law, we would ask that the Commonwealth reimburse its citizens for any taxpayer-funded promotion of this ill-timed, ill-prepared rush and politically motivated piece of legislation. On another note, as the Chair of the Parks, Recreation and Cultural Committee, I have the opportunity to see so many of our cultural institutions, most of which are holding on or even thriving even during this difficult economic time. Others, not so much. To all of those listening today, I have a question for you. What if I told you that Freedom Theatre, our beloved cultural icon on North Broad Street, was closing? What would you say? What if this organization, which is 48 years old, nearing its 50th anniversary, was in jeopardy? Would you say something like, That's a shame; Aww, that's too bad, I can't believe it, or I was just getting ready to send a contribution to support one of their fantastic programs. Well, the good news is, they're not closing, but they may if you don't support them and support them now. Freedom Theatre, which, in many minds, is a stepchild of cultural assets in Philadelphia, needs your help. You service over 400 young people annually here in Philadelphia from all different parts of the City. All of our districts benefit. Ninety-eight percent of the people that they service graduate from high school, and 85 percent of those also graduate from college and receive a four-year degree. Thus, we need to sound the alarm. If they don't make it, then what? We can complain about this travesty after it's gone. But what can I do, you may ask, and I'll tell you, a lot. You can see a student production. You can take a class. You can go to a workshop for your school or your organization. You can volunteer. You can rent space for your event or performance, and you can donate. So I know you're ready to do one of the above, so I would urge you to call 215-765-2793 or go to freedomtheatre.org, because they our help right now. Thank you.
Thank you, Councilwoman. The Chair recognizes Councilwoman Brown.
Thank you, Mr. President. It gives me great pleasure to acknowledge and I'm hopeful that all of us will be ready to salute, lift up, and celebrate Mr. Ed McBride, a friendly face I've seen here for the last 12 years and a consummate professional. He has earned his stripes and he's going to be leaving us and moving on to serve as the Manager of Public Policy at PECO. Shall we salute him, Mr. President? (Applause.)
And, Mr. President, the good news is that succeeding him is a young lady, also a promising rising star in Philly, and she likes to brag in a good way that she's a is Melanie Lassiter. And currently Melanie serves on the Board of my former employer, or one of my former employers, the Urban League of Philadelphia. She was identified as one of ten people under 40 to watch by the Philadelphia Tribune Magazine recently, and more recently served as Corporate Contributions Manager in the Office of Corporate Relations for PECO. So now the new friendly face and wonderful professional that will be seen every Thursday is the new External Affairs Manager of Philadelphia County for PECO, and that would be Melanie K. Lassiter. Stand, Melanie. (Applause.)
Thank you, Councilwoman. Any other speeches? (No response.)
There being none, I would like to recognize Councilwoman Brown for a motion to adjourn.
Sure, Mr. President. I move that Council stand adjourned until Thursday, October the 11th, 2012 at 10:00 a.m. (Duly seconded.)
It's been moved and properly seconded that Council stand adjourned until Thursday, October 11th, 2012, 10:00 a.m. All those in favor? (Aye.)
The ayes have it. Council shall stand adjourned. Thank you all very much. ) CERTIFICATE I HEREBY CERTIFY that the proceedings, evidence and objections are contained fully and accurately in the stenographic notes taken by me upon the foregoing matter on October 4, 2012, and that this is a true and correct transcript of same. MICHELE L. ) A 11:21 adore 5:11 Amber 51:3 36:4 64:25 68:9 AARP 133:11 activities 26:17 adults 31:13 Amen 5:16,17 69:4 74:10 ability 67:5,8,11 27:9 31:7 34:7,8 advancing 130:9 amended 113:20 75:21 76:4 able 70:10 87:9 75:10 78:20 advertised 75:14 amending 37:12 77:13 86:2 132:2 139:8 83:7 advise 15:24 37:16 39:5,9 87:14 88:24 absence 6:25 7:7 activity 65:25 36:19 40:16,25 41:3 89:8 143:20 7:11,15 72:19 73:6,10 advisory 9:19 42:14 44:16,18 144:20 absolutely 16:6 74:24 78:9 advocacy 45:8 46:13 51:11 apply 86:11,16 absurd 74:5 acts 28:8 61:24 advocate 57:10 53:13 99:16 147:20 abuse 11:19 79:23 affairs 135:20 119:6 appointment academic 8:19 Adams 119:11 141:2 144:16 amendment 22:16 34:16 add 16:12 41:5 affirmative 110:3 61:18 62:22 appraisals 92:4 access 26:15,25 72:14 112:14 116:11 63:23 64:6,9,10 96:18 57:17 addition 134:10 118:25 121:17 64:20 113:2,5,7 appreciate 78:3 accessible 66:11 additional 26:21 affordable 57:17 113:9,14 79:5 90:4,20 67:6 41:5 55:7 59:17 60:12 amendments appreciation 8:12 accompanying address 62:2 aficionado 33:13 86:25 26:18 27:16 9:8 14:8 23:9 65:14 98:21 AFL-CIO 133:14 American 18:12 appreciator 67:17 30:8 addressed 11:19 African 18:12 19:18 58:13 approach 18:6 accomplished addressing 11:12 aftermath 57:20 Americans 60:16 83:3 89:7 adjourn 145:6 afternoon 33:23 amount 59:16 approached 57:2 accomplishment adjourned 145:9 34:8 131:2 70:4 61:10 65:4 73:3 145:14,23,25 after-school 21:5 analyze 75:24 68:12 69:9 accomplishments ADJOURNME...