Aye. The ayes are 17, the nays are 0. A majority of all Members of Council having voted in affirmative, the bill passes. That concludes the Calendar for today. Are there speeches on the part of the minority? (No response.)
Are there speeches on the part of the majority? The Chair recognizes Councilwoman Brown.
15,335 individuals as of June 30, 2002, were reported with AIDS cases Philadelphia Department of Health. Of these cases, 12,184 are male and 3,151 are female. AIDS is the No. 1 killer of African American men and women ages 25 to 44. Every hour in the United States, seven people are newly infected with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. AIDS patients are living longer due to more effective medications, but HIV infections are rising. Last year there were an estimated 40,000 HIV infections. Over 70 percent of those were among people of color and half among people under 24 years of age. Preliminarily, the CDC estimates show that the number of new AIDS cases in the United 8 percent in 2001, the first increase in six years. And finally, the CDC also estimates that by 2010 young people will represent 70 percent HIV infections. Why am I citing these startling statistics? This is our last Council Session before December 1st, World AIDS Day. Progress has been made, but the mission is by no means complete. Men and women are still dying due to this terrible disease. Until the dying ends, the mission continues. Let us not forget those who we have lost and let us make sure that we do everything within our power to ensure that we prevent others from having to suffer from the devastation of AIDS. I thank you, Madam President.
You're welcome. At this time, the Chair recognizes Councilman Kenney.
Thank you. I would like to thank Councilman Longstreth today for the introduction of the bill relative to the rezoning of the Ikea parcel. The merits of Ikea aside, for 11 years that I've been in Council here, we have refrained as Councilmembers-at-Large from introducing any legislation that would affect any particular Councilmember's district. I assume that that policy and that procedure is now gone. So on behalf of the other six members of Council-at-Large, I'd like to thank you for putting us in the ball game when it comes to introducing bills in other people's districts. Thank you.
Thank you. The Chair recognizes Councilman Mariano.
Thank you, Madam President. For the past several years, Bob Heenan has served as political liaison for IBW Local Union 98. And you know all Bob Heenan. He regularly attends Council meetings, especially when Council's agenda. Last week was no different. Mr. Heenan along with a number of representatives from other unions were here because of the concern of action that may have been taken around the proposed Ikea project. All of us were here. All of us have staff here. The media was here. And a number of visitors were here. I was shocked and infuriated when at the close of Council two Councilmembers made a report to the police and to the media that Mr. Heenan made an obscene gesture towards him. This accusation was untrue, unfair, and totally undeserved. Now, all of us know Mr. Heenan. All of us and our staffs have had extensive contact with him. And all of us know that he conducts himself at all times with the utmost respect, courtesy, and professionalism possible. The truth is, the courtesy is a hallmark of Bob Heenan's career. And beside that, he's a friend of mine. He's been a friend of mine for over 20 years. I wish to go on record today to express my displeasure with the two councilpeople. And they know who they are because they're both smiling now. This guy has a wife and kids and a father and mother that live in the City the paper last week that he made an obscene gesture to Councilmembers. Councilman, we talk about protocol and being proud of other people, I'm proud of Bob Heenan for being here. Thank you, Bob. (Applause.)
At this time the Chair recognizes Councilman Cohen.
Thank you, Madam President. I'm glad the subject has come up because it's been a matter of increasing concern to me. I'm very proud of my connection with the labor movement over a very, very long life, extending right now to 65 years of direct activity in the labor movement. And I've been concerned about actions that have occurred in this Council by members of labor who I believe were accurately reported about in the newspaper last week. I disagree with my colleague Councilman Mariano. I don't dispute whatever he believes. I assume he believes what he said. And I believe what I say. I believe it's time for all of us to halt and for labor to remember that it is zoned always as a good government agency. Labor fights for consumer rights, it fights for workers' rights, it fights for the poor. And that's what I'd like to see labor doing in Philadelphia. Labor ought to be very courteous in every way because labor, and particularly the building trades, depends on government. Every aspect of the building trades union is supported in a way by government action that no other unions are supported. No other unions that I've known about have ever had the economic support by government through the prevailing wage structure. So labor, like all unions, looks to have friendly partnerships with business and with government. One thing we've got to learn about -and maybe Council gave you example today. It looked like Council was in an uproar and was disagreeing, but when the votes came, overwhelmingly the votes were unanimous because Councilmembers have learned that they've got to work together even though they may disagree with each other from time to time, and sometimes very strongly. I'm just urging everybody, because otherwise Council will have no other course than to resort to its fundamental right to make certain that it is free to conduct its business in Councilmembers are respected, in which no obscene remarks are made, no fingers are pointed, and Council is permitted to do its business. We welcome outsiders. I fought long and hard. And Councilwoman Blackwell today, when you heard her, I thought I was talking rather than Councilwoman Blackwell because I've always encouraged participation by the community forces, by labor forces. But to do that, there has got to be a feeling of mutual respect. I urge everybody, let's restore it so we can all work together. Thank you very much.
Thank you, Councilman. The Chair at this time recognizes Councilman Goode.
Thank you, Madam President. Let me first start by saying Councilman Kenney does not speak for the other six at-large members on the issue of waterfront development. In fact, I was proud to cosponsor that bill with Councilman Longstreth. (Applause.)
Business and job growth, particularly in this economic environment, is not a district issue. Economic development does not work that way. It rises above that. In the end, sometimes you have to break tradition for progress. (Applause.)
Thank you, Madam Chair. I rise to speak on two issues. One, with regard Bob Heenan, I didn't see the article in the paper, but let me say that I'm proud to call him a friend and a leader and a voice in the labor movement. (Applause.)
And the second issue is, with regard to one of my colleagues introducing a bill, I agree with Councilman Goode that there are times when each Councilman has the right, with councilmanic prerogative, to do whatever he or she believes they should with regard to bill introduction. The issue of the district council prerogative is whole other issues, and I do not been challenged today. Thank you, Madam President. (Applause.)
Thank you. The Chair recognizes Councilman Clarke.
Thank you, Madam President. I just want to say for the record, there was actually a particular bill on the Calendar today which I voted for and supported that was in fact introduced by an at-large Councilmember for a facility that was in my district that I was not aware of. So today was not necessarily a precedent. We did it as recently as three weeks ago. Thank you.
Councilman, Mr. McPherson is admitting that he made an honest mistake and that is how that occurred. At this time, the Chair recognizes Councilman DiCicco.
So much for following Councilman Cohen's lead. The respect. you, Madam President. I did not intend to speak on the Ikea bill any further than what I spoke in the Caucus Room today. (Audience responds.)
Councilman, please. I will conduct this hearing. I am telling everyone that we will respect each other. And anybody that's going to cause any disruption while the Councilman is speaking will be asked to leave. Please proceed.
Thank you, Madam President. The issue of Ikea locating in Philadelphia, for me, has never been a difficult issue. For the last 12 months, I have been working with Ikea on the three sites that they were looking at to place their facility. The first site that they desired was at the foot of Delaware and Reed. Unfortunately, that was their most selected site, that was the most desirable site, but unfortunately property had just renewed a lease with Bally. Bally is the casino operators for potential river boat gambling. A couple months passed. Ikea then looked to do a facility at the incinerator site at the foot of Delaware and Spring Garden. And against all advice from all the people that I talked when I make and deliberate decisions on economic development in my district, almost to a person, everyone agreed that that was not the best site for Ikea, that it was too valuable piece of waterfront real estate to put a retail box on. But I didn't let that persuade me that at least I should not take the time and the energy to work with Ikea to make them feel welcome in the Philadelphia community. And against some of my suggestions and concerns that related to that Spring Garden Street site, that there so many environment issues that even with our best effort, if everyone got behind them, they would look at a minimum three years before they could ever, if they would ever even get environmental approvals. They thought differently. A month or two passed. They returned to my office and said, "Councilman, you were right. " They left my office. A month or two passed. They returned with the developer. The developer, by the way, who was the guy who promised to bring us Disney Quest at Eighth and Market, Mr. Goldenberg. Mr. Goldenberg, if you remember, when he started wooing Disney Quest at Eighth and Market, it was the first shot across the bow for the Penns Landing development because the Simon people who were the select developers at Penns Landing were also negotiating to bring Disney Quest to that site as they were wooing or trying to convince other retailers to go to the Penns Landing site, the entertainment center. The competition that ensued between the retailers playing off the developers between Penns Landing and Eighth and Market was one of the most crucial things that happened to basically to destroy both development sites. It wasn't the single one, but it was one of the largest factors in what eventually led to demise of both development sites. Now, I see a lot of people in here today who are cheering for a lot of different people. I that in 1997 I introduced a couple of bills. One was the 10-year tax abatement bill because I believed then and I still believe now that offering incentives for people to move into this City to establish businesses or residences, we need to be able to compete with communities and the surrounding suburban communities. And the only way I thought we could do it was to offer those incentives. You all remember in this Council the much controversial bill that I introduced in '97, what we've referred to as the conversion bill. What did the conversion bill do? What the conversion bill said is, if you're a developer and you take an existing vacant building, a building that was formerly occupied as an office or an industrial site, the City by way of this bill will give you a tax exemption on the improvements for a 10-year period. Why did we do that? Because we believed that that was the kind of incentive that developers needed in order to get those vacant buildings up and running. And as a result of that, over 52 formerly vacant industrial and office buildings in the core of Center City are now vibrant buildings that are the most part, about 70 percent of the people who live in those units were never Philadelphia residents in the first place.
So we brought people into the City. They're wage earners, we're collecting their wage taxes and collecting their sales taxes. But just as important, who did the work on those 52 buildings? Hundreds of electricians, carpenters, cement masons, all the building trades benefitted by those bills. So if the suggestion is that I only did my bill today was only to do the Ikea piece because I did not have the concern for the overall economic development of the CSX site and what that means to the City is absurd. The reason I did the bill, which would change the zoning classification on about 50 percent of the CSX site at Delaware and Spring Garden, was to protect the jobs of labor. The ILA jobs may be at risk if we keep giving away valuable river-front landscape for just strictly retail development. It was the trump card to keep CSX and the Philadelphia Regional Port Authority whose job it is to create port jobs for your brothers and sisters in the building trades and the labor trades to keep them and create additional jobs for them. So everyone, I think, should understand I've always been for economic development. I came to this Council during six and a half or seven years that I've been this room, and I have brought every piece of tax increment financing to the table. I've worked Council, tried to convince Council that we should support those TIFs. And even my colleague to my right, Councilman Cohen, who philosophically has an issue at times with tax incentives and what that may mean for developers and the rich, supported those because at the end of the day we were able to prove that if we supported the TIFs and we build hotels and we build entertainment centers what we were doing was making this a greater City than it was. We're creating a vitality in this City that will bring us into the next millennium, and we're there already. And what else did we do? We created jobs. Jobs for the trades, all the trades. We created jobs for the service industry. Most of the service industry people, I'm happy to say, live in the City of Philadelphia. I can't say that for everybody else in the trades who don't live in the the jobs, you earned the pay, you deserve it. I fought for jobs. I will continue to fight for jobs. What Councilman Longstreth did today, I'd like to ask him the reason why. He didn't attend the hearings. He wasn't here for the hearing on the bills. He doesn't even show up most of the times for Council Sessions. Now, you all want to walk out, you can walk out, but remember, this Council as a unit created the jobs that let you guys pay your mortgages no matter where you live. Thank you.
One more thing, Madam President. There's a lot of things that go on in this Council, and I've watched over seven years when certain members of this Council were really adamant about participation in the trades to include women and minorities. I ask you, look at what you see leaving this room today. Do you think that is the representation that we all have been fighting for? Thank you, Madam President.
You're welcome. The Chair recognizes Councilwoman Blackwell.
Thank you, Madam President. Obviously, I support labor. And the ILA supported my family for more years than I can name. But let me say that heretofore it has always been our practice that when a bill is introduced there's no discussion, even at this point in Council. So I say today, then are we changing that as well? Are we changing no discussion on bill to public hearings so that anyone can at the end of the Session discuss anything we've done during that today? I think, colleagues, that that is something that we should consider when we take the action we do. Thank you.
Thank you, Madam President. For the record, since we're discussing economic development, maybe all Members of this Council should consider whether it was actually the TIFs that killed Eighth and Market and the Penns Landing development project. Maybe it was because store and people wanted more and more and more. And as you brag about the TIFs bringing hotel development, I hope you will support the Convention Center expansion to protect that investment. Thank you. (Applause.)
Are there any other speeches on the part of the majority? (No response.)
Seeing none, the Chair recognizes Councilwoman Tasco.
Peace. Give me peace. Madam President, I move that Council stand adjourned until Thursday, December 5, 2002. (Duly seconded.)
It has been moved and seconded that Council stand adjourned until Thursday, December 5, 2002. All in favor will say aye. (Aye.)
The ayes have Thank you all very much. (Council adjourned at 12:50 p.m.) C E R T I F I C A T I O N I HEREBY CERTIFY that the foregoing proceedings of the Council of the City of Philadelphia of November 21, 2002, were reported fully and accurately by me, and that this is a correct transcript of the same. RE: STATED MEETING ___________________________ Lisa C. Bradley, RPR and Notary Public