COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA STATED MEETING Thursday, September 25, 1997 10:45 a.m. Room 400, City Hall Philadelphia, Pennsylvania PRESENT: COUNCIL PRESIDENT JOHN F. STREET COUNCILWOMAN ANNA CIBOTTI VERNA COUNCILWOMAN JANNIE L. BLACKWELL COUNCILMAN MICHAEL A. NUTTER COUNCILWOMAN JOAN L. KRAJEWSKI COUNCILWOMAN MARIAN B. TASCO COUNCILMAN BRIAN J. O'NEILL COUNCILWOMAN AUGUSTA A. CLARK COUNCILMAN DAVID COHEN COUNCILWOMAN HAPPY FERNANDEZ COUNCILMAN JAMES F. KENNEY COUNCILMAN W. THACHER LONGSTRETH COUNCILMAN ANGEL L. ORTIZ COUNCILMAN FRANK RIZZO COUNCILMAN FRANK DiCICCO COUNCILMAN RICHARD T. MARIANO MARIE B. HAUSER, Chief Clerk VINCENT VARALLO ASSOCIATES, INC. Registered Professional Reporters Eleven Penn Center Plaza, Suite 600 Philadelphia, PA 19103 (215) 561-2220. INVOCATION P R O C E E D I N G S
Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. The Chair notes that the hour has come and that a quorum is present. Council will come to order, members will take their seats, visitors will retire to the seats outside the rail. To give our invocation this morning, the Chair welcomes Bishop Gilbert Coleman, Jr., who is Pastor of the Freedom Christian Bible Fellowship. And he is here today as the guest of Councilwoman Blackwell. Members and guests will please rise.
Let us all pray. Heavenly Father, in the name of Jesus, we are so grateful that we have this blessed privilege and opportunity to come before your holy presence. Because we realize that it is in you that we live and move and have our very being. Without you, Father, there is nothing that we could do on this earth. And so we thank you for being so good, so gracious, and so kind. We thank you for blessing us with INVOCATION this glorious day that was not promised nor guaranteed to us. But yet, Lord, you have given us your divine mercy that we might be able to indulge in the things that you have given for our hands to do. We pray, Father in heaven, for your rich blessing upon this Council, each and every member individually and collectively. We pray, Father, that you will give them wisdom, knowledge, and understanding to make the decisions and choices necessary to guide this city on to greatness. Oh Father in heaven, we pray that you will bless their separate homes. And we pray, oh God, that you would keep them in their endeavors. We pray, oh God, that they might prosper and be successful in all that they do. Oh God, also let your hand be upon the Mayor of this city. We pray, oh God, that you will also endow him and empower him, Father, with the wisdom that he needs to be able to guide this city, that Philadelphia might be the great city that she was destined to be. That she might also, heavenly Father, INVOCATION be able to be indicative of the name which applies to it, that we might truly be a city of brotherly love. That it will be a place, Lord, where it will be safe for all men and women, boys and girls to live. And that even those from the outside will welcome the opportunity to come to our city, knowing this is a place where they can flourish and grow. Father, even in this day, the bills and the resolutions that will be before the Council members, I pray, heavenly Father, that they will make good decisions and good choices and, Father, that these things they will discuss will be able to benefit and profit all who are a part of this city. Lord, we just pray that you might continually bless Philadelphia; that Philadelphia will be the nation that you have called her to be, oh, God; that she shall be raised up to be one of the great powers across this nation. And, Father, that with all that you do, with all that you desire for us, that we will always give you praise, we will give you honor, and we will give you glory. APPROVAL OF JOURNAL In Jesus' name we pray with Thanksgiving. Amen.
The Chair thanks Bishop Coleman for his inspiring invocation. (Council members greet Bishop Coleman.)
The next order of business is the Approval of the Journal of the meeting of Thursday, September 18, 1997. The Chair recognizes Councilwoman Augusta Clark.
Mr. President, I move for the adoption of the Journal of that date. (Duly seconded.)
All in favor let it be known by saying aye. Those opposed say nay. It is carried. The Journal of the meeting of Thursday, September 18, 1997, stands approved. The Chair recognizes Councilwoman Verna.
Thank you, Mr. President. LEAVES OF ABSENCE/WELCOME VISITORS On behalf of the majority, a leave of absence is requested for Councilwoman Miller.
Leave will be granted. The Chair thanks the Councilwoman. The Chair recognizes Council member Longstreth for the purpose of requesting leaves of absence.
Mr. President, we have no requests for leaves of absence on the part of the minority. I cannot answer for the majority.
The Chair thanks the Councilman. At this time we will dispense with the regular order of business to recognize guests and visitors. To all of our visitors and guests with us this morning, we welcome you here and applaud your interest in the civic affairs of the city, and certainly invite you to come again. At this time the Chair recognizes Councilwoman Blackwell for the purpose of introducing a visiting group.
Thank you WELCOME VISITORS very much. I would like to welcome undergraduate students of the University of Pennsylvania who are here with their professor, who is none other than the president and my friend who went to junior high school in West Philadelphia, President Judith Rodan, University of Pennsylvania. Please rise. (Students rise to applause.)
Might I also add, Mr. President, that they will be staying with us a while. And we will be in the Caucus Room at the end of Council. And since it appears that our calendar will be short, may I ask those who have time, if you would just stop in a moment to greet the students so that they can learn who we all are and what makes us all different. Thank you, Mr. President.
Thank you very much. We certainly encourage Council members to stop by. I will be stopping by. It is a unique pleasure to have the PRESENTATIONS president of, actually, probably the largest institution, educational institution, in our city with us. Certainly I think Penn is the second-largest employer in the entire City of Philadelphia, doing great things in West Philadelphia. And to have its President with us today with a class is a unique opportunity. We appreciate her being here with us. Is there any other Council member who wishes to recognize any special guests with us here today? Our first presentation today honors members of the Rotary Club of Philadelphia. To make this presentation, the Chair appoints Councilwoman Fernandez. The Chair invites Mr. Art Judson and those with him to come and receive this resolution. And I might say that I had the honor of being a lecture speaker for the Philadelphia Rotary Club only yesterday, and we are privileged to have them as our guests here today. Welcome. The Chair recognizes Councilwoman PRESENTATIONS Fernandez.
Good morning. This is a Resolution honoring members of the Rotary Club of Philadelphia for their superior practice of Rotary's service-above-self philosophy. Whereas, the Rotary Club of Philadelphia is part of an international organization that fosters the application of high ethical standards in business and professional life; And whereas, the Rotary Club of Philadelphia encourages the application of the ideal of service among rotarians in personal, business, professional, and community life; And whereas, the Rotary Club of Philadelphia advances the ideal of international understanding, good will, and peace through fellowship among business and professional men and women; And whereas, the Rotary Club of Philadelphia, through its commitment to service, has made a significant contribution to the civic and community life of the City of Philadelphia; Whereas, these individuals have been recognized by the Rotary Club of Philadelphia as PRESENTATIONS superior in their practice of community-above-self philosophy of Rotary. Now therefore resolved by the Council of the City of Philadelphia, that we hereby honor and commend Kenneth W. Benjamin, Peter Binyon, Lamar Brock, Eugene Hosmer, Arthur Judson, and William Stefan for their exceptional personal and professional commitment to the high ethical standards and ideal of service of the Rotary Club of Philadelphia. This Resolution is certified by President John Street, introduced by Councilwoman Fernandez, and co-sponsored by all members of City Council. So I would like to present this official Resolution for the club to Mr. Arthur Judson, excuse me, and also a personal copy for you, and also for Mr. Kenneth Benjamin. (Applause.)
We recognize people individually. Peter Binyon, Lamar Brock, Eugene Hosmer, and William Stefan for his father.
Thank you very much. PRESENTATIONS The Chair recognizes, I think, Mr. Judson for remarks.
Mr. President, Happy, and members of City Council, family and friends. This has got to be a great day. We have a Happy and a Bright here, a Happy Fernandez and a Bright Judson, my wife. Happy and Bright. On behalf of the rotarians here, and in fact all the rotarians in the City of Philadelphia -- we have not only the Center City Club, but four other clubs -- I want to thank City Council and Mr. President for these honors to us as Rotary Club and also to individuals. You know, this is really a milestone. This has not happened in over 50 years, that City Council has honored Rotary. Yes, individual members have come out to our clubs. Happy spoke at the Chestnut Hill Club, and yesterday John Street spoke at the Center City Club. And five years ago we were honored to have at our district conference, my district conference as Governor, up at Hershey, one of your members here who twice ran for Mayor and was our PRESENTATIONS honored guest and speaker. And, Thatch, I don't remember much of what you said, except you were pushing your book and telling us what great service you gave to your family and how they all called you Chief. Well, I am going to upstage you. My grandchildren call me Big Daddy. What do rotarians do, actually? Yes, we get together once a week for lunch. But we really do a lot for the citizens of this city. We help the handicapped. We take them to ball games. We take them to the Franklin Institute, to the Zoo, et cetera, et cetera. As a matter of fact, Tuesday we are going to go on a cruise with the Blind Relief Society and about two or three hundred blind persons. We help in the immunization of our children. I'm talking about the one-year-olds and the two-year-olds. We have worked out of the low-income housing center out in West Philadelphia, West Park, to try to elevate their living standards. Every year we have a Rotary Phillies game where we all bring canned goods so that we can PRESENTATIONS distribute those to the hungry of the city, and we have helped the homeless. So volunteers for over 85 years. Thousands of us rotarians have done an awful lot for the citizens of this city. And, in conclusion, I would be remiss if I didn't tell you -- and many of you know -- that one of the great things happening in the world today is a program called Polio Plus. Rotary hopes to eradicate polio in the world by the year 2000, or a few years after that. And I am confident that's going to happen. In fact, in Philadelphia, the climax was reached when it was announced that we had raised $250,000,000 for this purpose. And that money is being used to eradicate polio. So this is the great thing that Rotary is doing around the world, in addition to working for peace. I thank you very much for these honors, we all thank you, and appreciate it. (Applause.)
Thank you very much. Council will stand at ease. COMMUNICATIONS Will Councilwoman Verna please approach the Chair. (Brief recess.)
The next order of business is communications. The Chair recognizes the Sergeant at Arms for the purposes of delivering the messages from the Mayor to the Chief Clerk. The Chief Clerk will read the messages from the Mayor.
To the President and Members of the Council of the City of Philadelphia: I am transmitting herewith for the consideration of your Honorable body the following ordinance: An Ordinance creating the Franklin Plaza Tax Increment Financing District and approving the project plan of the Philadelphia Authority for Industrial Development for the redevelopment of the Franklin Plaza Tax Increment Financing District, being the area generally bounded by Vine Street on the north, 16th Street on the east, and a recorded driveway easement extending west; relief from a point on the west side of North 16th Street, 119 feet, 11 inches south of Vine Street, to a point on the east side of INTRODUCTION OF BILLS & RESOLUTIONS north 17th Street, 132 feet, 8 inches south of Vine Street.
The messages will be printed in the Journal. The Chief Clerk will read any other communications in her possession.
The next order of business is the introduction of bills and resolutions. The Chair recognizes Councilwoman Verna for a motion.
Thank you, Mr. President. I move that the Rules of Council be suspended so as to permit consideration of resolutions immediately after introduction.
All in favor let it be known by saying aye. Those opposed say nay. The motion is adopted. Resolutions will be considered at the time of their introduction. INTRODUCTION OF BILLS & RESOLUTIONS The Chair recognizes Councilwoman Augusta Clark.
Thank you, Mr. President. Today I have two privileged resolutions and one bill on your behalf.
The clerk will please read the title of the bill. (Chief Clerk read the title of the bill. See Journal of Council.)
This bill will be referred to the appropriate committee. The clerk will please read the title of the first resolution introduced by Councilwoman Clark.
A Resolution authorizing the Council's Committee on Health and Human Services to investigate and hold public hearings on the systematic problems that permitted the death by starvation of a five year old, Charnie Wise, in the basement of her own home after the case had been closed by the City's Department of Human Services, including but not limited to the level of services provided to families with numerous abuse INTRODUCTION OF BILLS & RESOLUTIONS reports; the interaction between the department and its contracting agencies; caseload size; the review process for closing cases; and creative and effective mechanisms and strategies that individuals, families, members, neighborhoods, and the community at large can employ to prevent child abuse. And further authorizing the Committee to investigate the impact such incidents may have on the Department of Licenses from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
I move the adoption of the resolution. (Duly seconded.)
All in favor let it be known by saying aye. Those opposed say nay. The resolution is adopted. The clerk will please read the title of the second resolution introduced by Councilwoman Clark.
A Resolution declaring October 1997 as Human Relations Month in the City of INTRODUCTION OF BILLS & RESOLUTIONS Philadelphia.
All in favor let it be known by saying aye. Those opposed say nay. The resolution is adopted. Chair recognizes Councilwoman Blackwell.
Mr. President, I have no bills or resolutions today.
The Chair thanks Councilwoman Blackwell. The Chair recognizes Councilman Cohen.
The clerk will please read the title of the resolution.
A Resolution authorizing Council's Committee on Law and INTRODUCTION OF BILLS & RESOLUTIONS Government and Rules to investigate the proposed settlement between the Philadelphia Electric Company and various other parties relating to PECO's proposed rate restructuring plan, now pending before the Public Utility Commission, in order to determine and report to the Council whether the settlement is in the best interests of the City of Philadelphia and its citizens.
Mr. President, I move the adoption of the resolution. And I would like to make an explanatory statement and speak on it for just a moment. (Duly seconded.)
Properly moved and seconded. The Chair recognizes Councilman Cohen for remarks.
Mr. President, following the circulation of this resolution, and at the end of the caucus and before this session began, there was an ad hoc brief meeting between yourself, a representative of PECO, and myself in the Caucus INTRODUCTION OF BILLS & RESOLUTIONS Room, in which we all agreed that before there would be any formal hearings, we would have a briefing or, if necessary, a series of briefings. And that's the manner in which we will proceed. It had been my original intention to move quickly to hearings because I had been under the impression, apparently wrongly so, that PECO was very much interested in quick action. But they did ask for the opportunity to have these briefings first. And I would just like to urge upon everyone that when the briefings are heard -- and we are going to try to have all the different points of view represented -- that every Council member make a real effort to be present. There was a briefing, I understand, on Tuesday of this week. But it was called relatively late, and only a few Council members, plus staff members of other offices, were able to attend. So I will not be requesting any quick hearings; it will be briefings first. And any hearings that may then take place will follow those briefings.
Thank you INTRODUCTION OF BILLS & RESOLUTIONS very much.
Does that express accurately the discussions we had, Mr. President?
And, Mr. President, my motion to adopt the resolution is now in order.
I understand, Councilman. I am just having a little trouble with this microphone. All in favor of the motion let it be known by saying aye. Those opposed say nay. The resolution is adopted. The Chair recognizes Councilwoman Krajewski.
The clerk will please read the titles of the bills. (The Chief Clerk read the titles of the bills. See Council Journal.)
These INTRODUCTION OF BILLS & RESOLUTIONS bills will be referred to the appropriate committee. The Chair recognizes Councilwoman Verna.
Mr. President, I offer two bills and one resolution on behalf of myself, Council Members DiCicco, Mariano, and Rizzo, which is also cosponsored by all members of Council.
The clerk will please read the titles of the bills. (Chief Clerk read the titles of the bills. See Journal of Council.)
These bills will be referred to the appropriate committee. The Chair recognizes Councilman Kenney.
I'm sorry. The clerk will please read the INTRODUCTION OF BILLS & RESOLUTIONS resolution introduced by Councilwoman Verna.
A Resolution designating the week of Sunday, October 12, 1997, through Sunday, October 19, 1997, as Christopher Columbus Week in celebration of the festivities commemorating Columbus' historic voyage to the New World.
I move the adoption of the resolution. (Duly seconded.)
All in favor let it be known by saying aye. Those opposed say nay. The resolution is adopted. Now the Chair recognizes Councilman Kenney.
The clerk will please read the title of the resolution.
A Resolution proclaiming the week of October 20 through October INTRODUCTION OF BILLS & RESOLUTIONS 26, 1997, as Philadelphia's Vietnam Veterans Memorial 10th Anniversary Week.
I move the adoption of the resolution. (Duly seconded.)
All in favor let it be known by saying aye. Those opposed say nay. The resolution is adopted. The Chair recognizes Councilman Nutter.
The Chair thanks the Councilman. The Chair recognizes Councilwoman Fernandez.
The clerk will please read the titles of the resolutions.
A Resolution commending INTRODUCTION OF BILLS & RESOLUTIONS the Tobacco-Free Eduction and Action Coalition for for Health, TEACH, for their efforts in reducing the illegal sale of tobacco products to minors in the City of Philadelphia.
Mr. President, I move the adoption of the resolution. (Duly seconded.)
All in favor let it be known by saying aye. Those opposed say nay. The resolution is adopted. The clerk will please read the title of the second resolution introduced by Councilwoman Fernandez.
A Resolution remembering Walter Spiro, a talented advertising pioneer, humanitarian, and unfailing supporter and booster of the City of Philadelphia's art, culture, and business communities, who advocated for those less fortunate and who will be sorely missed by all those who have been touched by his kindness and INTRODUCTION OF BILLS & RESOLUTIONS generosity.
Mr. President, I would request that members of Council stand to show their support for this resolution and to show respect for the life of Walter Spiro. (Duly seconded.)
All those standing will be voting in favor of the resolution. (All Council members stand.)
The resolution is adopted. The Chair recognizes Councilwoman Tasco.
The Chair thanks the Councilwoman. The Chair recognizes Councilman Ortiz.
The clerk INTRODUCTION OF BILLS & RESOLUTIONS will please read the title of the bill. (Chief Clerk read the title of the bill. See Council Journal.)
This bill will be referred to the appropriate committee. The clerk will please read the title of the first resolution introduced by Councilman Ortiz.
A Resolution honoring Johnny Irrisari for his many contributions to the advancement of Puerto Rican Latino art and culture and for his continued advocacy on behalf of all Latinos and minority culture workers in the City of Philadelphia.
Mr. President, I move the adoption of the resolution. (Duly seconded.)
All in favor let it be known by saying aye. Those opposed say nay. The resolution is adopted. The Chair recognizes Councilman INTRODUCTION OF BILLS & RESOLUTIONS DiCicco. COUNCILMAN DiCICCO: Thank you, Mr. President. I have four bills.
The clerk will please read the titles of the bills. (The Chief Clerk read the titles of the bills. See Journal of Council.)
These bills will be referred to the appropriate committees. The Chair recognizes Councilman O'Neill.
The Chair thanks the Councilman. The Chair recognizes Councilman Mariano.
The clerk will please read the titles of the bills. (The Chief Clerk read the titles of the bills. See Journal of Council.) INTRODUCTION OF BILLS & RESOLUTIONS
These bills will be referred to the appropriate committees. The clerk will please read the title of the resolution introduced by Councilman Mariano.
A Resolution approving an amendment to the redevelopment contract and disposition supplement of the Redevelopment Authority of the City of Philadelphia for the redevelopment and urban renewal of an additional portion of Model City's urban renewal area by including an additional property identified by house number and street address for as 1918 North 5th Street, and authorizing the Redevelopment Authority to execute the amended redevelopment contract with Association Un De Puerto Ricanos in Marcha, Inc., and to take such action as may be necessary to effectuate the amended redevelopment contract.
Mr. President, I move for the adoption of this resolution. (Duly seconded.)
All in INTRODUCTION OF BILLS & RESOLUTIONS/REPORTS OF COMMITTEES favor let it be known by saying aye. Those opposed say nay. The resolution is adopted. The Chair recognizes Councilman Longstreth for the purpose of introducing bills and resolutions.
The Chair thanks the Councilman. The Chair recognizes Councilman Rizzo.
The Chair thanks Councilman Rizzo. Next order of business is reports from committees. The Chair recognizes Councilwoman Verna for the purpose of offering the report of the Council Committee on Finance.
Mr. President, the Committee on Finance reports Bill Nos. 970515 and 970517 out of Committee with a favorable REPORTS OF COMMITTEES recommendation.
"To the President and Members of the Council of the City of Philadelphia: The Committee on Finance, to which was referred Bill No. 970515, entitled An Ordinance constituting the Third Supplemental Ordinance to the General Water and Wastewater Revenue Bond Ordinance of 1989, as supplemented; authorizing the Bond Committee, or a majority of them, to issue and sell either at public or private sale in one or more series or subseries, Water and Wastewater Revenue Bonds of the City of Philadelphia; authorizing approval of the form or forms of Bonds; providing that the Bonds shall bear interest at a prescribed fixed rate or rates or at variable rates which may be payable in different modes, and authorizing agreements to provide credit enhancement or payment or liquidity sources or swap payments for the Bonds and certain other actions; authorizing the Director of Finance of the City to take certain actions with regard to the sale of such Water and Wastewater Revenue Bonds, the investment of proceeds thereof and the City's continuing CONSIDERATION OF CALENDARS disclosure obligation; designating the projects to be financed and setting forth the use of proceeds and providing for the application of interest and income earned on such proceeds; determining the sufficiency of the Project Revenues; covenanting the payment of interest and principal; and amending and supplementing the General Water and Wastewater Bond Ordinance of 1989; And Bill No. 970515, An Ordinance amending Section 19-203 of the Philadelphia Code entitled Payroll Deductions by authorizing payroll deductions for certain benefits, including deductions payable to Colonial Life & Accident Insurance Company, represented by Benefits Consulting Group, Inc., under certain terms and conditions, respectfully reports it has considered the same and returns the attached bills to Council with a favorable recommendation."
The bills reported favorably will be printed and placed on the first reading calendar for our next session. The next order of business is consideration of the calendar. The Chief Clerk will read the bills CONSIDERATION OF CALENDARS/SPEECHES on the first reading calendar.
Council will now consider bills on the second and final reading passage calendar. The Chair recognizes Councilwoman Verna.
Thank you, Mr. President. There are no bills on the second reading or final passage calendar for consideration.
The Chair thanks Councilwoman Verna. Are there any speeches on the part of members of the minority? Are there any speeches on the part of members of majority? The Chair recognizes Councilman Kenney.
Thank you, Mr. President. Last week Councilman Mariano made a SPEECHES speech relative to automobile insurance, and the uninsured and unlicensed drivers in the city. And very much in agreement with Councilman Mariano's statements last week, but I wanted to personalize his comments by giving the body an experience that I just recently went through as early at today. Back on September 6 of 1997, my wife and I were sleeping in the front bedroom of our house, to be awoken at 6:00 a.m. by a large crash, a glass-breaking and metal-screeching crash outside the house. And before I got to the window my wife said, "Don't bother looking. I know it is our car." And sure enough, it was our car, along with the gentleman who lives down the street from us, his car was behind us. His car absorbed the bulk of the accident. And as we got down to our car to make sure the driver was okay, we discovered a young -not young woman, but maybe a woman my age coming back from a night of partying. We determined that she was uninjured, called 911, the police arrived. But we also SPEECHES discovered that not only was our party lady uninjured, but she was unlicensed, unregistered, uninsured, the tag from her car didn't match the car she was driving, the car was registered to a leasing company in Mechanicsburg that hadn't had the lease in effect for a number of years. And I have, and my wife's car -- it was actually my wife's car -- have both liability and collision. My neighbor, who was recently dislocated from his job at the Navy Yard, does not have collision on his 1985 car, the only car in his family. He is without a car now, even to go out and try to find a job for himself. Today my wife is going up to pick up our car from the body shop with a check from the insurance company for $4,800 and a $500 check from us to pay the deductible. This is an example, for me, as to what Councilman Mariano was talking about last week. Our party lady that was driving the uninsured, unlicensed car had a number of tickets, a SPEECHES large number of tickets, that came up on the MDT computer screen. The police have been doing its job with this woman for a long, long time. They have been stopping her and ticketing her and doing what they are supposed to do. And I guess my concern today is, has the city been doing what they are supposed to be doing to get her and her unlicensed, unregistered, and uninsured car off the street. Because I may be able to afford $500. I know my wife is not too happy about having to write the check. But the guy down the street, who just lost his job and now lost his car, can't afford it. And I believe that this is the kind of situation that makes the City of Philadelphia in many ways unlivable for many people. I have no doubt that this Friday night the disco queen will be back in her car, driving somewhere to party, with money in her pocket to drink, but not money in her pocket to pay her insurance bills or to get a valid license. The police may stop her again. They SPEECHES will issue her probably the sixth or seventh ticket for driving while suspended. And not having the proper financial responsibility, she will get back in her car and drive away. And what I am concerned about is that the residents of the city are now driving away to the suburbs and to New Jersey because of situations like this. Thank you, Mr. President.
Thank you very much. The Chair recognizes Councilwoman Blackwell.
Thank you, Mr. President. Certainly I would like to say how sorry I am to hear that my colleague went through such an experience, an emotional experience and an expensive experience. And I listened to my colleague last week as he talked about his experiences also in dealing with uninsured motorists. But I dare say that we have talked SPEECHES about this in Council before. And I do believe that the minority of the people involved in not having insurance are people who are driving drunk, are people who do not want insurance. The problem is that we do not have affordable insurance rates. And as long as we do not have affordable insurance rates, people will drive uninsured. They will do what they have to to drive the car out of the shop, and then they will drive around uninsured because they cannot pay the rates. I dare say that I believe that as members of a legislative body who can pass laws to fine people, to lock people up, to regulate conduct, that we have to keep in mind, ours is not as easy to say, "Here is another rule, and you can lock somebody up. But it is hard to get to the cause," as Lucian used to say all of the time, "the cause of crime, the cause of the problems that create them." And we cannot here solve the problems of insurance rates, as we realize. And I would only ask that, more and more I hear my colleagues talk about locking people up, about paying somebody SPEECHES else's bill. And I daresay that we need to keep in mind the times we live in, that everything goes up and that people can't pay the freight. My staff just came to me this morning, for example, with information on the Grant. And we all know this is the grant that will allow people of low income to get money to pay toward their utility bills. They tell me that the moratorium this year for cutoffs is from December 1 to April 1. Now, I haven't checked with our colleagues on the Gas Commission, but that is what my office tells me. That the moratorium, it used to be September, then October, I don't know what happened to November, now we are up from December 1 to April 1. And yet the grants, the cash assistance programs, don't come into effect until November 17. So, therefore, between November 17 and December 1, people are in trouble. And if that is in fact true, if this is the way it will go this year, that means that SPEECHES there is no intent to try to find a way for low-income people to get the grants that they need to pay these utility bills. As I said in the hearing yesterday, when there was talk about water rates, and we were talking about a bond action, and my colleague also mentioned that many people pay for people who can't pay their water bills, I said at that hearing that water is a common denominator. If you don't have water, then you might as well sleep in the park, you might as well sleep outside. Water is a common denominator. Some people try to sleep without heat, and some people try to sleep without lights, unless they are ill and you have to plug in various facilities in order to survive. But you can't live without water, as so many people are, because you might as well live in the streets. You have got to have functioning water facilities. So I say that we must keep in mind -I say this to all my colleagues in Council -- that it is the challenge of us as legislators, and as people who represent the citizenry of this city, to SPEECHES try to come up with ways to try to alleviate suffering, to make life better for them, and not just to pass laws that say, lock them up, put them away. Because something is wrong. Thank you, Mr. President.
Thank you very much. The Chair recognizes Councilman DiCicco. COUNCILMAN DiCICCO: Thank you, Mr. President. I really was not going to get involved in the debate on automobile insurance at this time. But having been the former Court Administrator of Philadelphia Traffic Court, and one of the principal persons involved in actually drafting the boot and tow legislation back in 1992 or '93, which was subsequently introduced to this Council by former Councilperson McIlhenny, I have a lot of statistics. In fact, I think Mark McDonald, the reporter who is here today, did some in-depth stories on the problems with uninsured motorists. And, yes, it is true that certain SPEECHES groups of people may be more affected than others. But I can say for one thing, that during those discussions I was having with the police department and the insurance industry as to what effect the boot and tow legislation may have on the responsible citizens of Philadelphia, the insurance company took a very light attitude towards it and said, "Well, really, Mr. DiCicco, you are really not going to be saving people that much money. " Well, for the typical individual in South Philadelphia, West Philadelphia, North Philadelphia, who may be paying around $3,000 a year for automobile insurance, that adds up to about $600 a year. Could be a week down the shore, could be a week in the mountains. It could be paying for SPEECHES tuition. It could be paying for anything. $600 is a considerable amount of money in savings. When we get to the hearings, I will be more than glad to work with my colleague, Councilman Mariano, to provide you with some of the statistics. I don't want to frighten anybody, but there are probably around 300,000 unlicensed drivers in the City of Philadelphia today. And these are people who buy a car without a license, without the insurance. And the one thing they fail to remember is, driving is not a right, but a privilege. And I think we would be protecting some of the very people who we think we are hurting, people in economically depressed communities, who are responsible people, people who aren't making all that much money but would like to have a car, they are being forced out of the market in order to be able to afford insurance because of some of the people in those communities. And one other thing I did when I was running these tests, I took a list of several SPEECHES hundred of the unlicensed, uninsured motorists who had accumulated 20, 30, or more moving violations, and I cross-referenced those people with the voter registration list. None of those people were even registered to vote. I think we ought to be paying attention to the responsible people, to the people who go out and vote, who are trying to make a decent living and trying to make a good life for themselves, who want to have a car. You look at those voter registrations. You will see that the people we think we are protecting could care less about the City of Philadelphia. And, by the way, if you go outside the city, in the four county regions surrounding Philadelphia, there are about 12 to 15 million dollars of uncollected moving violations. So people who are coming in from the suburbs on a daily basis, or on the weekends to party here, those are the people we would like to take the cars away from, also. I mean, when you think about it, if someone is arrested for carrying an unlicensed gun, SPEECHES do we give them the gun back after they went through the court process? Why should we give somebody the right to have a car after they have been in traffic court, if we even get them there, and they are found guilty, and they are given a fine that they don't pay, we give them the keys back to the car and say "Okay, you can go on, continue to drive. " So I think it is much more serious than some of us realize, and I am really looking forward to the hearings on this. Thank you.
Thank you very much. At this time the Chair recognizes Council members in this order: Councilwoman Fernandez, Councilman Kenney, Councilwoman Blackwell. Councilwoman Fernandez.
Thank you, Mr. President. Following up on Councilman DiCicco's comments, I remember very clearly when this City SPEECHES Council was holding hearings on the boot and tow bill that was passed, where anyone in the city who was driving without a proper registration, license, or insurance, if stopped by the police, their car could be booted and towed, and they would not get it back until they had the proper license, registration, insurance. I remember so clearly one of the mothers who came to testify in those hearings. Her daughter had been killed by a young man driving an unlicensed, uninsured, unregistered car. And she eloquently and painfully made it clear that she was very strongly in support of this bill. Because there are innocent people getting injured and killed by these kinds of reckless drivers. I would say the other ingredient to add to this discussion is, the City of Philadelphia has one of the largest and most extensive public transit systems in the city. And I think my response to some people who feel they maybe need to buy a car and then drive it uninsured because they can't afford it, maybe they need to do like many other SPEECHES responsible citizens, who either choose not to have a car or cannot afford a car and insurance; they use public transit. Thank you, Mr. President.
Thank you very much. The Chair recognizes Councilman Kenney.
Thank you, Mr. President. With all due respect to my Council colleague, Councilwoman Blackwell, who I admire and respect dearly, and echoing Councilwoman Fernandez' comments, I am not suggesting, as I do in other instances, that people should be locked up for this. What I am suggesting is that we take the car. And when it comes to the issue of an automobile and the loss of an automobile, it does go to many, many other areas of problems that we are facing in the city. Could you imagine the man who is soliciting a prostitute or attempting to do so at Kensington and Frankford losing his car, and having SPEECHES to explain to his family or to his wife what he was doing there, what happened to his car, and that he has to now go find his way home and come back and get his car bailed out. I think that is a disincentive, or an obstacle, to make people change the pattern of their behavior. Could you imagine Southwest Philadelphia, or parts of Councilwoman Krajewski's district that experience this continual drag racing, that if 10 or 12 or 15 cars per night were taken from suburban young people who come here to drag race, do you think that young man from Delaware County is going to want to take a chance of losing his or her Camaro, that they work on all week, to come and drag race in Southwest Philadelphia? I don't think so. I am not suggesting that we lock people up and throw away the key for not having auto insurance. But what I do suggest is that the city do its part, and its responsible part, to protect the people who follow the rules. We have a set of rules who people in our neighborhood in our city follow. They are good SPEECHES people who raise their kids the right way, pay their taxes, do what they are supposed to do. And they stand on the corner, when they can't afford to drive a car or to insure it, and take the bus to work. They take the subway to work. They take the El to Center City and go to work. And people find a way, as I did until I was 21 years of age, until I could afford to buy a car and to buy auto insurance, took the subway and took the El. It is not as if we are living in Oklahoma, and the only way to get from one point to another is by a truck or an automobile. And what I think this body and this government needs to do is to pay as much attention to the people who follow the rules and do the right thing, and protect them, as we do in trying to protect people who don't either follow the rules because of choice or because of circumstance. And I think that if we start paying attention to those people, the loss of families and residents in our city will come to at least a slower pace than they are today. SPEECHES Thank you.
Thank you very much. The Chair recognizes Councilwoman Blackwell.
Thank you. I would like to conclude the subject by saying two things: One, and that is that some of these people that my colleague mentioned who aren't registered maybe would be interested in registering. That's a great voter registration solicitation list. And certainly I, for one, would like to -- and if he had a list from various districts, all of us, I think, would like to -- have that list so that we could ask those people to register to vote. And maybe they are not registered because they are so frustrated with government and all that we can't do, even in the best of our intentions, that they do not participate in government. And the other thing is that, we speak of transportation as if it is free. We all know that we have the highest carfare in the nation. I MEETING ADJOURNED mean, I know families who have to choose which child can go to school because of carfare costs. So there is not a simple solution to these questions. Certainly we want all law-abiding citizens, who do their best, who come out and clean their porches ON the weekend, WHO work hard every day and want peace in their homes, certainly we want to protect and provide for them, as is our mandate. But we also have to be a Council that cares about the least of those who cannot afford to continue to maintain the lifestyle that they would need. Thank you, Mr. President.
Thank you very much. Are there any other speeches by any other member of this Council? If not, the Chair recognizes Councilwoman Verna.
Mr. President, I move that Council stand adjourned until Thursday, October 9, 1997, at 10:00 a.m. (Duly seconded.)
All in MEETING ADJOURNED favor let it be known by saying aye. Those opposed say nay. The ayes have it. The motion passes. This Council stands adjourned until Thursday, October 9, 1997, at 10 o'clock in this chamber. (Meeting concluded at 11:35 a.m.) C E R T I F I C A T I O N I HEREBY CERTIFY that the foregoing proceedings of the Council of the City of Philadelphia of Thursday, September 25, 1997, were reported fully and accurately by me, and that this is a correct transcript of same. RE: STATED MEETING _____________________________________ DEBRA A. WHITEHEAD, RPR