We will give a copy of your testimony to the stenographer. It will transcribed in full. So if you can abbreviate your testimony, I'd appreciate it. Thank you.
Good afternoon. My name is Joe Eastman and I'm here today speaking only for myself, and the views expressed here are mine and mine alone and are not a reflection of or associated with any Chinatown community organization to which I belong. In the interest of full 293 11/1/08 - RULES - BILLS 080741 & 080742 disclosure, I'll say right from the beginning that I, as many speaking here today, am not a resident of Chinatown, but I believe my service to the Chinatown community over the last several years, including being a founding member and elective officer of Chinatown Watch, a volunteer after-school program reading coach and tutor to many of our wonderful Chinatown children, an ESL and Citizenship teacher and tutor to many Chinatown community members with the Center for Literacy, and a volunteer assisting our Chinese seniors at the Asian Resource Center at Coffee Cup, allows me to speak to this issue with some sensitivity, understanding and compassion. I also continue to serve as a mentor for many Chinese high school and college students. I won't go into that. What I will say is, you don't have to be a member of the Chinatown community or even Asian to have a love of and affection for or a commitment to this 294 11/1/08 - RULES - BILLS 080741 & 080742 great community. I support this legislation, not because a positive endorsement indicates support for the potential resiting of a casino to the Gallery, but because I truly believe supporting this legislation will begin the process, the process that I have heard so much about over the past several weeks, a process that I believe is the glue that ties this whole discussion together, a process that I believe must begin so that the Chinatown community can get the much-needed information many, many, many of Chinatown's community members seek. I think what is right, in my opinion, is to begin a process. Let me say that again, to begin a process that assumes reasonable people are best served when they were presented with information, however favorable or unfavorable, that allows them to make an informed decision that is in the best interest of themselves and their 295 11/1/08 - RULES - BILLS 080741 & 080742 families. To my understanding, none of that information has been presented for a variety of reasons, either from Foxwoods, and we have nothing to rebut or support what we have read in the paper or rebut or support even those who are opposed. Again, the process that Councilman DiCicco is fighting for and most concerned about is the glue that ties all this together, in my mind, and allows this process of information-gathering and community education to begin. I also support this legislation for other reasons as well. If you're going to talk about the problems of this legislation, you darn well better be talking about any potential benefits as well. I can summarize here. I know of no economic development strategy or job development strategy or any investment dollars coming into Chinatown. If anyone knows about 296 11/1/08 - RULES - BILLS 080741 & 080742 that, it's a select few. What I do know is this: Chinatown is in dire need of vast infrastructure and greening improvements. The underground fire that occurred on 10th Street this past summer proved that. It appears there is still 1960s infrastructure trying to support 21st century technology. (Bell rung.)
If the end result of this legislation, whatever that is, provides for an open process that can assure proper safeguards -- let me say that again -- that can assure proper safeguards to address the myriads of very real concerns of the Chinatown community and can provide the eventual capital flow and investment dollars to Chinatown that can prove or that can and will support social programs, security and infrastructure upgrades and be proved to possibly improve the quality of life to Chinatown community members, which I believe it can with these proper 297 11/1/08 - RULES - BILLS 080741 & 080742 safeguards in place, that an open and transparent process will provide, then I support it. I know that stretches the limits and merits of this legislation, but one should not be penalized for dreaming. And that's all I'll say. Thank you.
Thank you. Thank you very much. MR. McPHERSON: The last witness that I have is Paul Weeks. (Witness approached witness table.)
Good afternoon. Welcome. Please identify yourself for the record.
My name is George Yip. I'm the owner of East Asian Noodle Company on 11th Street. I'm the noodle man, fortune cookie man and everything. Okay? Now, before I oppose the casino, I'd like to give you a few points 298 11/1/08 - RULES - BILLS 080741 & 080742 on my delivery, what type of problem I'm having now. I'm not opposing the Convention Center. That's wonderful. But ever since the Convention Center been built, I can't even get my delivery of tractor and trailer. When I got people working, 9 I'm paying taxes to the City and 10 everything, it should be able that I 11 could do business. 12 Every time I park a tractor and 13 trailer, 55 footer there, try to unload 14 the flour, whenever they got a 15 convention, they won't let me unload. 16 The cops say, Keep moving. So to solve 17 the problem, you know what I had to do to 18 get along with everybody? I pay extra for the tractor and the trailer to come at 6:00 in the morning to give me the delivery. That extra money, I got to pay overtime for the drivers and everything like that. Now, I'll tell you another thing that's wonderful, too. When you 299 11/1/08 - RULES - BILLS 080741 & 080742 talk about a convention going on, you got the best protection you ever have in Chinatown. The Convention Center does a very wonderful job of protection all around here, all the way to Vine Street. And they got those people going to the convention, when they eat, they go into a restaurant, you got security on 10th Street and everything. That's wonderful. But when you don't have a convention, you can't even find the walking people in Chinatown, and that's true. So that's what I'm trying to tell you now. I'm having a problem with getting deliveries. There's wholesalers that want to make delivery in Chinatown. They can't do it in the daytime. They got to do it after 6 o'clock, give the supplies to their restaurant. Now, that's all I'm going to say. I'm not going to tie up your time. When you talk about the casino, I really oppose it, and I think all of Chinatown, 300 11/1/08 - RULES - BILLS 080741 & 080742 everybody opposes it. And whoever want to approve the casino, like the last speaker up here, he could have it. So I thank you very much, and I appreciate you and City Council for trying to help us out in Chinatown. Thank you.
My name is Jim Schneller. I'm with the Southeastern Pennsylvania Citizens Against Gambling. If I could just have 30 seconds of the Council's time. I have new facts. I can eliminate all repetition facts.
I don't think the Committee is in favor. If you have written testimony, we will certainly accept it, make it part of the record. Do you have written testimony? 301 11/1/08 - RULES - BILLS 080741 & 080742
No, I do not, but I have need to prepare some in the next 48 hours?
You could submit it to my office and we'll make certain that all Councilmembers receive a copy of it. Thank you.
Okay. This concludes -- I believe that's the end of our list. Do you have written testimony? UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER: I don't have written testimony, no. I just found out about this meeting two days ago, so I didn't get a chance. I was in the hospital.
All right. As I suggested to the other gentleman, if you would submit your comments to my office, I will make certain that all of the members receive a copy of it. 302 11/1/08 - RULES - BILLS 080741 & 080742 UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER: I thought when you had these meetings, people are supposed to be heard if they couldn't make an appointment for this.
Well, that's why we had an existing list of witnesses. UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER: No. 10 Nobody told me the disabled community this was going on. And you talk about transportation to come down to Center City, a lot of us depend on that. A lot of us also depend on the Gallery as a place for socializing. A lot of us have (unintelligible) around the Gallery because it makes -- it is more accessible. So what am I supposed to do? We come here for no reason? COUNCILMAN DiCICCO: Madam President, I want to thank everyone for coming today and appreciate your testimony, but just a couple of brief remarks. 303 11/1/08 - RULES - BILLS 080741 & 080742 Much of today's testimony spoke to the issue of the ills of gaming. I know I've said this repeatedly for the last three years, probably said it a few times again this morning, and it's probably worth repeating. Let's assume for a minute that I agree with all of your comments and concerns about the ills of gaming and what it does to families and the impact that it may have on surrounding communities and businesses. We are not the body that you need to make that argument to. That argument should have been made -- and if you want, you can continue to make it -- to the state legislators, who gave us gaming in the first place. We have no authority over the legalization of gaming in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, nor do we have any legal authority on the legalization of gaming in the City of Philadelphia. That's not a cop-out. That is a reality. I also know that many people 304 11/1/08 - RULES - BILLS 080741 & 080742 have been hearing from others who claim that what I am saying now, what we have been saying in the past is not accurate, that we in City Council can prevent gaming from coming to our city. I respectfully, again, disagree with them. Interestingly, none of those folks have ever presented a plan for how we would prevent gaming from happening in Philadelphia. But for the fact that we do fight to keep it out of certain neighborhoods, to date we have been successful in some of those instances, but at the end of the day, if the Gallery site, once we get through this long process, which will take several months at the very least, should either the Planning Commission or City Council or the Foxwoods folks decide that the Gallery is not the site where a slot parlor or slot casino will work, then it's back to the two sites on the Delaware River, and that's where they will be built, unless you folks and 305 11/1/08 - RULES - BILLS 080741 & 080742 others can get up to Harrisburg and convince the State Legislature to amend Act 71 and remove Philadelphia from that Act. I doubt that that will happen, but you're certainly welcome to do that. You have every right to do that. So I just wanted to make that perfectly clear for the record. Although much, if not probably 90 percent, of the testimony today had to do with the ills of gaming, that this is not the legislative body to make that argument. (Audience members yelling.)
This concludes our witness list and public hearing. We will now go into our public meeting, and the Chair recognizes Councilman DiCicco -- COUNCILMAN DiCICCO: Thank you, Madam Chair.
-- regarding a motion on Bill No. 080741. COUNCILMAN DiCICCO: Thank you, Madam Chair. I move that Bill No. 080741 306 11/1/08 - RULES - BILLS 080741 & 080742 be reported out of this committee with a favorable recommendation. (Duly seconded.)
It has been moved and seconded that Bill 7 No -- COUNCILMAN DiCICCO: With a favorable recommendation and that the rules of Council be -- I apologize. I move that Bill No. 080741 be reported out this committee with a favorable recommendation and that the rules of Council be suspended so as to permit first reading at our next session of City Council. (Duly seconded.)
It has been moved and seconded that Bill No. 20 080741 be reported out of Committee with a favorable recommendation; further, that the rules of Council be suspended so as to permit first reading at our next session of Council. All in favor will indicate by 307 11/1/08 - RULES - BILLS 080741 & 080742 saying aye. (Aye.)
The ayes have it and the motion carries. (Audience members yelling.)
The Chair now recognizes Councilman DiCicco. COUNCILMAN DiCICCO: Thank you, Madam President. I move that Bill No. 14 080742 be reported out of this committee with a favorable recommendation and that the rules of Council be suspended so as to permit first reading at our next session of City Council. (Duly seconded.)
It has been moved and seconded that Bill No. 22 080742 be reported out of Committee with a favorable recommendation; further, that the rules of Council be suspended so as to permit first reading at our next 308 11/1/08 - RULES - BILLS 080741 & 080742 session of Council. All in favor will say aye. (Aye.)
The ayes have it. The motion carries. And this concludes our hearing and meeting. (Committee on Rules adjourned at 3:00 p.m.) - - - 309 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 November 1, 2008, and that this is a true and correct transcript of same. ______________________________ MICHELE L. MURPHY RPR-Notary Public (The foregoing certification of this transcript does not apply to any reproduction of the same by any means, unless under the direct control and/or supervision of the certifying reporter.)