COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA STATED MEETING Academy of Music Broad and Locust Streets Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Monday, January 4, 2016 10:00 a.m. PRESENT: COUNCIL PRESIDENT DARRELL L. CLARKE COUNCILWOMAN CINDY BASS COUNCILWOMAN JANNIE L. BLACKWELL COUNCILMAN ALLAN DOMB COUNCILMAN DEREK S. GREEN COUNCILMAN WILLIAM K. GREENLEE COUNCILWOMAN HELEN GYM COUNCILMAN BOBBY HENON COUNCILMAN KENYATTA JOHNSON COUNCILMAN CURTIS JONES, JR. COUNCILMAN DAVID OH COUNCILMAN BRIAN J. O'NEILL COUNCILWOMAN CHERELLE L. PARKER COUNCILWOMAN MARIA D. QUINONES-SANCHEZ COUNCILWOMAN BLONDELL REYNOLDS BROWN COUNCILMAN MARK SQUILLA COUNCILMAN AL TAUBENBERGER MICHAEL A. DECKER,
Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the investiture of members of Council, the organization of City Council, the inauguration of the Honorable James F. Kenney as Mayor, and the investiture of members of the Judiciary, City Commissioners, Sheriff, and Register of Wills. We ask that you please turn off all pagers and cellular phones and please be patient. We will start in approximately five minutes. (Brief pause.)
Ladies and gentlemen, good morning and once again welcome to the investiture of members of Council, the organization of City Council, the inauguration of the Honorable James F. Kenney as Mayor, and the investiture of members of the Judiciary, City Commissioners, Sheriff, and Register of Wills. We ask that you please turn off all pagers and cellular phones for the remainder of the ceremony. Thank you. ask that you would rise and bow your heads for the invocation given by His Excellency, Charles Chaput, Archbishop of Philadelphia. (All members and guests rise.) ARCHBISHOP CHAPUT: Samuel Adams, the political philosopher and one of our nation's founding fathers, once observed that a person is the truest friend of the liberty of his country who tries most to promote its virtue. As citizens of the United States and this wonderful City of Philadelphia, we've inherited freedoms and opportunities that set a standard for much of the world. We have so very much to be grateful for as we begin a new year, and let us turn our hearts for a moment to the one God who made us and who sustains us with his love. Let us pray. Father in Heaven, Scripture teaches us that you formed us in the womb, you created us in your image, and you guarantee the dignity of each and every human being. Make us faithful stewards of the time you give us in this world. Help us to be builders and peacemakers. Help us to remember the poor and to protect the weak. Help us to reflect your light to the world and to show by our action that truth, integrity, and service still shape the purpose of American public life. Bless Mayor Kenney in his time of service, the members of our City Council, their families, and all the men and women who serve with them, and pour down your grace on all Philadelphians so that the renewal of this great city will begin and take root in the goodness and decency of its people. We ask this in your name as your sons and daughters, confident of your love. Amen. (Amen.)
We invite you to remain standing as the Philadelphia Police and Fire Departments, along with the Philadelphia Prison System Honor Guards, present the colors, while the Philadelphia Boys Choir and Chorale leads us in singing the National Anthem. (Colors presented and National Anthem sung.) (Applause.)
At this time, please welcome City Council President, the Honorable Darrell L. Clarke, to the podium. (Applause.)
It is a great day. I'd just like to take this moment to welcome and thank everyone who has taken time out of their busy day to witness their government in action. It experience. I hope that you really enjoy yourselves, so much so that in four years you come back again. At this time, I'd like to acknowledge some special guests who are joining us today: Archbishop Charles Chaput, Reverend John Roberts, Reverend John Swope, Reverend Terrence Griffith, Rabbi Jill Maderer, former Governor Ed Rendell, former Mayor John Street, former Mayor William Green, former Mayor Wilson Goode, and Mayor Michael Nutter, the Honorable Sheila Woods-Skipper, the Honorable Rosalyn Robinson, the Honorable Kevin Dougherty, the Honorable Susan Gantman, the Honorable Marsha Neifield. And I also wish to acknowledge all the elected officials that are here today and to acknowledge my family who is here with me today. I just have to give a shout-out to them. (Applause.)
This being the day fixed by the Philadelphia the organization of Council of the City of Philadelphia, the hour has arrived, and we will now proceed with the organization of Council, the investiture of Councilmembers. The first order of business will be the election of a temporary chairperson. Nominations are now in order, and the Chair recognizes Councilwoman Reynolds Brown.
Thank you, Mr. President. I nominate Councilman Bobby Henon.
Thank you. The Chair now recognizes Councilman Green.
Are there any other nominations? (No response.)
The Chair thanks the gentleman. The Chair now recognizes Councilwoman Parker.
Thank you. All those in favor of the motion say aye. (Aye.)
The ayes have it, and the nominations are closed. There being no further nominations, all in favor of the election of Councilman Henon will say aye. (Aye.)
The ayes have it, and Councilman Henon has been duly elected temporary chairperson. (Applause.)
Well, good morning and thank you. The first order of business, I appoint Mr. Michael Decker temporary Clerk. The next order of business is the filing of certificates of the election. The Clerk will call the roll. I direct the Clerk to call the roll, beginning with the Councilpersons-at-large in alphabetical order and then proceed with the District Councilpersons in the order of their districts, beginning with the First District. Clerk?
Councilman Henon, a quorum of the members-elect is present, my possession certificates of election from the County Board of Elections in Philadelphia, indicating their election on November 3rd, 2015 for a term of four years, commencing the first Monday of January, AD 2016.
Thank you, Clerk. The investiture of members of City Council will now proceed. The members-elect will rise and take the oath of office, which will be administered by the Honorable Sheila Woods-Skipper, President Judge of the Court of Common Pleas. (Applause.) JUDGE WOODS-SKIPPER: Good morning. I would ask that all members who will be given the oath this morning please stand, place your left hands on the Bible, and raise your right hands. If you all could just repeat after me. (Oath of office administered.) WOODS-SKIPPER: Congratulations. (Applause.)
The next order of business is the election of a President of City Council for the City of Philadelphia to serve for four years, commencing January 4th, 2016. Nominations are now in order, and the Chair recognizes Councilman Greenlee.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I proudly and with great honor nominate Darrell L. Clarke. (Applause.)
Thank you, Councilman. At this time, the Chair recognizes Councilman Oh.
All those in favor will say aye. Those opposed, nay. There being no -- all aye? (Aye.)
There being no further nominations, those in favor of the election of the Honorable Darrell L. Clarke as President of City Council will say aye. (Aye.)
The ayes have it. However, the temporary Clerk will call the roll. Clerk?
The ayes are 17; the nays are zero. Councilman Clarke having been unanimously chosen by the members of City Council, I declare that Councilman Clarke is duly elected President of this Council body. (Standing ovation.)
A little anxious to come to the podium here, Council President. I appoint Councilwoman Blondell Reynolds Brown, Councilman Greenlee, Councilman O'Neill, and Councilman Oh to escort Council President Clarke to the rostrum. Joining the President at the rostrum will be Nita Wroten and Helen Brown. The oath of office will be administered by the Honorable Rosalyn Robinson, Judge of the Court of Common Pleas. You may proceed to the rostrum, please. (Applause.) ROBINSON: Council President, place your left hand on the Bible, raise your right hand and repeat after me. (Oath of office administered.) JUDGE ROBINSON: Congratulations.
It is now my pleasure to present to you the President of City Council, the Honorable Darrell L. Clarke. (Applause.)
I'm sorry I was a little anxious. It's only my second time. Folks, I just want to say that it is a pleasure of having an opportunity to serve as the President of the City Council of Philadelphia. It is one of the best jobs in the City and one of the best jobs in the country. So I want to colleagues, all of my supporters, all of the wonderful staff that we have and the people that have given me this awesome opportunity. To my colleagues, some old friends and some new friends, it is my honor to continue serving the people of the City of Philadelphia as President of City Council. I want to thank you again for this privilege. Four years ago, as some of you may recall, I stood on this stage and I was a little nervous, it was my first time, I must admit, but I was extremely optimistic and extremely determined to do the business for the citizens of the City of Philadelphia, and as a result of that, I'd like to say I am so proud of this City Council, the people that I have worked with. And I know that I may rub some people the wrong way, but the last four years I've worked with what I believe to be the best City Council in the City of Philadelphia's history. (Applause.)
And that doesn't include the new members because you guys weren't here. So I'm sure you'll enhance that. But together we modernized property assessments, streamlined planning and development functions in an historic reinvention of municipal government, created the nation's largest Land Bank. Thank you, Councilwoman, for that awesome work. (Applause.)
We authorized an independent Water and Sewer Rate Board to protect consumers and strengthened regulations to make building, demolition, and construction safer. Councilman Jones, I want to thank you for chairing those hearings. (Applause.)
We an affordable future, and that is very important in today's times. Solicited citizen input and community sustainability initiatives at town halls throughout the City of Philadelphia and began working with stakeholders. And, Mayor Kenney, I want to thank you. That trip was awesome to Cincinnati. We look forward to expanding on that. And the last four years were extremely productive, and I'm particularly proud about the fact that we've worked together. And you look at the vote count and the number of our sessions and there were a lot of 17-0, 16-1's, 15-2's. And as a matter of fact, I tell my communications person that a press person actually called me and said, You know, you guys are boring. What do you mean? You're always together. I said, Well, you know, that's And I had to apologize for not having to fight on the floor of City Council. We didn't do that this term, right? Nobody threatened to throw anybody out of the window, right? A la Abscam, there wasn't a movie made after us. But we did some good work. But guess what? We still have so much more to do. In spite of the significant problems we tackled and milestones we reached, far too many issues remain unresolved. None of us here, especially those in this beautiful amphitheater, can feel good about being the most impoverished of the major U.S. cities. Nor can we feel good about unemployment in some of our neighborhoods, unemployment that actually reaches upwards of 40 to 50 percent in some of our communities. We cannot feel good about vacant lots and blighted conditions that still are a part of some neighborhoods' landscape. We have to fix Council made a significant proposal to ensure equitable growth throughout the City of Philadelphia, to make sure that every neighborhood, every neighborhood is a community of choice. And I want to thank my colleagues for working so diligently toward the goal of equitable communities that are inclusive of everyone regardless of who they are or how much they earn. I want to thank you guys so much for that great work. (Applause.)
Here in the City of Philadelphia, a city of working-class communities, that conversation begins and ends with affordability. For those of us who got knocked down during the recession, whether by job loss or lost savings, getting back to where we were has been difficult, has been extremely difficult. Young people are delaying homeownership. be homeowners are now renting. There are some significant challenges. And in spite, you do see market-rate housing in a lot of sections of the City of Philadelphia. And I want to thank Mayor Nutter for working with us to ensure that we have significant growth. But the simple reality is that most of our citizens cannot afford the cost of those new market-rate housing. So last term, City Council set out a goal to building 2,000 new affordable, workforce units on vacant land in gentrifying neighborhoods to make sure that everybody had an opportunity to live in these choice neighborhoods. We are already bucking a trend that is making other major cities less affordable and less inclusive. We will also be rolling out a comprehensive energy strategy to help homeowners, businesses, and our own City government to increase efficiencies, reduce costs, and create more than 10,000 the way. To the press, stay tuned for that. We know that a good quality of life is not just about having a place to live. Economic opportunity, giving people the ability to sustain themselves and their families and have real pride in earning a living, is critical to creating healthy communities. I'm talking about jobs, jobs, jobs. So to create new jobs, we will propose the following: A targeted and coordinated effort among the private, public, and non-profit sectors to secure an amendment to the Uniformity Clause in the Pennsylvania State Constitution, which will allow our city, for the first time in decades, to truly reform our tax structure. This isn't just about delivering tax relief for homeowners -(Applause.)
I know some Chamber people like that. This isn't just about tax homeowners, although that is definitely a laudable goal. This is about making targeted investments to stimulate the economic growth and the prosperity of our city. Two, we need to make sure that young people in the City of Philadelphia graduating from the Philadelphia public schools and other high schools are prepared to join the workforce. For some, that might mean moving on to college and maybe even grad school, but college, particularly with the insane costs and debt associated with it, is not for everyone. So what we want to do and have started those discussions, that we have been blessed to have world-class higher education institutions and teaching hospitals in the City of Philadelphia. Few cities can beat us in eds and meds. As a matter of fact, I'll go so far as to say we're the best. I know Boston is maybe a close second, but at the end of day, the City of Philadelphia has the best eds and meds. (Applause.)
So understanding that, understanding that, as we talk about the School District and some of the curriculum changes, while I understand that we are mandated to teach to the test, how about teaching to the job opportunity? (Applause.)
Wouldn't that be a novel idea? So as a result of that, we have had productive conversations with our major universities, including Penn, Drexel, and my personal favorite, Temple -- it's in my district -- about increasing partnerships with Philadelphia public schools. And I want to thank every college and university official who had looked me in the eye and told me they are committed to doing more for our young people. They're committed, and I'm Together, we must find a way to get more Philadelphia public school students on a path to tech, health, science jobs right here in the City of Philadelphia. That, by the way, is how you really address economic inequality - education plus opportunity. (Applause.)
Now, about our schools. It is beyond unconscionable that in this economic recovery the big banks, the corporations, the CEOs are doing better. They're doing real well, real well. But across the country, the simple reality is that school districts are starving. And this is not just morally wrong, it is also extremely counterproductive as it relates to our health and our long-term viability. We are competing with countries around the globe that don't just think twice about investing heavily in education. In the City of Philadelphia, democracy, we don't have enough teachers, nurses, counselors, books to give our kids a quality public education they need to become successful adults. (Applause.)
But today we have more reasons to be hopeful. We have a governor in Tom Wolf, who is here with us today -- Governor, where are you? (Standing ovation.)
All right, Gov. We still love you here in the City of Philadelphia. I don't know about any place else in the state, but we love you here. So I want to thank the Governor, who is insisting on a responsible spending plan that funds Pennsylvania schools in a responsible way. And we will -(Applause.)
And will, in just a few minutes, have a Mayor in Jim Kenney, a South Philadelphia guy -(Applause.)
-coming from a row home community, just like myself, who knows the importance of a well-rounded education not just for all kids, but especially for the most vulnerable kids, kids who are born into less than stable conditions and less than perfectly safe communities. So we look forward -(Applause.)
-to ensuring that opportunity, because all children deserve a quality education just as our own. Last November, our new Mayor and our new chief education officers and members of my staff, we visited Cincinnati. I'm going to go off script a little bit on this. was extremely exciting. We saw a school that had every opportunity in that school for healthcare. I mean, they literally had an eyeglass store in the school. It was awesome. And I got to tell you, I'm not easily impressed, but I was impressed. But the simple reality is for every city, you need to have a different business model, and in the City of Philadelphia, as we move towards adopting the community school model in a very aggressive way, the simple reality is, to some degree the challenges for that child are not just in the classroom. It's in the home. It's in the way to school. (Applause.)
It's all of the issues, the social issues, that surround that child's life. So what we say, we have to address the entire child. We can't simply just focus on the classroom. (Applause.)
So what we're talking about is creating community schools in an aggressive way. Mayor, I hope I'm not taking a part of your speech. I'm sorry, because I'm free-lancing. I get excited about this. When we talk about the things that people need in communities, we talk about we do not have a City Hall in every neighborhood, right? We do not have a library in every neighborhood, right? We do not have a hospital in every neighborhood. But guess what we have in every neighborhood? A school. So that school should be the focal point of every imaginable service that we can deliver to our citizens, and I think that approach will allow us to create the environment that will make every neighborhood a neighborhood of choice. (Applause.)
So I just want to say I'm extremely excited, obviously, about that potential. City Council has already started the process towards community schools, and we'll be talking about that in a little more aggressive pace, but I want to talk about one thing that has recently become a topic of discussion. Very shortly we will be making an announcement on significant reforms of our criminal justice system, right? (Applause.)
That is not sexy. People, okay, whatever. But the simple reality is that it affects your life if you pay taxes. It affects your life if you have a family member that has had a challenge. It affects your life if you happen to live in a neighborhood where crime continues to be a challenge. It will affect your life if you are a member of the City of Philadelphia. So with this reform, we will look at every opportunity, because we Philadelphian should live in fear of those sworn to protect and serve them, meaning the police, nor should any Philadelphian who has made a mistake and is remorseful and wants to turn their life around and become a productive citizen be denied opportunities to do so. (Applause.)
So to all of you and to my colleagues in particular, all of you, I want to thank you so much for the last four years, and I look forward to the next four years, because it is going to be a blast. So to all of you, I want to thank you so much for being here today. May God bless you. Thank you so much. (Standing ovation.)
Thank you. Now it's time to get back to real business. The next order of business is the election of the Chief Clerk of the Nominations are now in order, and the Chair recognizes Councilman Squilla.
Thank you, Mr. President. I nominate Mr. Michael Decker.
The Chair thanks the gentleman, and the Chair now recognizes Councilman Domb.
Are there any additional nominations? (No response.)
Hearing none, the Chair recognizes Councilwoman Bass.
Thank you. It has been moved and properly seconded that the nominations be closed. All those in favor of the motion will say aye. (Aye.)
The ayes have it and the motion carries. There being no further nominations, all in favor of the election of Mr. Michael Decker as Chief Clerk of Council will say aye. (Aye.)
The ayes have it. However, the Clerk will call the roll.
Aye. The ayes are 17; the nays are zero. Mr. Decker, having received a unanimous vote of the members of Council, I now declare Mr. Michael Decker duly elected Chief Clerk of the City Council (Applause.)
At this time, Councilman Greenlee and Councilwoman Blackwell will escort Mr. Decker to the rostrum. Judge Woods-Skipper will administer the oath of office to Mr. Decker. JUDGE WOODS-SKIPPER: Mr. Decker, if you will place your left hand on the Bible and raise your right hand and repeat after me. (Oath of office administered.) JUDGE WOODS-SKIPPER: Congratulations. (Applause.)
Thank you, and congratulations, Mr. Decker. At this time, I will name the officers of the City Council. Please be advised by a vote of the democratic members of Council, the Honorable Bobby Henon was elected Majority Leader, the -(Applause.)
The Honorable Blondell Reynolds Brown was elected Majority Whip. (Applause.)
And the Honorable William Greenlee was elected Majority Deputy Whip of the City Council of Philadelphia. (Applause.)
Also be advised that by a vote of the republican members of Council, the Honorable Brian J. O'Neill was elected Minority Leader. (Applause.)
And the Honorable David Oh was elected Minority Whip. (Applause.)
Thank you. The next order of business is the introduction of a resolution government of the Council of the City of Philadelphia, and the Chair recognizes Councilwoman Blackwell.
Thank you, Mr. President. I offer the following resolution.
Mr. Decker, would you please read that resolution.
A resolution to provide Rules for the Government of the Council of the City of Philadelphia.
The Chair recognizes Councilwoman Quinones-Sanchez.
Thank you, Mr. President. I move that the rules, as set forth in this resolution, be adopted as the temporary rules of Council until the permanent rules are adopted.
Thank you. The Chair thanks the recognizes Councilwoman Gym.
Thank you. All in favor of the motion will say aye. (Aye.)
The ayes have it and the motion is carried. The rules contained in this resolution have been adopted temporarily. The resolution will be placed on the Final Passage Calendar for consideration at our next session of Council. The organization of the Council of the City of Philadelphia and the investiture of the City Council members are now complete, in accordance with the Rule Charter. (Applause.)
Council is now honored by the presence of John Roberts. I ask you all to please rise as I invite Reverend Roberts to lead us in prayer. (All members and guests rise.)
Let us all pray. Lord, thou has been our dwelling place in all generations, before the mountains were brought forth, forever thou has formed the earth and the world. Even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God. Our Father, we just want to take time to thank you. Not only did you wake us up, but you helped us to get up. You blessed us with a portion of strength where we were able to bathe ourselves without any assistance. And then you brought us to this place on this morning, covering us with your divine protection. you would bless these great leaders of this great city. Bless our Council President. Thank you for the service that he's already rendered. We ask that you will continue to give him wisdom and knowledge and even a greater understanding that he might lead this great city, along with those that are in the office along with him working to make this city a greater city. We pray now for our children, that you will cover them in your divine protection. All lives matter. Bless us now and we shall be blessed. Heal us now and we shall be healed. For how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity. Except the Lord build the house, they labor in vain that build it. Except the Lord keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain. We ask that you would be with us on today, and when we leave this place, let us continue to bind together to make this the greatest city in America. I believe we can do it. We trust and look to you, the author and finisher of our faith. Bless our Councilperson. Bless the President. Bless his family. Keep them safe from hurt, harm, and danger. Bless my good friend and President, Darrell Clarke. Touch his body, keep him strong physically, naturally, spiritually, with the wisdom of Solomon to lead this great city, along with our newly appointed and elected Mayor of this great city. And we ask this in thy name and for our sake we pray. And as always, Lord, I thank you for listening. And all God's people said amen. (Amen.) (Applause.)
Thank you, Reverend. Everyone please be seated. At time, I invite the Enon Tabernacle Baptist Church Choir to perform "I'll Say Yes." The choir is directed by Garland Waller. (Enon Tabernacle Baptist Church Choir performs.) (Applause.)
Thank you. Extremely inspiring. Today we are also honored by the presence of Reverend John Swope. Before we proceed with the induction of the Mayor of the City of Philadelphia, I invite Reverend Swope to lead us in prayer.
We give thanks today for how this ceremony has been sprinkled with prayer and song. Good and Gracious God, we who gather today in prayerful recollection for the inauguration of our new Mayor, James Kenney, do so mindful that we are citizens of a great city that mirrors the rich pluralism and diversity of our people who come together out of multiple backgrounds, ethnic, racial, and religious, cultural and social, with varying interests, occupations, and matters of living. We ask that you continue to bless us as Philadelphians as we seek always to respect one another. Make of each of us a productive citizen, willing to collaborate together for the good of our city. Bless us with the fruits of your spirit - love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness - so that we may truly reflect in our lives what we know in our hearts, that we are all brothers and sisters of one another since we are all your children. On our Mayor-elect, James Kenney, who assumes his responsibilities to lead our great City of Philadelphia, we ask an outpouring of the gifts that are yours alone to give - wisdom and understanding, counsel and fortitude. in him dedication to the service of our great, diverse city, and may he always see us as willing to work with him. Impute Mayor-elect Kenney with the spirit of truth and grant him wisdom, insight, boldness to address the challenges confronting our historic city. Captivate his heart, Lord. Mold his ethos, Lord. Inspire his mind, and mentor him as he exercises the responsibilities of his office. May he be protected by the shield of your righteousness and be armed with the sword of your spirit. Set down even deeper in him, oh Lord, the sensitivity to the burdens that each of us bear. Make him even more attuned to that groaning that arises from the soul of our city, that groaning that calls out for justice in our time. May he seek ideals beyond what the eye can see and seek always the greater good. Finally, Almighty God, we ask brightness, gentleness, and mercy of your countenance shine upon this wonderful city. Each one of us, out of our various faith, traditions, and heritages, pray in your most holy name, and let us say together amen. (Amen.) (Applause.)
Thank you so much. We will now proceed with the induction of the Mayor of the City of Philadelphia. The Chair appoints Councilman Squilla, Councilwoman Bass, Councilwoman Quinones-Sanchez, and Councilman Johnson to escort the Honorable James F. Kenney, Mayor of the City of Philadelphia, to the rostrum. (Standing ovation.)
The Chair also invites Brendan and Nora Kenney to join him at the rostrum. JUDGE DOUGHERTY: Place your left hand on the Bible, raise your right me. (Oath of office administered.) JUDGE DOUGHERTY: Congratulations, Mayor Kenney. (Standing ovation.)