Several resolutions on City Council’s final passage calendar got people riled up. Two of them gave everyone a preview of the upcoming 76 Place hearings.
Philadelphia Branch NAACP president Catherine Hicks speaks to the audience in City Council chambers for the ACT-SO winners presentation at last Thursday’s meeting.
Photo: Denise Clay-Murray
By Denise Clay-Murray
While I definitely pay attention to every minute of every Philadelphia City Council meeting, I pay the most attention to Public Comment.
I’m not sure if I’ve mentioned this in a previous Hanging In The Hall, but public comment is my favorite part of the meeting. In fact, the only reason why I continue to cover public meetings despite being at a point in my career where I could easily farm this out is because of my love of public comment.
When people take to the microphone to let their feelings be known about a piece of legislation or a resolution that Council is considering, its government meeting the public in real-time with some interesting results in many cases.
On Thursday, we heard from Community College of Philadelphia teachers and staff who were asking Council to pass Councilmember Anthony Phillips’s resolution calling on CCP’s board to pay these folks what they’re worth. Considering the city wants to add training municipal workers to CCP’s portfolio, some additional money might be a good idea.
There was also testimony from the folks from the Overdose Awareness Canvassing and Trusted Community Messenger Program about their 100,000 Doors Program, which brings overdose prevention supplies and treatment information to people door-to-door. It’s a good program and it’s very necessary considering the Parker administration’s substance abuse treatment plan isn’t quite ready for prime time yet.
And of course, Ogbonna Hagins, one of my favorite public commenters, chastised Council for not “finishing the work of Reconstruction” and chastised Council President Kenyatta Johnson for not calling him as promised to talk about a bill that he’d tried to get passed that would do something related to the 13th Amendment.
(I have a copy of the bill somewhere in my files, but I can’t put my hands on it now.)
But the loudest group of public commenters was — you guessed it — the No Arena In The Heart Of The City folks. As hearings on the package of bills and resolutions introduced by Councilmember Mark Squilla to build 76 Place are on the horizon, a couple of resolutions designed to amend the Gallery at Market East Tax Increment Financing district and to amend existing neighborhood improvement in service of the stadium.
This is a necessary step in beginning the process of voting the stadium up or down, and is required under state law, according to Michael Cooke, City Council’s senior legislative council.
But despite the fact that the resolutions were a procedural step and don’t represent a decision either way regarding the stadium, it was still a bridge too far for many of the commenters.
“I’m here to ask you to delay any vote on resolutions related to [the stadium] because public hearings on this bill begin in less than two weeks,” said Debbie Wei, a member of the coalition against the arena that was forcibly removed from Council chambers last week. “There is no reason to rush this process with so many questions. If this reasonable request cannot be made. I ask you to use your vote as your voice and to vote no to both resolutions 240999, and 241000.”
Five members of Council — Councilmembers Jeffery Young, Jamie Gauthier, Rue Landau, Nicolas O’Rourke, and Minority Leader Kendra Brooks — did as Wei asked, with Gauthier and Landau citing the timeline as a reason.
But the resolutions still passed by an 11-5 vote. While Councilmembers Nina Ahmad and Brian O’Neill were absent, they joined Councilmembers Anthony Phillips, Isaiah Thomas, Curtis Jones, Quetcy Lozada, Cindy Bass, Mike Driscoll, Jimmy Harrity, Majority Leader Katherine Gilmore Richardson, and Council President Johnson in voting for the bills.
Now that the part of the process mandated by the Commonwealth regarding 76 Place has begun, it’s now the Committee of the Whole’s turn. Sources say there will be eight hearings throughout November and December with the first hearing scheduled for Nov. 12. Because the schedule is still in flux, who will testify when hasn’t been solidified.
Because I’m a masochist who loves public meetings and especially public comment, I’ll be at all the hearings, and you’ll get the scoop right here.
I’d like to end this edition of Hanging In The Hall by congratulating two groups of young people who were honored during Thursday’s Council meeting.
The first group I’d like to salute is the Sunrise Movement. The Sunrise Movement is a group of young people who have come together to focus on the environment, sustainable energy, food justice, affordable housing and other really good things that we should all be striving for. Councilmember Rue Landau sponsored the resolution and gave them their props. So, congratulations to the Sunrise Movement.
The 2024 Philly NAACP ACT-SO medalists are honored with a resolution from City Council, and presented by Councilmember Jeffery Young (far left) and accompanied by President Hicks and ACT-SO chair Veronica Norris (far right), who was also honored. Photo: Denise Clay-Murray
The second group of young people are this year’s Philadelphia NAACP ACT-SO medalists. For those of you who don’t know what ACT-SO is — and I don’t know how you wouldn’t as longtime readers of the Philadelphia Sunday SUN—it’s a program that was created by the late Chicago Defender editor Vernon Jarrett to spotlight the scientific and artistic achievements of Black youth. I’ve been an ACT-SO judge and mentor for the writing competitions in the past, so I’ve seen the good it does up close.
Councilmember Jeffery Young, himself an ACT-SO alum, presented the resolution and also honored ACT-SO chair Veronica Norris, who just happens to be one of the most awesome people on the planet. Congratulations to all of you as well.
Next week, Council isn’t meeting because of the elections but will be back in session on Nov. 14.
Election Day is Nov. 5. Don’t forget to make your voice heard if you haven’t already.
Disclaimer: The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed in the article belong solely to the author, and not necessarily to the author’s employer, The Philadelphia Sunday SUN, the author’s organization, committee or other group or individual.
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