City Hall Roll Call: February 23rd, 2023
Darrell Clarke Announces Retirement
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Welcome to City Hall Roll Call, a summary of City Council’s weekly Stated Meeting. Reminder, the information provided below is not an official or complete record. City Council’s official legislative database can be accessed through Legistar.
For a full play-by-play of the Council session, including speeches and public comment, be sure to follow me on Twitter. Also, don’t forget to tune in on Tuesday mornings at 10:25 a.m. to WURD Radio and Reality Check’s “City Council Calendar with Lauren Vidas.” Show host Charles Ellison and I preview the issues and break down the legislation that Council will tackle at its Thursday meeting.
Session Recap:
The big Council news of the day came not during its regular Stated Meeting, but rather in the halls outside afterwards. Council President Darrell Clarke (D-5th) announced that he would not seek reelection. Clarke started his forty-plus year career in City Council as a constituent services staffer for then Councilmember John F. Street. Street would rise to the Council Presidency before getting elected Mayor in 1999. Clarke would successfully run for the newly vacated seat the same year.
As a member, Clarke rose through the ranks of City Council, eventually becoming Council President in 2011, after a fierce battle with then Council Majority Leader Marian Tasco. Tasco, who had the support of Mayor Michael Nutter, had trouble securing the nine votes needed to become President, following public criticism of her use of the city’s controversial Deferred Retirement Option Program (DROP).1
Clarke’s term as Council President has been one marked by tight control of the body and an aggressive expansion of its powers. While the Philadelphia Home Rule Charter may have envisioned as “strong mayor” form of government, with Council serving as a limited check and balance to the Mayor - those roles have slowly been reversed. Under Clarke’s leadership, Council has repeatedly flexed its legislative muscles relying on numerous charter changes to do so.
With Clarke’s retirement, there will be a fight both for the President’s seat and that of the 5th Councilmanic District. While the Council Presidency would likely go to a veteran of the body (Councilmembers Bass, Johnson, Jones and Squilla), some City Hall insiders suggest that a more recently elected member of Council may take a run at the position.
As for the Fifth District, there are number of rumored candidates for the newly open seat, including: Patrick Griffin, Jon Hankins (confirmed), Aissia Richardson Street, John Scott, Curtis Wilkerson and Jeffrey Young. Now that Clarke has made his retirement official, the battle for his seat will be in full swing. History has a great chance of repeating itself, with Wilkerson currently serving as a Clarke staffer and Jeffrey Young a former staffer. The last day to file nominating petitions is March 7th, which gives other potential candidates a chance to collect the 750 signatures necessary to get on the ballot.
Clarke will serve out the remainder of his term, which ends in January of 2024. Clarke told reporters “I will continue to be involved in public service. I will max out the next 10 months as it relates to what I’m going to do on behalf of the City Council of Philadelphia. There will be no slowing down, because it’s important.
Council is adjourned until Thursday, March 2, 2023.
Bills and Resolutions Introduced Today (By Subject Matter)
Due to the volume, ceremonial resolutions introduced by Councilmembers that honor or memorialize individuals or organizations will not be listed below, but can be found on Legistar.
🏗️ Construction / Zoning
Bill amending the Zoning Code to clarify that the sale of marijuana for recreational use is prohibited under the medical marijuana zoning category. (O’Neill)
🗺️ Land Disposition / Acquisition
Resolution authorizing the transfer of land located in the 2nd Councilmanic District. (Johnson)
🚦Streets
Bill authorizing the revision of lines and grades for land located in the 5th Councilmanic District. (Clarke)
Bill authorizing the paving of a street located in the 5th Councilmanic District. (Clarke)
Bill establishing a no truck parking regulation in the 4th Councilmanic District. (Jones)
Bill establishing parking regulations in the 2nd Councilmanic District. (Johnson)
💸 Finance / Budget
Bill revising the compensation for members of the Environmental Justice Committee. (Gilmore-Richardson)
Bills and Resolutions Introduced Today (By Member)
Due to the volume, ceremonial resolutions introduced by Councilmembers that honor or memorialize individuals or organizations will not be listed below, but can be found on Legistar.
Councilmember Kenyatta Johnson (D-2nd)
Bill - Establishing parking regulations in the 2nd Councilmanic District.
Resolution - Authorizing the transfer of land located in the 2nd Councilmanic District.
Councilmember Curtis Jones, Jr. (D-4th)
Bill - Establishing a no truck parking regulation in the 4th Councilmanic District.
Council President Darrell Clarke (D-5th)
Bill - Authorizing the revision of lines and grades for land located in the 5th Councilmanic District.
Bill - Authorizing the paving of a street located in the 5th Councilmanic District.
Councilmember Brian O’Neill (R-10th)
Bill - Amending the Zoning Code to clarify that the sale of marijuana for recreational use is prohibited under the medical marijuana zoning category.
Councilmember Katherine Gilmore-Richardson (D-AL)
Bill - Revising the compensation for members of the Environmental Justice Committee.
Bills and Resolutions Passed by City Council at Today’s Session
Resolutions:
🏆 230110 (Phillips): Honoring Eric Brice, Corrie Brown, Michelle Belser, and the Board of Directors of the Oak Lane Youth Association as Heroes of the 9th Council District for their laudable service to the community.
🏆 220### (Thomas) - Honoring Philadelphia Association of Black Journalists for celebrating the organization’s 50th anniversary.
🏆 220### (Thomas) - Honoring Derek Coates on the success of his business, Best Hands Mobile Detailing.
🏆 220### (Clarke) - Mourning the life and the legacy of Temple University Police Officer Christopher David Fitzgerald who tragically fell in the line of duty on Feb. 18, 2023.
🏆 220### (Johnson) - Designating March 8th, 2023, as “Joe Frazier Day” in the City of Philadelphia in honor and recognition of “Smokin’” Joe Frazier’s heavyweight championship victory over Muhammad Ali in the Fight of the Century.
Bills:
🗺️ 220419 (Gauthier) Authorizing the Commissioner of Public Property, on behalf of the City of Philadelphia, to acquire fee simple title or a lesser real estate interest from Philadelphia Authority for Industrial Development (PAID) to all or a portion of a parcel or parcels of land located in and about the area bounded by 56th Street, Lindbergh Boulevard, 61st Street, Passyunk Avenue, and the Schuylkill River and to grant an easement to PAID for access across the parcel for the construction and maintenance of an accessway.
🏆 220845 (Jones): Renaming and designating the area of land bounded by 54th Street, Wynnefield Avenue and Woodbine Avenue as "The Wynnefield Veterans Memorial."
📆 Upcoming City Council Public Hearings
(Click on the Committee listing to download the full agenda of bills and resolutions for the meeting.)
Tuesday, February 28th
Committee on Rules, 10:00 AM - the Committee will hear testimony on a variety of bills proposing changes to the Philadelphia Zoning Code and Bill No. 221015, “An Ordinance amending Title 19 of The Philadelphia Code, entitled “Finance, Taxes and Collections,” to incentivize Affordable Housing development by authorizing tax exemptions pursuant to the Affordable Housing Unit Tax Exemption Act.”
Wednesday, March 1st
Committee on Law and Government, - 10:00 AM - the Committee will hear testimony on a proposed Charter Change to establish the Office of the Chief Public Safety Director to be responsible for ensuring public safety by coordinating the resources (personnel and employment, property, plant and equipment) within the departments of Police, Prisons, Recreation, and all other relevant City agencies.
The DROP program allowed elected officials to “retire” for a day collect a lump sum amount of pension funds before returning to work.