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1
1
2 COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA
3 STATED MEETING
4
5
6 Academy of Music
Broad and Locust Streets
7 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Monday, January 4, 2016
8 10:00 a.m.
9
10 PRESENT:
COUNCIL PRESIDENT DARRELL L. CLARKE
11 COUNCILWOMAN CINDY BASS
COUNCILWOMAN JANNIE L. BLACKWELL
12 COUNCILMAN ALLAN DOMB
COUNCILMAN DEREK S. GREEN
13 COUNCILMAN WILLIAM K. GREENLEE
COUNCILWOMAN HELEN GYM
14 COUNCILMAN BOBBY HENON
COUNCILMAN KENYATTA JOHNSON
15 COUNCILMAN CURTIS JONES, JR.
COUNCILMAN DAVID OH
16 COUNCILMAN BRIAN J. O'NEILL
COUNCILWOMAN CHERELLE L. PARKER
17 COUNCILWOMAN MARIA D. QUINONES-SANCHEZ
COUNCILWOMAN BLONDELL REYNOLDS BROWN
18 COUNCILMAN MARK SQUILLA
COUNCILMAN AL TAUBENBERGER
19
20
MICHAEL A. DECKER, CHIEF CLERK
21
22 - - -
23
24
25
2
1
2 MR. TALIAFERRO: Ladies and
3 gentlemen, welcome to the investiture of
4 members of Council, the organization of
5 City Council, the inauguration of the
6 Honorable James F. Kenney as Mayor, and
7 the investiture of members of the
8 Judiciary, City Commissioners, Sheriff,
9 and Register of Wills. We ask that you
10 please turn off all pagers and cellular
11 phones and please be patient. We will
12 start in approximately five minutes.
13 (Brief pause.)
14 MR. TALIAFERRO: Ladies and
15 gentlemen, good morning and once again
16 welcome to the investiture of members of
17 Council, the organization of City
18 Council, the inauguration of the
19 Honorable James F. Kenney as Mayor, and
20 the investiture of members of the
21 Judiciary, City Commissioners, Sheriff,
22 and Register of Wills. We ask that you
23 please turn off all pagers and cellular
24 phones for the remainder of the ceremony.
25 Thank you.
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2 And now we would ask that you
3 would rise and bow your heads for the
4 invocation given by His Excellency,
5 Charles Chaput, Archbishop of
6 Philadelphia.
7 (All members and guests rise.)
8 ARCHBISHOP CHAPUT: Samuel
9 Adams, the political philosopher and one
10 of our nation's founding fathers, once
11 observed that a person is the truest
12 friend of the liberty of his country who
13 tries most to promote its virtue.
14 As citizens of the United
15 States and this wonderful City of
16 Philadelphia, we've inherited freedoms
17 and opportunities that set a standard for
18 much of the world. We have so very much
19 to be grateful for as we begin a new
20 year, and let us turn our hearts for a
21 moment to the one God who made us and who
22 sustains us with his love.
23 Let us pray.
24 Father in Heaven, Scripture
25 teaches us that you formed us in the
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2 womb, you created us in your image, and
3 you guarantee the dignity of each and
4 every human being. Make us faithful
5 stewards of the time you give us in this
6 world. Help us to be builders and
7 peacemakers. Help us to remember the
8 poor and to protect the weak. Help us to
9 reflect your light to the world and to
10 show by our action that truth, integrity,
11 and service still shape the purpose of
12 American public life.
13 Bless Mayor Kenney in his time
14 of service, the members of our City
15 Council, their families, and all the men
16 and women who serve with them, and pour
17 down your grace on all Philadelphians so
18 that the renewal of this great city will
19 begin and take root in the goodness and
20 decency of its people.
21 We ask this in your name as
22 your sons and daughters, confident of
23 your love.
24 Amen.
25 (Amen.)
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2 MR. TALIAFERRO: We invite you
3 to remain standing as the Philadelphia
4 Police and Fire Departments, along with
5 the Philadelphia Prison System Honor
6 Guards, present the colors, while the
7 Philadelphia Boys Choir and Chorale leads
8 us in singing the National Anthem.
9 (Colors presented and National
10 Anthem sung.)
11 (Applause.)
12 MR. TALIAFERRO: At this time,
13 please welcome City Council President,
14 the Honorable Darrell L. Clarke, to the
15 podium.
16 (Applause.)
17 COUNCIL PRESIDENT CLARKE: Good
18 morning.
19 (Good morning.)
20 COUNCIL PRESIDENT CLARKE: It
21 is a great day.
22 I'd just like to take this
23 moment to welcome and thank everyone who
24 has taken time out of their busy day to
25 witness their government in action. It
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2 is truly a great experience. I hope that
3 you really enjoy yourselves, so much so
4 that in four years you come back again.
5 At this time, I'd like to
6 acknowledge some special guests who are
7 joining us today: Archbishop Charles
8 Chaput, Reverend John Roberts, Reverend
9 John Swope, Reverend Terrence Griffith,
10 Rabbi Jill Maderer, former Governor Ed
11 Rendell, former Mayor John Street, former
12 Mayor William Green, former Mayor Wilson
13 Goode, and Mayor Michael Nutter, the
14 Honorable Sheila Woods-Skipper, the
15 Honorable Rosalyn Robinson, the Honorable
16 Kevin Dougherty, the Honorable Susan
17 Gantman, the Honorable Marsha Neifield.
18 And I also wish to acknowledge all the
19 elected officials that are here today and
20 to acknowledge my family who is here with
21 me today. I just have to give a
22 shout-out to them.
23 (Applause.)
24 COUNCIL PRESIDENT CLARKE: This
25 being the day fixed by the Philadelphia
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2 Home Rule Charter for the organization of
3 Council of the City of Philadelphia, the
4 hour has arrived, and we will now proceed
5 with the organization of Council, the
6 investiture of Councilmembers.
7 The first order of business
8 will be the election of a temporary
9 chairperson. Nominations are now in
10 order, and the Chair recognizes
11 Councilwoman Reynolds Brown.
12 COUNCILWOMAN BROWN: Thank you,
13 Mr. President. I nominate Councilman
14 Bobby Henon.
15 COUNCIL PRESIDENT CLARKE:
16 Thank you.
17 The Chair now recognizes
18 Councilman Green.
19 COUNCILMAN GREEN:
20 Mr. President, I second the nomination.
21 COUNCIL PRESIDENT CLARKE: Are
22 there any other nominations?
23 (No response.)
24 COUNCIL PRESIDENT CLARKE:
25 There being none, the Chair now
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2 recognizes Councilman O'Neill.
3 COUNCILMAN O'NEILL:
4 Mr. President, I move the nominations be
5 closed.
6 COUNCIL PRESIDENT CLARKE: The
7 Chair thanks the gentleman.
8 The Chair now recognizes
9 Councilwoman Parker.
10 COUNCILWOMAN PARKER: Thank
11 you, Mr. President. I second the motion.
12 COUNCIL PRESIDENT CLARKE:
13 Thank you.
14 All those in favor of the
15 motion say aye.
16 (Aye.)
17 COUNCIL PRESIDENT CLARKE:
18 Those opposed?
19 (No response.)
20 COUNCIL PRESIDENT CLARKE: The
21 ayes have it, and the nominations are
22 closed. There being no further
23 nominations, all in favor of the election
24 of Councilman Henon will say aye.
25 (Aye.)
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2 COUNCIL PRESIDENT CLARKE:
3 Those opposed?
4 (No response.)
5 COUNCIL PRESIDENT CLARKE: The
6 ayes have it, and Councilman Henon has
7 been duly elected temporary chairperson.
8 (Applause.)
9 COUNCILMAN HENON: Well, good
10 morning and thank you. The first order
11 of business, I appoint Mr. Michael Decker
12 temporary Clerk.
13 The next order of business is
14 the filing of certificates of the
15 election. The Clerk will call the roll.
16 I direct the Clerk to call the roll,
17 beginning with the
18 Councilpersons-at-large in alphabetical
19 order and then proceed with the District
20 Councilpersons in the order of their
21 districts, beginning with the First
22 District.
23 Clerk?
24 CHIEF CLERK: Mr. Allan Domb?
25 COUNCILMAN DOMB: Present.
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2 CHIEF CLERK: Mr. Derek Green?
3 COUNCILMAN GREEN: Present.
4 CHIEF CLERK: Mr. William
5 Greenlee?
6 COUNCILMAN GREENLEE: Present.
7 CHIEF CLERK: Ms. Helen Gym?
8 COUNCILWOMAN GYM: Present.
9 CHIEF CLERK: Mr. David Oh?
10 COUNCILMAN OH: Present.
11 CHIEF CLERK: Ms. Blondell
12 Reynolds Brown?
13 COUNCILWOMAN BROWN: Present.
14 CHIEF CLERK: Mr. Al
15 Taubenberger?
16 COUNCILMAN TAUBENBERGER:
17 Present.
18 CHIEF CLERK: Mr. Mark Squilla?
19 COUNCILMAN SQUILLA: Present.
20 CHIEF CLERK: Mr. Kenyatta
21 Johnson?
22 COUNCILMAN JOHNSON: Present.
23 CHIEF CLERK: Ms. Jannie
24 Blackwell?
25 COUNCILWOMAN BLACKWELL:
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2 Present.
3 CHIEF CLERK: Mr. Curtis Jones,
4 Jr.?
5 COUNCILMAN JONES: Present.
6 CHIEF CLERK: Mr. Darrell
7 Clarke?
8 COUNCIL PRESIDENT CLARKE:
9 Present.
10 CHIEF CLERK: Mr. Bobby Henon?
11 COUNCILMAN HENON: Present.
12 CHIEF CLERK: Ms. Maria
13 Quinones-Sanchez?
14 COUNCILWOMAN SANCHEZ:
15 Presente.
16 CHIEF CLERK: Ms. Cindy Bass?
17 COUNCILWOMAN BASS: Present.
18 CHIEF CLERK: Ms. Cherelle
19 Parker?
20 COUNCILWOMAN PARKER: Present.
21 CHIEF CLERK: Mr. Brian
22 O'Neill?
23 COUNCILMAN O'NEILL: Present.
24 CHIEF CLERK: Councilman Henon,
25 a quorum of the members-elect is present,
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2 and I have in my possession certificates
3 of election from the County Board of
4 Elections in Philadelphia, indicating
5 their election on November 3rd, 2015 for
6 a term of four years, commencing the
7 first Monday of January, AD 2016.
8 COUNCILMAN HENON: Thank you,
9 Clerk.
10 The investiture of members of
11 City Council will now proceed. The
12 members-elect will rise and take the oath
13 of office, which will be administered by
14 the Honorable Sheila Woods-Skipper,
15 President Judge of the Court of Common
16 Pleas.
17 (Applause.)
18 JUDGE WOODS-SKIPPER: Good
19 morning. I would ask that all members
20 who will be given the oath this morning
21 please stand, place your left hands on
22 the Bible, and raise your right hands.
23 If you all could just repeat
24 after me.
25 (Oath of office administered.)
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2 JUDGE WOODS-SKIPPER:
3 Congratulations.
4 (Applause.)
5 COUNCILMAN HENON: The next
6 order of business is the election of a
7 President of City Council for the City of
8 Philadelphia to serve for four years,
9 commencing January 4th, 2016.
10 Nominations are now in order, and the
11 Chair recognizes Councilman Greenlee.
12 COUNCILMAN GREENLEE: Thank
13 you, Mr. Chairman. I proudly and with
14 great honor nominate Darrell L. Clarke.
15 (Applause.)
16 COUNCILMAN HENON: Thank you,
17 Councilman.
18 At this time, the Chair
19 recognizes Councilman Oh.
20 COUNCILMAN OH: Mr. Chairman, I
21 second that nomination.
22 COUNCILMAN HENON: Are there
23 any further nominations?
24 (No response.)
25 COUNCILMAN HENON: Hearing
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2 none, the Chair recognizes Councilman
3 Johnson.
4 COUNCILMAN JOHNSON:
5 Mr. Chairman, I move the nominations be
6 closed.
7 COUNCILMAN HENON: The Chair
8 recognizes Councilman Taubenberger.
9 COUNCILMAN TAUBENBERGER:
10 Mr. Chairman, I second the motion.
11 COUNCILMAN HENON: All those in
12 favor will say aye. Those opposed, nay.
13 There being no -- all aye?
14 (Aye.)
15 COUNCILMAN HENON: Those
16 opposed?
17 (No response.)
18 COUNCILMAN HENON: There being
19 no further nominations, those in favor of
20 the election of the Honorable Darrell L.
21 Clarke as President of City Council will
22 say aye.
23 (Aye.)
24 COUNCILMAN HENON: Those
25 opposed?
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2 (No response.)
3 COUNCILMAN HENON: The ayes
4 have it. However, the temporary Clerk
5 will call the roll.
6 Clerk?
7 CHIEF CLERK: Councilwoman
8 Bass.
9 COUNCILWOMAN BASS: Aye.
10 CHIEF CLERK: Councilwoman
11 Blackwell.
12 COUNCILWOMAN BLACKWELL: Aye.
13 CHIEF CLERK: Councilman
14 Clarke.
15 COUNCIL PRESIDENT CLARKE: Aye.
16 CHIEF CLERK: Councilman Domb.
17 COUNCILMAN DOMB: Aye.
18 CHIEF CLERK: Councilman Green.
19 COUNCILMAN GREEN: Aye.
20 CHIEF CLERK: Councilman
21 Greenlee.
22 COUNCILMAN GREENLEE: Aye.
23 CHIEF CLERK: Councilwoman Gym.
24 COUNCILWOMAN GYM: Aye.
25 CHIEF CLERK: Councilman Henon.
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2 COUNCILMAN HENON: Aye.
3 CHIEF CLERK: Councilman
4 Johnson.
5 COUNCILMAN JOHNSON: Aye.
6 CHIEF CLERK: Councilman Jones.
7 COUNCILMAN JONES: Aye.
8 CHIEF CLERK: Councilman
9 O'Neill.
10 COUNCILMAN O'NEILL: Aye.
11 CHIEF CLERK: Councilman Oh.
12 COUNCILMAN OH: Aye.
13 CHIEF CLERK: Councilwoman
14 Parker.
15 COUNCILWOMAN PARKER: Aye.
16 CHIEF CLERK: Councilwoman
17 Quinones-Sanchez.
18 COUNCILWOMAN SANCHEZ: Aye.
19 CHIEF CLERK: Councilwoman
20 Reynolds Brown.
21 COUNCILWOMAN BROWN: Aye.
22 CHIEF CLERK: Councilman
23 Squilla.
24 COUNCILMAN SQUILLA: Aye.
25 CHIEF CLERK: Councilman
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2 Taubenberger.
3 COUNCILMAN TAUBENBERGER: Aye.
4 COUNCILMAN HENON: The ayes are
5 17; the nays are zero. Councilman Clarke
6 having been unanimously chosen by the
7 members of City Council, I declare that
8 Councilman Clarke is duly elected
9 President of this Council body.
10 (Standing ovation.)
11 COUNCILMAN HENON: A little
12 anxious to come to the podium here,
13 Council President.
14 I appoint Councilwoman Blondell
15 Reynolds Brown, Councilman Greenlee,
16 Councilman O'Neill, and Councilman Oh to
17 escort Council President Clarke to the
18 rostrum. Joining the President at the
19 rostrum will be Nita Wroten and Helen
20 Brown. The oath of office will be
21 administered by the Honorable Rosalyn
22 Robinson, Judge of the Court of Common
23 Pleas. You may proceed to the rostrum,
24 please.
25 (Applause.)
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2 JUDGE ROBINSON: Council
3 President, place your left hand on the
4 Bible, raise your right hand and repeat
5 after me.
6 (Oath of office administered.)
7 JUDGE ROBINSON:
8 Congratulations.
9 COUNCIL PRESIDENT CLARKE:
10 Thank you.
11 (Applause.)
12 COUNCILMAN HENON: It is now my
13 pleasure to present to you the President
14 of City Council, the Honorable Darrell L.
15 Clarke.
16 (Applause.)
17 COUNCIL PRESIDENT CLARKE: I'm
18 sorry I was a little anxious. It's only
19 my second time.
20 Folks, I just want to say that
21 it is a pleasure of having an opportunity
22 to serve as the President of the City
23 Council of Philadelphia. It is one of
24 the best jobs in the City and one of the
25 best jobs in the country. So I want to
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2 truly thank my colleagues, all of my
3 supporters, all of the wonderful staff
4 that we have and the people that have
5 given me this awesome opportunity.
6 To my colleagues, some old
7 friends and some new friends, it is my
8 honor to continue serving the people of
9 the City of Philadelphia as President of
10 City Council. I want to thank you again
11 for this privilege.
12 Four years ago, as some of you
13 may recall, I stood on this stage and I
14 was a little nervous, it was my first
15 time, I must admit, but I was extremely
16 optimistic and extremely determined to do
17 the business for the citizens of the City
18 of Philadelphia, and as a result of that,
19 I'd like to say I am so proud of this
20 City Council, the people that I have
21 worked with. And I know that I may rub
22 some people the wrong way, but the last
23 four years I've worked with what I
24 believe to be the best City Council in
25 the City of Philadelphia's history.
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2 (Applause.)
3 COUNCIL PRESIDENT CLARKE: And
4 that doesn't include the new members
5 because you guys weren't here. So I'm
6 sure you'll enhance that.
7 But together we modernized
8 property assessments, streamlined
9 planning and development functions in an
10 historic reinvention of municipal
11 government, created the nation's largest
12 Land Bank.
13 Thank you, Councilwoman, for
14 that awesome work.
15 (Applause.)
16 COUNCIL PRESIDENT CLARKE: We
17 authorized an independent Water and Sewer
18 Rate Board to protect consumers and
19 strengthened regulations to make
20 building, demolition, and construction
21 safer.
22 Councilman Jones, I want to
23 thank you for chairing those hearings.
24 (Applause.)
25 COUNCIL PRESIDENT CLARKE: We
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2 adopted strategies to build an affordable
3 future, and that is very important in
4 today's times. Solicited citizen input
5 and community sustainability initiatives
6 at town halls throughout the City of
7 Philadelphia and began working with
8 stakeholders.
9 And, Mayor Kenney, I want to
10 thank you. That trip was awesome to
11 Cincinnati. We look forward to expanding
12 on that.
13 And the last four years were
14 extremely productive, and I'm
15 particularly proud about the fact that
16 we've worked together. And you look at
17 the vote count and the number of our
18 sessions and there were a lot of 17-0,
19 16-1's, 15-2's. And as a matter of fact,
20 I tell my communications person that a
21 press person actually called me and said,
22 You know, you guys are boring.
23 What do you mean?
24 You're always together.
25 I said, Well, you know, that's
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2 not a bad thing. And I had to apologize
3 for not having to fight on the floor of
4 City Council. We didn't do that this
5 term, right? Nobody threatened to throw
6 anybody out of the window, right? A la
7 Abscam, there wasn't a movie made after
8 us. But we did some good work. But
9 guess what? We still have so much more
10 to do.
11 In spite of the significant
12 problems we tackled and milestones we
13 reached, far too many issues remain
14 unresolved. None of us here, especially
15 those in this beautiful amphitheater, can
16 feel good about being the most
17 impoverished of the major U.S. cities.
18 Nor can we feel good about unemployment
19 in some of our neighborhoods,
20 unemployment that actually reaches
21 upwards of 40 to 50 percent in some of
22 our communities. We cannot feel good
23 about vacant lots and blighted conditions
24 that still are a part of some
25 neighborhoods' landscape. We have to fix
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2 that.
3 The previous term Council made
4 a significant proposal to ensure
5 equitable growth throughout the City of
6 Philadelphia, to make sure that every
7 neighborhood, every neighborhood is a
8 community of choice. And I want to thank
9 my colleagues for working so diligently
10 toward the goal of equitable communities
11 that are inclusive of everyone regardless
12 of who they are or how much they earn. I
13 want to thank you guys so much for that
14 great work.
15 (Applause.)
16 COUNCIL PRESIDENT CLARKE: Here
17 in the City of Philadelphia, a city of
18 working-class communities, that
19 conversation begins and ends with
20 affordability. For those of us who got
21 knocked down during the recession,
22 whether by job loss or lost savings,
23 getting back to where we were has been
24 difficult, has been extremely difficult.
25 Young people are delaying homeownership.
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2 People who used to be homeowners are now
3 renting. There are some significant
4 challenges. And in spite, you do see
5 market-rate housing in a lot of sections
6 of the City of Philadelphia. And I want
7 to thank Mayor Nutter for working with us
8 to ensure that we have significant
9 growth. But the simple reality is that
10 most of our citizens cannot afford the
11 cost of those new market-rate housing.
12 So last term, City Council set
13 out a goal to building 2,000 new
14 affordable, workforce units on vacant
15 land in gentrifying neighborhoods to make
16 sure that everybody had an opportunity to
17 live in these choice neighborhoods. We
18 are already bucking a trend that is
19 making other major cities less affordable
20 and less inclusive.
21 We will also be rolling out a
22 comprehensive energy strategy to help
23 homeowners, businesses, and our own City
24 government to increase efficiencies,
25 reduce costs, and create more than 10,000
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2 new green jobs along the way. To the
3 press, stay tuned for that.
4 We know that a good quality of
5 life is not just about having a place to
6 live. Economic opportunity, giving
7 people the ability to sustain themselves
8 and their families and have real pride in
9 earning a living, is critical to creating
10 healthy communities. I'm talking about
11 jobs, jobs, jobs.
12 So to create new jobs, we will
13 propose the following: A targeted and
14 coordinated effort among the private,
15 public, and non-profit sectors to secure
16 an amendment to the Uniformity Clause in
17 the Pennsylvania State Constitution,
18 which will allow our city, for the first
19 time in decades, to truly reform our tax
20 structure. This isn't just about
21 delivering tax relief for homeowners --
22 (Applause.)
23 COUNCIL PRESIDENT CLARKE: I
24 know some Chamber people like that.
25 This isn't just about tax
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2 relief for homeowners, although that is
3 definitely a laudable goal. This is
4 about making targeted investments to
5 stimulate the economic growth and the
6 prosperity of our city.
7 Two, we need to make sure that
8 young people in the City of Philadelphia
9 graduating from the Philadelphia public
10 schools and other high schools are
11 prepared to join the workforce. For
12 some, that might mean moving on to
13 college and maybe even grad school, but
14 college, particularly with the insane
15 costs and debt associated with it, is not
16 for everyone.
17 So what we want to do and have
18 started those discussions, that we have
19 been blessed to have world-class higher
20 education institutions and teaching
21 hospitals in the City of Philadelphia.
22 Few cities can beat us in eds and meds.
23 As a matter of fact, I'll go so far as to
24 say we're the best. I know Boston is
25 maybe a close second, but at the end of
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2 the day, the City of Philadelphia has the
3 best eds and meds.
4 (Applause.)
5 COUNCIL PRESIDENT CLARKE: So
6 understanding that, understanding that,
7 as we talk about the School District and
8 some of the curriculum changes, while I
9 understand that we are mandated to teach
10 to the test, how about teaching to the
11 job opportunity?
12 (Applause.)
13 COUNCIL PRESIDENT CLARKE:
14 Wouldn't that be a novel idea?
15 So as a result of that, we have
16 had productive conversations with our
17 major universities, including Penn,
18 Drexel, and my personal favorite,
19 Temple -- it's in my district -- about
20 increasing partnerships with Philadelphia
21 public schools. And I want to thank
22 every college and university official who
23 had looked me in the eye and told me they
24 are committed to doing more for our young
25 people. They're committed, and I'm
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2 looking forward to that. Together, we
3 must find a way to get more Philadelphia
4 public school students on a path to tech,
5 health, science jobs right here in the
6 City of Philadelphia. That, by the way,
7 is how you really address economic
8 inequality - education plus opportunity.
9 (Applause.)
10 COUNCIL PRESIDENT CLARKE: Now,
11 about our schools. It is beyond
12 unconscionable that in this economic
13 recovery the big banks, the corporations,
14 the CEOs are doing better. They're doing
15 real well, real well. But across the
16 country, the simple reality is that
17 school districts are starving. And this
18 is not just morally wrong, it is also
19 extremely counterproductive as it relates
20 to our health and our long-term
21 viability.
22 We are competing with countries
23 around the globe that don't just think
24 twice about investing heavily in
25 education. In the City of Philadelphia,
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2 the birthplace of American democracy, we
3 don't have enough teachers, nurses,
4 counselors, books to give our kids a
5 quality public education they need to
6 become successful adults.
7 (Applause.)
8 COUNCIL PRESIDENT CLARKE: But
9 today we have more reasons to be hopeful.
10 We have a governor in Tom Wolf, who is
11 here with us today -- Governor, where are
12 you?
13 (Standing ovation.)
14 COUNCIL PRESIDENT CLARKE: All
15 right, Gov. We still love you here in
16 the City of Philadelphia. I don't know
17 about any place else in the state, but we
18 love you here.
19 So I want to thank the
20 Governor, who is insisting on a
21 responsible spending plan that funds
22 Pennsylvania schools in a responsible
23 way. And we will --
24 (Applause.)
25 COUNCIL PRESIDENT CLARKE: And
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2 we will, in just a few minutes, have a
3 Mayor in Jim Kenney, a South Philadelphia
4 guy --
5 (Applause.)
6 COUNCIL PRESIDENT CLARKE: --
7 coming from a row home community, just
8 like myself, who knows the importance of
9 a well-rounded education not just for all
10 kids, but especially for the most
11 vulnerable kids, kids who are born into
12 less than stable conditions and less than
13 perfectly safe communities. So we look
14 forward --
15 (Applause.)
16 COUNCIL PRESIDENT CLARKE: --
17 to ensuring that opportunity, because all
18 children deserve a quality education just
19 as our own.
20 Last November, our new Mayor
21 and our new chief education officers and
22 members of my staff, we visited
23 Cincinnati.
24 I'm going to go off script a
25 little bit on this.
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2 We saw something that was
3 extremely exciting. We saw a school that
4 had every opportunity in that school for
5 healthcare. I mean, they literally had
6 an eyeglass store in the school. It was
7 awesome. And I got to tell you, I'm not
8 easily impressed, but I was impressed.
9 But the simple reality is for every city,
10 you need to have a different business
11 model, and in the City of Philadelphia,
12 as we move towards adopting the community
13 school model in a very aggressive way,
14 the simple reality is, to some degree the
15 challenges for that child are not just in
16 the classroom. It's in the home. It's
17 in the way to school.
18 (Applause.)
19 COUNCIL PRESIDENT CLARKE: It's
20 all of the issues, the social issues,
21 that surround that child's life.
22 So what we say, we have to
23 address the entire child. We can't
24 simply just focus on the classroom.
25 (Applause.)
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2 COUNCIL PRESIDENT CLARKE: So
3 what we're talking about is creating
4 community schools in an aggressive way.
5 Mayor, I hope I'm not taking a
6 part of your speech. I'm sorry, because
7 I'm free-lancing. I get excited about
8 this.
9 When we talk about the things
10 that people need in communities, we talk
11 about we do not have a City Hall in every
12 neighborhood, right? We do not have a
13 library in every neighborhood, right? We
14 do not have a hospital in every
15 neighborhood. But guess what we have in
16 every neighborhood? A school. So that
17 school should be the focal point of every
18 imaginable service that we can deliver to
19 our citizens, and I think that approach
20 will allow us to create the environment
21 that will make every neighborhood a
22 neighborhood of choice.
23 (Applause.)
24 COUNCIL PRESIDENT CLARKE: So I
25 just want to say I'm extremely excited,
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2 obviously, about that potential.
3 City Council has already
4 started the process towards community
5 schools, and we'll be talking about that
6 in a little more aggressive pace, but I
7 want to talk about one thing that has
8 recently become a topic of discussion.
9 Very shortly we will be making an
10 announcement on significant reforms of
11 our criminal justice system, right?
12 (Applause.)
13 COUNCIL PRESIDENT CLARKE: That
14 is not sexy. People, okay, whatever.
15 But the simple reality is that it affects
16 your life if you pay taxes. It affects
17 your life if you have a family member
18 that has had a challenge. It affects
19 your life if you happen to live in a
20 neighborhood where crime continues to be
21 a challenge. It will affect your life if
22 you are a member of the City of
23 Philadelphia.
24 So with this reform, we will
25 look at every opportunity, because we
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2 truly believe that no Philadelphian
3 should live in fear of those sworn to
4 protect and serve them, meaning the
5 police, nor should any Philadelphian who
6 has made a mistake and is remorseful and
7 wants to turn their life around and
8 become a productive citizen be denied
9 opportunities to do so.
10 (Applause.)
11 COUNCIL PRESIDENT CLARKE: So
12 to all of you and to my colleagues in
13 particular, all of you, I want to thank
14 you so much for the last four years, and
15 I look forward to the next four years,
16 because it is going to be a blast.
17 So to all of you, I want to
18 thank you so much for being here today.
19 May God bless you. Thank you so much.
20 (Standing ovation.)
21 COUNCIL PRESIDENT CLARKE:
22 Thank you. Now it's time to get back to
23 real business.
24 The next order of business is
25 the election of the Chief Clerk of the
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2 City Council of Philadelphia.
3 Nominations are now in order, and the
4 Chair recognizes Councilman Squilla.
5 COUNCILMAN SQUILLA: Thank you,
6 Mr. President. I nominate Mr. Michael
7 Decker.
8 COUNCIL PRESIDENT CLARKE: The
9 Chair thanks the gentleman, and the Chair
10 now recognizes Councilman Domb.
11 COUNCILMAN DOMB: Thank you,
12 Mr. President. I second the nomination.
13 COUNCIL PRESIDENT CLARKE: Are
14 there any additional nominations?
15 (No response.)
16 COUNCIL PRESIDENT CLARKE:
17 Hearing none, the Chair recognizes
18 Councilwoman Bass.
19 COUNCILWOMAN BASS:
20 Mr. President, I move the nominations be
21 closed.
22 COUNCIL PRESIDENT CLARKE: The
23 Chair now recognizes Councilman Jones.
24 COUNCILMAN JONES: I second
25 that motion.
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2 COUNCIL PRESIDENT CLARKE:
3 Thank you. It has been moved and
4 properly seconded that the nominations be
5 closed. All those in favor of the motion
6 will say aye.
7 (Aye.)
8 COUNCIL PRESIDENT CLARKE:
9 Those opposed will say nay.
10 (No response.)
11 COUNCIL PRESIDENT CLARKE: The
12 ayes have it and the motion carries.
13 There being no further nominations, all
14 in favor of the election of Mr. Michael
15 Decker as Chief Clerk of Council will say
16 aye.
17 (Aye.)
18 COUNCIL PRESIDENT CLARKE:
19 Those opposed?
20 (No response.)
21 COUNCIL PRESIDENT CLARKE: The
22 ayes have it. However, the Clerk will
23 call the roll.
24 CHIEF CLERK: Councilwoman
25 Bass.
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2 COUNCILWOMAN BASS: Aye.
3 CHIEF CLERK: Councilwoman
4 Blackwell.
5 COUNCILWOMAN BLACKWELL: Aye.
6 CHIEF CLERK: Councilman Domb.
7 COUNCILMAN DOMB: Aye.
8 CHIEF CLERK: Councilman Green.
9 COUNCILMAN GREEN: Aye.
10 CHIEF CLERK: Councilman
11 Greenlee.
12 COUNCILMAN GREENLEE: Aye.
13 CHIEF CLERK: Councilwoman Gym.
14 COUNCILWOMAN GYM: Aye.
15 CHIEF CLERK: Councilman Henon.
16 COUNCILMAN HENON: Aye.
17 CHIEF CLERK: Councilman
18 Johnson.
19 COUNCILMAN JOHNSON: Aye.
20 CHIEF CLERK: Councilman Jones.
21 COUNCILMAN JONES: Aye.
22 CHIEF CLERK: Councilman
23 O'Neill.
24 COUNCILMAN O'NEILL: Aye.
25 CHIEF CLERK: Councilman Oh.
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2 COUNCILMAN OH: Aye.
3 CHIEF CLERK: Councilwoman
4 Parker.
5 COUNCILWOMAN PARKER: Aye.
6 CHIEF CLERK: Councilwoman
7 Quinones-Sanchez.
8 COUNCILWOMAN SANCHEZ: Aye.
9 CHIEF CLERK: Councilwoman
10 Reynolds Brown.
11 COUNCILWOMAN BROWN: Aye.
12 CHIEF CLERK: Councilman
13 Squilla.
14 COUNCILMAN SQUILLA: Aye.
15 CHIEF CLERK: Councilman
16 Taubenberger.
17 COUNCILMAN TAUBENBERGER: Aye.
18 CHIEF CLERK: Council President
19 Clarke.
20 COUNCIL PRESIDENT CLARKE: Aye.
21 The ayes are 17; the nays are
22 zero. Mr. Decker, having received a
23 unanimous vote of the members of Council,
24 I now declare Mr. Michael Decker duly
25 elected Chief Clerk of the City Council
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2 of Philadelphia.
3 (Applause.)
4 COUNCIL PRESIDENT CLARKE: At
5 this time, Councilman Greenlee and
6 Councilwoman Blackwell will escort
7 Mr. Decker to the rostrum. Judge
8 Woods-Skipper will administer the oath of
9 office to Mr. Decker.
10 JUDGE WOODS-SKIPPER: Mr.
11 Decker, if you will place your left hand
12 on the Bible and raise your right hand
13 and repeat after me.
14 (Oath of office administered.)
15 JUDGE WOODS-SKIPPER:
16 Congratulations.
17 (Applause.)
18 COUNCIL PRESIDENT CLARKE:
19 Thank you, and congratulations,
20 Mr. Decker.
21 At this time, I will name the
22 officers of the City Council. Please be
23 advised by a vote of the democratic
24 members of Council, the Honorable Bobby
25 Henon was elected Majority Leader, the
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2 Honorable --
3 (Applause.)
4 COUNCIL PRESIDENT CLARKE: The
5 Honorable Blondell Reynolds Brown was
6 elected Majority Whip.
7 (Applause.)
8 COUNCIL PRESIDENT CLARKE: And
9 the Honorable William Greenlee was
10 elected Majority Deputy Whip of the City
11 Council of Philadelphia.
12 (Applause.)
13 COUNCIL PRESIDENT CLARKE: Also
14 be advised that by a vote of the
15 republican members of Council, the
16 Honorable Brian J. O'Neill was elected
17 Minority Leader.
18 (Applause.)
19 COUNCIL PRESIDENT CLARKE: And
20 the Honorable David Oh was elected
21 Minority Whip.
22 (Applause.)
23 COUNCIL PRESIDENT CLARKE:
24 Thank you. The next order of business is
25 the introduction of a resolution
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2 concerning the rules of government of the
3 Council of the City of Philadelphia, and
4 the Chair recognizes Councilwoman
5 Blackwell.
6 COUNCILWOMAN BLACKWELL: Thank
7 you, Mr. President. I offer the
8 following resolution.
9 COUNCIL PRESIDENT CLARKE: Mr.
10 Decker, would you please read that
11 resolution.
12 CHIEF CLERK: A resolution to
13 provide Rules for the Government of the
14 Council of the City of Philadelphia.
15 COUNCIL PRESIDENT CLARKE: The
16 Chair recognizes Councilwoman
17 Quinones-Sanchez.
18 COUNCILWOMAN SANCHEZ: Thank
19 you, Mr. President. I move that the
20 rules, as set forth in this resolution,
21 be adopted as the temporary rules of
22 Council until the permanent rules are
23 adopted.
24 COUNCIL PRESIDENT CLARKE:
25 Thank you. The Chair thanks the
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2 Councilwoman.
3 The Chair now recognizes
4 Councilwoman Gym.
5 COUNCILWOMAN GYM:
6 Mr. President, I second the motion.
7 COUNCIL PRESIDENT CLARKE:
8 Thank you.
9 All in favor of the motion will
10 say aye.
11 (Aye.)
12 COUNCIL PRESIDENT CLARKE:
13 Those opposed?
14 (No response.)
15 COUNCIL PRESIDENT CLARKE: The
16 ayes have it and the motion is carried.
17 The rules contained in this resolution
18 have been adopted temporarily. The
19 resolution will be placed on the Final
20 Passage Calendar for consideration at our
21 next session of Council.
22 The organization of the Council
23 of the City of Philadelphia and the
24 investiture of the City Council members
25 are now complete, in accordance with the
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2 provisions of the Home Rule Charter.
3 (Applause.)
4 COUNCIL PRESIDENT CLARKE:
5 Council is now honored by the presence of
6 John Roberts. I ask you all to please
7 rise as I invite Reverend Roberts to lead
8 us in prayer.
9 (All members and guests rise.)
10 REVEREND ROBERTS: Let us all
11 pray.
12 Lord, thou has been our
13 dwelling place in all generations, before
14 the mountains were brought forth, forever
15 thou has formed the earth and the world.
16 Even from everlasting to everlasting,
17 thou art God.
18 Our Father, we just want to
19 take time to thank you. Not only did you
20 wake us up, but you helped us to get up.
21 You blessed us with a portion of strength
22 where we were able to bathe ourselves
23 without any assistance. And then you
24 brought us to this place on this morning,
25 covering us with your divine protection.
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2 We ask now that you would bless
3 these great leaders of this great city.
4 Bless our Council President. Thank you
5 for the service that he's already
6 rendered. We ask that you will continue
7 to give him wisdom and knowledge and even
8 a greater understanding that he might
9 lead this great city, along with those
10 that are in the office along with him
11 working to make this city a greater city.
12 We pray now for our children,
13 that you will cover them in your divine
14 protection. All lives matter.
15 Bless us now and we shall be
16 blessed. Heal us now and we shall be
17 healed. For how good and how pleasant it
18 is for brethren to dwell together in
19 unity.
20 Except the Lord build the
21 house, they labor in vain that build it.
22 Except the Lord keep the city, the
23 watchman waketh but in vain.
24 We ask that you would be with
25 us on today, and when we leave this
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2 place, let us continue to bind together
3 to make this the greatest city in
4 America. I believe we can do it. We
5 trust and look to you, the author and
6 finisher of our faith.
7 Bless our Councilperson. Bless
8 the President. Bless his family. Keep
9 them safe from hurt, harm, and danger.
10 Bless my good friend and P
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