Ink Barely Dry, Council Proposes Zoning Code Changes

Remember that zoning code we've been working on for four years? Just finished and about to become codified? Well, city council wants to make some changes.

If you recall, our old code was a byzantine disaster area, from so many changes and caveats, from 50 years of city councils claws sinking in... Get ready to start that process again!

"This does not bode well," says Harris Steinberg, executive director of nonprofit design group PennPraxis. "Council had their fingers in the old zoning code so deep that nothing could get done, and that's one of the reasons why we had to have a new code."

Council President Darrel Clark's amendment was the most interesting, making it more difficult and making punishments more severe for working as a nonunion contractor. Punsihments now include siezing your truck and all your tools! I guess the Post Brothers are really scaring the shit out of Union City....

City Planning commision, you know, the people who study this issue, make it thier career to understand all related issues, look to other cities for working examples, and then try to guide our city forward, were, understanably, nonplussed.

Casino Royale

Bob Brady proposes the city build its own casino...

"Its a no brainer. Theres no downside, that I can think of." -Rep B Brady

I do believe this requires no brains to love and that Rep Brady cannot think of a downside. Let me help with that, this city is notorious for corruption, casinos are corruption magnets. This city has a serious problem with nepotism, (hiring your brother for a job he's barely qualified for just because he's your brother) which means you have people on the payroll who are difficult to fire, and not so great at thier job, this is a recipie for waste, which means less money for the school district (after all, these casinos are all about the school districts and lowering taxes, so efficiency and high profits should be paramount). Thank god the Mayor agrees...

But dont tell that to City Council!

Councilman Jim Kenney calls Nutter's rejection of the idea "shortsighted."

Councilman Mark Squilla asks: "If we can do it and the city can profit, why not?"

Councilman Kenyatta Johnson repeatedly said he is keeping an open mind about what he called an "interesting concept."

Brady said Council President Darrell Clarke was interested in exploring the city-owned casino concept after the two spoke on the phone Thursday morning.

Another Trip on Memory Lane

Remember back when Councilwoman Miller had that horse in her yard? no? Well read about it...
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/nwgreens/message/3091
the original article from the Daily news site is no longer available...

Or how about the time she proposed the final solution to the city's gun problem...
http://blogs.philadelphiaweekly.com/willdo/tag/toy-guns/

Kenney Learns to Tweet, While Drunk

I guess Councilman Kenney has learned how to use twitter after all, and is really keeping it classy for council. No word on cancelling the 30k contract to have someone do it for him.

http://www.philly.com/philly/blogs/cityhall/Jim-Kenney-trades-off-color-tweets-with-city-employee.html

Councilman tweets to the tune of 29k

Worst title ever? I don't know, I leave that to you, my lone reader, to decide. As for me, I'm sadly not stunned any longer to find, although I am amused, and I am still speechless, that our council knows no low to which it doesn't seek to find a way to, nor will it cease to search for new lows to grace us with.

Philadelphia city councilman pays 29k to centercity based firm, Chatterbox to manage his twitter account. Which amounted to approx 28k more than a co-op from nearby Drexel or Penn would have cost.

As interesting was the councilman's response that , ""I, at 53 years old, do not have that facility,".

Thats what we've been saying all along...But about ALL of you.

Taking the cake though, for most interesting part of this meaningless indicator of average incompetence, are the tweets themselves, what rich and robust language, surely some piercing thought, was contained within them, you are thinking, no doubt. Lets take a peek...

http://www.philly.com/philly/blogs/our-money/More-on-Kenneys-Twitter-contract.html

....SIGHhhh...

Council Gets Uppity

Guess they dont like to be the center of attention.

Problem is, the facts.

And so the mayor is left to veto the advertising wall wrap bill.

Do Nothing Council

TODAY is Thursday, but don't bother going to City Council chambers; Council is not meeting. As the Daily News reported this week, Council is off for Presidents Day - a holiday that fell on Monday.

Apparently this is not unusual since Council regularly takes thursday off if there is a vacation day during that week. And how many days of work had they attended since the new year began by Feb 22nd? Six.

I suppose some would argue that we are better off when they are not in session. But I'll bet if they were paid for showing up, they'd be there more often...

Stupid is as Stupid Does

As usual, the mayor is left to do the thinking for everyone. City council recently passed a bill allowing wall wrap ads, over the recommendation of citizens groups,the planning commision, the zoning board of adjustments, commonwealth courts and the court of common pleas. Also opposing the bill were officials in Harrisburg who claimed it violates state law, as well as jepardizing highway funding for the city. All that to wrap some buildings in advertisements, seems worth the fight, no?
The bill was introduced by Councilman Diccico, who is on his way out for having enrolled inDROP and enraged voters, he declined to run in the face of certain defeat. It seems to be a parting gift to a developer who owns a building in his district and has been to court over this issue.

 Key part of the article...
"City Solicitor Shelley R. Smith pointing out "a serious legal issue" with the bill. The memo, dated Dec. 8, said the bill "makes just one zoning change to the area within its defined boundary: it permits a single wall-wrap billboard on a specific building."
Federal Highway Administration regulations consider that kind of change "sham zoning," Smith wrote"

Additionally, the new zoning code deals with this issue, so again its unclear why Diccico would need to address a single building with a bill. Unless it was for personal reasons.

Let me kick you in the ass on my way out the door

As a farewell flipoff, certain council members have decided to use their privilege to pass several controversial zoning changes which were either opposed by their constituents, or at the very least, still being fleshed out.
Council members singlehandedly passing controversial spot zoning changes is not historically unusual, however the practice has slowed in recent years since Councilman Mariano went to jail, and John Street's office was bugged.
Fortunately, council recently moved to okay the new zoning code, so this proactice should again fall by the wayside. One would think with a brand new code there would be little reason to need, and less justification of, spot zoning changes. Although in this case, no justification was offered.

Councilmanic Extortion

Councilman Darell Clark argues why a single council person should retain the right to deny a project, and to be able to extort money, or other personal favors from teh developer. He claims, "We offer our opinions and our suggestions, but we will vote on the proposal only after the district Council member has exhaustively evaluated it in a transparent process that includes public hearings and meetings with community advocates." Yet this is very often the exact opposite of what happens.
Often there is no public discussion, there is no transparency, and quite often, the councilpersons demands are unrelated to the project in discussion.
For example, in 1997, in west phila, Jannie Blackwell refused to discuss allowing the new childrens court to move to her district, without first recieving $11,000 worth of unrelated district improvements as, "a conversation starter".

Bringin' up that old shit again

I can't help myself. I have a taste for the classics, here's one where a council aid is caught on camera, bringing beer into a council persons house, during the workday, while she is being paid to be working, ($100,00 per year no less), and her response is pure gold. She shows up at a legislative hearing, and holds up handmade signs accusing people of racism. She is still on the payroll. Why wouldn't she be!

DROP: Council Overrides Mayor Veto

The program doesn't function as intended (supposed to retain highly valued employees), cost more than it was expected to (zero) according to the Mayors study, and Councils study of the study, and is being used by elected officials as a windfall (city council). Oh yeah, and the citizens of the city are overwhelmingly against having their money used this way, but none of this matters to the WLBITFW.

Council is Pro Backroom Deal

Unsurprisingly city council does not have a problem with elected politicians exerting clandestine pressure to swing public money toward longtime friends and political donors. At this point its not so much news, just more of the same. Unfortunately the only people surprised to see this in this paper are council members themselves, who thought that was their job, "What's wrong with that?" says Marian B. Tasco., "having this out in the public ...is a tremendous disservice" says James Kenney.

I'm sure it is, Councilman.

Don't confuse City Council with the current Mayor, who actually gives a shit about ethics.

But what to expect from a group who continuously shows disregard for their employers? According to the wicked witch of the west, "I'm for not having a (public) hearing before we know what we're doing...you could get people angry". As the saying goes, treat the electorate like mushrooms, keep them in the dark and feed them shit.

Deferred Retirement Option Plan

Ahhh DROP, the gift that keeps on giving.
Council has decided to ignore the clear will of the people and vote to keep DROP anyway. Its all over the news, but check out the article below...
There's one last chance for Council not to DROP the ball

The program was intended to save the city money, currently the only argument is how many tens of millions it is costing us, but for council the point is moot. Unions like it, so it stays.

Inquirer Editorial: DROP can't be fixed

Intro

This blog is intended to keep track of the new lows that Philadelphia City Council achieves. I believe it was Mayor Green in the 1950's who accused Council of being the worst legislative body in the free world. They have only gotten worse.