PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Philadelphia City Council hit the ground running on Thursday as it opened its 4-year term with a new president and four new members.
“It’s a new day and I look forward to leading this body of City Council as we move our great city of Philadelphia forward,” said new Council President Kenyatta Johnson.
To that end, he gaveled in the first working session of 2024 at 10:01 a.m., signaling a novel emphasis on promptness. Johnson seemed thrilled to be at the head of the chamber for a smooth, if somewhat lengthy session.
Council members introduced 21 bills and 28 resolutions. Among those pieces of legislation were several bills that Mayor Jim Kenney pocket-vetoed upon leaving office, and some that simply ran out of time in the last session.
Mayor Cherelle Parker singled out legislation reintroduced from last session by Councilmember Quetcy Lozada, requiring public reports on illegal camping and overdose recovery medication, which factor into the quality of life in her Kensington District.
“On day one of my administration, I issued a Declaration of a Public Safety Emergency, and made clear we would not tolerate these kinds of quality-of-life crimes and nuisance behaviors,” Parker said in an emailed statement.
More than a dozen of the resolutions, which can be voted on the day they're introduced, were passed — including six calling for public hearings on a range of matters from spending in the Office of Homeless Services to preparing students for careers in life sciences.
New Councilmember Rue Landau is making the best of her assignment as chair of the Committee on Technology and Information Services. She called for hearings on how data can be used to reduce violence on the 89 city blocks with 10 or more shootings since 2015, by targeting resources and services.
“We have an opportunity to utilize data more holistically to develop community-based and neighborhood-specific solutions to violence across the city and we must seize that opportunity,” said Landau.
Joining Landau on the rookie team are Councilmembers Jeff Young, Nina Ahmad and Rev. Nic O’Rourke, who sang a hymn as part of his introduction to his new colleagues.
Along with Johnson, Council's new leadership includes Councilmembers Katherine Gilmore Richardson and Isaiah Thomas, respectively, as majority leader and majority whip. Minority leadership has passed from Republican Councilmember Brian O’Neill to Working Families Party members, with Councilmember Kendra Brooks as leader and O’Rourke as whip.