Latest news with #PhiladelphiaCityCouncil
Axios
15-05-2025
- Politics
- Axios
Philly officials are spending big to tell voters they're doing good things
Did you receive one of those yearbook-looking 48-page mailers boasting the Philadelphia City Council 's 2024 feats? They cost taxpayers nearly $83,000. Why it matters: The Parker administration, city lawmakers and other elected city leaders have spent at least $2 million in recent months on outside communications firms and media campaigns touting their accomplishments, the Inquirer reports. And a government watchdog group is questioning whether the expenses are a good use of taxpayer dollars. State of play: Last month, the Parker administration finalized a six-figure contract with Erie-based public relations firm Kate Philips & Co., which is run by former Gov. Ed Rendell's spokesperson, to promote the mayor's "initiatives and their successes," per the Inquirer. City officials spent another $102,000 on advertising to promote four town halls about the budget, including billboards plastered with council members' pics and names. Plus, the city sanitation department spent $107,000 to wrap garbage trucks and trash cans with Parker's name and the "One Philly, United City" slogan, the newspaper notes. Between the lines: The emphasis on public awareness efforts suggests city officials are increasingly concerned about how they're perceived by voters. The council's glossy mailer effort specifically targeted "super voters," people who tend to vote in every election, per the Inquirer. What they're saying: Vincent Thompson, spokesperson for council president Kenyatta Johnson, told the outlet that spending money on public awareness campaigns is important because "many people don't even know who their elected officials are." Parker's spokesperson, Joe Grace, defended the PR contract to the Inquirer, saying it'll allow the administration to "tell more stories, and inform the public" about the mayor's positive influence. The other side: The good government group Committee of Seventy is concerned about local politicians spending public money to promote themselves "rather than City programs, services, and opportunities." That "should definitely be handled on the political side," the group says — especially when City Hall already employs dozens of in-house communications workers who collectively earn about $5.3 million a year. By the numbers: The budget for Parker's nine-person comms team is $1.1 million — 20% more than that of her predecessor, Jim Kenney, per the Inquirer.
CBS News
26-03-2025
- CBS News
Philadelphia councilmember asks for the public's help with finding missing family dog, Buzz
A Philadelphia councilmember is pleading with the public for help after she said her dog, Buzz, was stolen over the weekend. Councilmember Kendra Brooks has been chronicling the journey on social media each day since her beloved furry friend has been gone. Brooks, who is in her second term and serves as the minority leader of the City Council, was the first Working Families Party member to be elected to the Philadelphia City Council. According to Philadelphia's City Council website, Brooks was raised in Nicetown and still lives there with her four children. The first post about Buzz being missing was on Saturday. The councilmember posted on social media that a neighbor told her they saw two women in a gray Nissan Ultima take Buzz and asked if anyone had seen the pup in the area of 15th and Wingohocking streets . "I've given my neighborhood my life, please don't begin taking my family," Brooks wrote on Facebook on Saturday. On Tuesday, the councilmember posted a compilation of photos in a social media reel to Randy Newman's "You've Got a Friend in Me," where she described him as family. "From the moment he joined our family, he brought joy, laughter, and a kind of love you don't forget," Brooks wrote. Her family got Buzz during the pandemic, and she said her daughter and grandchildren are devastated, trying to process the situation. "Buzz has been with us through so much, always offering quiet comfort, cuddles, and companionship. Not having him feels like there's a hole in our family," the post said. Brooks is asking anyone who has seen Buzz to contact her at 215-686-0461.
CBS News
13-03-2025
- Business
- CBS News
Philadelphia mayor's new budget includes big boost to traffic safety, bike lane protection
Mayor Cherelle Parker's proposed budget, released Thursday, included a major victory for Philadelphia street safety advocates. Parker set aside $5 million for Vision Zero, Philadelphia's long-term traffic safety initiative, and an additional $5 million for concrete protection along Spruce and Pine streets, the city's two most popular bike lanes. Currently, the bike lanes along Spruce and Pine mostly consist of green and white paint, which designates the cyclist lane from the vehicle lane. Some of the intersections also have flexible white posts that stand about 3 feet tall. The mayor's new budget includes funding to add concrete protection to the Spruce and Pine bike lanes, a project some cycling advocates say will save lives. Jessie Amadio has been fighting for safer bike lanes in Philadelphia for years. Her message, along with other members of Philly Bike Action, became more urgent last summer when Children's Hospital of Philadelphia Dr. Barbara Friedes was killed by a drunk driver while riding her bike in the Spruce bike lane. "To have the city kind of step up and say we also want to make sure that the concrete protection for Spruce and Pine is fully funded no matter what the situation is with federal grants, it's just phenomenal," Amadio said. Last year, advocates criticized Parker's commitment to traffic safety and insisted on more funding for Vision Zero and concrete barriers for bike lanes. On Thursday, they received both. "Every Philadelphian deserves to travel safety throughout our city and return home safe and unharmed," Parker said during her address to Philadelphia City Council. The timeline and design of the bike lane project are unclear. Some possible ideas could include concrete curbs or large planters. City council still has to approve the mayor's proposed budget. Nicole Brunet with the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia spent Thursday afternoon dissecting the budget and trying to determine which line item applies to which project. "There's a lot more in front of us, but having the money ahead of time — that was the biggest obstacle, so that's exciting," Brunet said. Some neighbors and business owners have resisted concrete protection along the bike lanes, saying it would make it impossible to quickly load up children and senior residents or drop off groceries. Others say it would make it harder for emergency vehicles to pull over. Investigation finds drivers parking in bike lanes For months, CBS News Philadelphia has reported on efforts to make biking and bike lanes safer in the city. After over a decade, a church in Center City decided to stop using a city-issued permit that allowed churchgoers to park in bike lanes for Sunday services. Several other houses of worship have also stopped using those permits. Advocates have said, and our investigation found, that obstructions in the bike lanes — whether from delivery trucks, ride-hail vehicles, or residents making quick stops — divert bicyclists into the street, where they risk getting hit by a driver or a suddenly opened car door. Over the summer, the deadliest time for cyclists, CBS News Philadelphia observed several obstructions in bike lanes along Spruce Street, which currently has just painted lines as the only separation between traveling cars and the bike lane. Most signs in the city say "no parking" rather than "no stopping," which means drivers can legally block the lane for up to 20 minutes before being ticketed. Some residents along Spruce Street said they need to park there, at least temporarily, to drop off items or unload groceries. Still, our investigation found numerous cars parked for more than 20 minutes and up to 75 minutes with no driver inside. After our investigation, Council President Kenyatta Johnson introduced the " Get Out The Bike Lane" bill. The legislation proposed increasing fines for parking or stopping in bike lanes. In Center City and University City, the fines would go from $75 to $125, and in other parts of the city, they would go from $50 to $75. Johnson's bill also proposed changing many signs along bike lanes to read "no stopping." The bill passed the following month.
