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22-720: The Philadelphia Reparations Task Force was created by the Philadelphia City Council in June, 2023. After meeting with the National Coalition of Blacks for Reparations in America , Councilmembers Jamie Gauthier , (D) and Kendra Brooks (WFP) introduced the legislation to develop the city's plan for reparations for slavery . Among others, those speaking in support of the Task Force's creation were

44-489: A Rabbi , Rob Buscher from the Japanese American Citizens League , and White Men for Racial Justice . Philadelphia City Council The Philadelphia City Council , the legislative body of Philadelphia , Pennsylvania, consists of ten members elected by district and seven members elected at-large. The council president is elected by the members from among their number. Each member's term

66-477: A bill, the council may override the veto by a two-thirds vote. Under the rules of the council, regular public sessions are held weekly, usually on Thursday morning at 10:00am, in Room 400, City Hall . Council normally breaks for the summer months of July and August. In a 2006 computer study of local and state legislative districts, two of the city's ten council districts, the 5th and the 7th, were found to be among

88-495: A president, who serves as the regular chairperson of council meetings. In consultation with the majority of council members, the President appoints members to the various standing committees of the council. The president is also responsible for selecting and overseeing most Council employees. Every proposed ordinance is in the form of a bill introduced by a Council member. Before a bill can be enacted, it must be referred by

110-551: Is four years, and there are no limits on the number of terms a member may serve. While William Penn 's original 1691 charter for the city of Philadelphia included a "common council" with appointed members, no records exist of this body ever having been convened. Its successor, the Proprietor's Charter of 1701, constituted the city as a municipal corporation with a non-elected council made up of major city officials who selected their own successors. The colonial city government

132-1061: The 16 other council members to defer to them. A Pew study from 2015 uncovered that 726 of 730 Council votes on land use decisions were unanimous with only six total dissenting votes. This system can lead to conflicts of interest between council members and developers who want to change land use zoning or want to buy property below market rates in order to sell it at a higher price. Since 1981, of six council members convicted of misconduct all revolved around land-use. Critics of councilmanic prerogative argue that it undermines government transparency and accountability, often operating in obscurity, thereby hindering development, fostering public mistrust, favoring political insiders, and allowing narrow interests to override broader city goals. District council members argue that prerogative appropriately empowers elected representatives to oversee land use projects, allowing them to safeguard their communities' interests, enhance development quality, and secure funding for local initiatives, based on their intimate knowledge of

154-477: The 1905 election, the Committee originally intended to recommend a slate of candidates. However, in some cases they found no candidates that met their standards. The group then formed a "City Party", which entered fifteen candidates for magisterial posts. They built support among press, civic and religious organizations for broad reforms, challenging candidates from the entrenched Republican political machine . In

176-712: The Committee of Seventy led fights to defend campaign financing limits, including a lawsuit initiated by Seventy that was eventually heard by the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania , to implement tough new public ethics laws, and to sever the tie between contracts and political contributions in Philadelphia. In 2018, the Committee of Seventy launched Draw the Lines PA, leading a coalition of academic and civic groups that developed its own redistricting map based on 1,500 submissions. Patrick Christmas, policy director of

198-408: The city at large. At-large council members are elected using limited voting with limited nomination in which voters may only select five candidates on the ballot, and which guarantees that two minority-party or independent candidates are elected. Each is elected for a term of four years with no limit on the number of terms that may be served. The members of City Council elect from among themselves

220-674: The county elections of November 1904 the reformers won strongly, gaining (for a time) support from Mayor John Weaver , and putting pressure on the state government to enact reform legislation. The election of Rudolph Blankenburg as Mayor of Philadelphia in 1911 was seen as a major achievement of the Committee of Seventy. Blankenburg headed a nonpartisan administration that focused on the businesslike provision of city services, cutting costs while improving schools, hospitals and transit. However, in 1915, Republican Thomas B. Smith defeated reform candidate George D. Porter. The Committee of Seventy independently investigated electoral fraud , through

242-408: The ethical backbone of a city forgetting its conscience." An organization of the same name and derivation already existed in 19th-century New York City . The Committee of Seventy has a Board made up of more than 70 civic, business, labor, and nonprofit leaders. Its current Chair is Eric Kraeutler, a retired Partner at the law firm of Morgan, Lewis & Bockius . Lauren Cristella has served as

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264-460: The gerrymandered borders of the 5th and 7th districts; it took effect for the 2015 elections. Councilmanic prerogative is the legislative practice where a Philadelphia city council member has final say over land use in their district. Chicago has a similar practice called aldermanic prerogative . This unwritten practice affords council people who represent a geographically defined district unchecked power over land use decisions as it’s custom for

286-559: The governance of the people." The references appear in Exodus 24:1–9, in which God instructs Moses on how to proceed once Israel accepts the Covenant: "And he said unto Moses, Come up unto the Lord, thou, and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel; and worship ye afar off." In 1905, this Philadelphia Committee of Seventy was so named to serve an analogous function: "to be

308-443: The least compact districts in the nation, giving rise to suspicions of gerrymandering . The Committee of Seventy , a non-partisan watchdog group for local elections, asked candidates for council in 2007 to support a list of ethics statements, including a call for fair redistricting, which should take place after the 2010 United States Census . In 2011, the council approved a redistricting map with more compact boundaries, eliminating

330-676: The neighborhoods they represent. As of January 2, 2024 : Committee of Seventy On December 19, 1904, an initial Committee of Seven was formed with the goal of getting competent and honest people into government in Philadelphia, improving voting, fighting corruption, and keeping people informed and involved in the important issues of the day. The initial seven members were soap manufacturer Samuel Simeon Fels , attorney Frank P. Prichard, Dr. George Stanley Woodward, William Henry Pfahler, J. Percy Keating, trade unionist Alfred D. Clavert, and dry-goods merchant Frederic H. Strawbridge. In January 1905, this core group expanded to form

352-427: The ongoing Committee of Seventy, "to keep watch and ward over the public interests". New members included engineer Morris Llewellyn Cooke , book publisher John C. Winston, banker George Washington Norris, dye manufacturer Joseph Henry Scattergood , Quaker merchant Joshua Longstreth Baily, William W. Justice, William H. Jenks, Louis Childs Madeira, Walter Wood, Francis B. Reeves, and lawyer Russell Duane. For

374-608: The organization, has raised concerns about the use of dark money in Philadelphia elections. The organization has also proposed amending Philadelphia's Home Rule Charter to address concerns about the Philadelphia Sheriff’s Office. The name comes from the Bible . From the organization's website, "Chronicling the Israelites’ journey through the desert, Exodus tells of seventy elders who were appointed to assist Moses in

396-594: The population of the city, peaking at 149 members of Common Council and 41 in Select Council, the largest municipal legislature in the US. It was replaced with a single 21-member chamber in 1919, which remained in effect until the adoption of a Home Rule charter in 1951. The 1951 Home Rule Charter established the council as the legislative arm of Philadelphia municipal government, consisting of seventeen members. Ten council members are elected by district and seven from

418-606: The president and CEO since June 6, 2023, when she became its first woman president and CEO. She succeeded Al Schmidt, a civic leader in Philadelphia and a former Philadelphia City Commissioner, who left the organization in January 2023 to serve as the Pennsylvania Secretary of State. In 2024, Schmidt was named to lead the Pennsylvania Governor's Election Threats Task Force. David Thornburgh led

440-410: The president of the council to an appropriate standing committee, considered at a public hearing and public meeting, reported out by the committee, printed as reported by the committee, distributed to the members of the council, and made available to the public. Passage of a bill requires the favorable vote of a majority of all members. A bill becomes law upon the approval of the mayor. If the mayor vetoes

462-640: The work of their counsel Thomas Raeburn White . Members reviewed electoral lists, and were instrumental in introducing legislation to reduce voter fraud. They contributed significantly to changes made to the civil service and the passage of the Philadelphia Home Rule Charters of 1919 and 1951. By the mid-century, the Committee of Seventy had broadened its focus to include public policy and civic education. The Committee of Seventy provides information and analysis about Philadelphia's political culture and government. From 2005 to 2018,

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484-503: Was abolished during the American Revolution and replaced in 1789 with an elected council including fifteen aldermen and thirty common councillors; these then elected a mayor and recorder who also were members of the council. In 1796, a bicameral city council was created including a 20-member Common Council elected annually and 12-member Select Council elected every three years; the sizes of both bodies increased with

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