Council overrides Nutter's veto of Finnigan's Wake expansion
Despite community opposition, City Council voted unanimously to override Mayor Nutter's veto and allow Finnigan's Wake to install balconies along Spring Garden Street.
Council overrides Nutter's veto of Finnigan's Wake expansion
Jan Ransom
This post has been updated:
Despite community opposition City Council voted unanimously to override Mayor Nutter’s veto of a bill that would have allowed Finnigan’s Wake, in Northern Liberties to install balconies along Spring Garden Street, converting much of it to private use.
But the bill's sponsor, Councilman Mark Squilla said the decision to override was more about making a statement to Nutter that he shouldn't be involved.
"This is more or less procedural. It has nothing to do with the subject matter." The day Council received notice of Nutter's veto Squilla said, “As a district Council person you usually feel that your dealings within the community and your business within the district are sort of in a way are up to the Council person and not the Mayor as a whole.”
Squilla said he explained that to the Northern Liberties Neighbors Assocation and added that the project won't happen until there is a resolution.
"It's a matter of principle. I understand that," said Matt Ruben, president of the Northern Liberties Neighbors Association, pointing to the issue of Councilmanic prerogative. "I don't think it should be more important than the issue here."
Ruben said residents are upset, but for now they can only hold the Councilman to his word. "Those promises are all we have now that the law has actually been passed," he said.
Nutter had said in a veto notice to Council that the city should not convert a "public-right-of-way to a primarily private use in the face of opposition of the community resident association that represents the neighborhood most affected by the proposal."
Democatic cronyism at its finest. Who cares what the neighborhood actually wants.— Professor1982
Comment removed.
Businesses all over the city have taken over the public spaces and no one ever says boo.— Susie from Philly- Stupidity at its finest. Council did it to spite the Mayor. Politics pure and simple. Get to work and stop creating more mayhem.— A. Martinez
BBBBOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!
Wow! Take that M.N..- “As a district Council person you usually feel that your dealings within the community and your business within the district are sort of in a way are up to the Council person and not the Mayor as a whole.” WTF, please asks questions prior to casting your votes.... 5th grader— Checkthemirror
- so for once Nutter has the interest of the neighborhood in mind, and council has the interest of their own agenda. Politics.— EC391981
- At least Bob Brady is consistent. He cleared the streets for the scab contractor Post Brothers and has now done it for Finnegans Wake. A bad omen for Mayor Nutter and evidence of where the power resides.— Paul Deon
- This whole thing of district council privilege is outdated BS. If you go to the trouble of completly redoing the zoning code, of emphasizing planning, and of enforcing ethics and campaign laws, then why should the district councilperson - most of whom aside from having no expertise in zoning, planning, or economic development, are beholden to particular interests or developers - get to have a veto power.— bullrun
- Put a New Orleans Bordello in Finnegan's!— Aces high
- Yeah, but is Finnegan's Wake any good? How's the food?— bartello
- So Council basically wants to fight over control of what they see as their little fiefdoms. Pathetic.— Mr Tips
- They're making a point, hell with what the people want.— neddyflanders
- So Nutter doesn't approve of using public land for private interests? How about his approval of the private Made in America concert, that tied up half the Ben Franklin Parkway and adjacent parks for 2 weeks, and resulted in the destruction of the ballfield at 22nd and the Parkway?— YoPhilly123
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David Gambacorta spent a small eternity writing about cops, drug dealers and serial killers. Now he’s writing about power and politics – which sometimes reminds him of the old crime beat. He joined the Daily News in 2005. And yes, he knows you’re not quite sure how to pronounce his last name. E-mail tips to gambacd@phillynews.com
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Jan Ransom, a native New Yorker, joined the Daily News in 2010 after graduating from Howard University. She has since written about the difficulty of filing police complaints, tax deadbeats and life after violent home invasions. She joined the Daily News City Hall Bureau in 2011 and has plunged headfirst into reporting on administration budget battles and City Council shenanigans. E-mail tips to ransomj@phillynews.com
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Sean Collins Walsh is from Bucks County and went to Northwestern University. He joined the Daily News copy desk in 2012 and now covers the Nutter administration. Before that, he interned at papers including The New York Times, The Dallas Morning News and The Seattle Times. E-mail tips to walshSE@phillynews.com
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