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Thursday, October 1, 2009

Is BRT Reform Pace Opening Rift In City Council?

A group of City Council members huddled this morning after their weekly caucus meeting, just before the start of their weekly session, to have what appeared to be a debate about reforming the city's Board of Revision of Taxes.  Council Majority Leader Marian Tasco and Majority Whip Darrell Clarke tried to shoo away reporters, claiming they didn't have a quorum of Council present so the discussion was not public.

PhillyClout did a quick head count and found nine Council members -- a quorum -- present in the caucus room.  The debate quickly broke up.

What was all that about?  PhillyClout has a notion that some Council members didn't get the word that their leaders decided after a long meeting yesterday to follow Mayor Nutter's pace on BRT reform.  You can read about that in today's Daily News.
Posted by Chris Brennan @ 10:30 AM  Permalink | 6 comments
Comments   
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 1:28 PM, 10/01/2009
    Fire them all and let the FBI sort out the jail terms later.
    — citylumberjack
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 1:40 PM, 10/01/2009
    Any of the Council opponents to ending the illegal patronage and theft of municipal services that is the current status quo at the BRT needs to be investigated by the FBI's municipal corruption unit. Tasco and Clarke are first on the list.
    — CleanupPhilly
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 1:53 PM, 10/01/2009
    It's not the "pace" of reform, it's the fact of reform. There are those who want reform, and those who don't, and claim that "it's too fast" and "it must be studied" and "we have to get this right, so we have to slow down and consider and wait." They all want the status quo, because they all benefit from it, except for the newbies, and even some of the newbies are afraid to move.
    — CleanupPhilly
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 2:19 PM, 10/01/2009
    Kenney and Green want reform. One idea is to put the assessment in the Dept. of Revenue, and the appeals in its own department. The thing is, it just shouldn't be this hard, and there's no reason to keep making excuses. It's been decades now, and Verna, Tasco, and Clarke have been in office for years and years. It's clear from this KYW piece who are the good Council members: http://www.kyw1060.com/Phila--City-Council-Agrees-to-Delay-Tax-Board-Make/5343670
    — CleanupPhilly
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 2:20 PM, 10/01/2009
    KYW is reporting that BRT reform was shot down this year. Is that true?
    — CleanupPhilly
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 5:36 PM, 10/01/2009
    This issue will separate the real reformers from the fakes that are only interested in keeping their ward leaders and friends on the political dole of patronage. Brady is at the top of that list.
    — Smokey


6 comments
About The Philly Clout Team
PhillyClout
Chris Brennan, a native Philadelphian and graduate of Temple University, joined the Daily News in 1999. He has written about SEPTA, the Philadelphia School District, the legalization of casino gambling, state government, the mayor, the governor, City Council and political campaigns.
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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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Catherine Lucey joined the Daily News in 2002 and has written about murderous drug gangs, political protesters and Harry Potter. After covering the 2007 mayoral election, she moved over to the City Hall bureau where she has been reporting on the Nutter administration.
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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.
 Follow Jan on Twitter



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Catherine Lucey
luceyc@phillynews.com

Chris Brennan
brennac@phillynews.com

Jan Ransom
Ransomj@phillynews.com
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