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Thursday, April 23, 2009
Councilman in DROP: I'll work for free

City Councilman Frank DiCicco last week announced that he would run again in 2011, even though he is enrolled in the DROP program, a retirement incentive that allows any city employee to collect up to four years of pension payments while also working for a salary.

While those employees are normally required to retire after those four years, elected officials have discovered a loophole that allows them to collect their DROP payment after being reelected, and return to office.

Last week, DiCicco's spokesman said the South Philadelphia/Center City councilman would not exploit that loophole, and said he was exploring ways around it.

Today DiCicco said he has found the solution -- if reelected, he will collect his $392,194.56 DROP payment at the end of 2011, and return to office and work for free. DiCicco, who is a licensed Realtor, said he would donate his entire salary back to the city and live off that lump-sum DROP payment for four years. As a City employee, DiCicco said he would not collect his $89,604 annual pension until he leaves the city for good.

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Posted by Jeff Shields @ 12:20 PM  Permalink | 29 comments
Comments   
Posted 12:55 PM, 04/23/2009
rhawnhurst
Retirement means you do not come back to work. It means you are done. There is no such thing as retiring for a day. These people should be sued in court to recover the DROP money. This is Council stealing our money right in front of our faces.
Posted 01:01 PM, 04/23/2009
DennisR
they did not " discover a loophole " they added themselves to the program by creating the changes in the original proposal.
Posted 01:10 PM, 04/23/2009
xatsmann
and will he sign up for DROP again when "retires" later???
Posted 01:12 PM, 04/23/2009
teckie
DiCicco is another of our Coucil scum who talks out of both sides of his mouth. He took the double-dip and now plays "holier than thou". Nutter should get all those people who lined their pockets with DROP money to give it back, but they're his buddies so this "game" continues and Philadelphians get screwed!
Posted 01:23 PM, 04/23/2009
Politburo
$89,604 * 4 = $358,416 != $392,194
Posted 01:34 PM, 04/23/2009
rhawnhurst
Start on May 19...vote incumbents out of office. The City Solicitor SHELLEY R. SMITH should review this and stop this practice.
Posted 01:38 PM, 04/23/2009
gogglespaisano
teckie...nutter cannot make them give the money..he is not king...council wrote the rules - only council can change thm...seperation of the branches of government...you cannot in this on nutter...he wants elected officials to be banned from DROP and in fact - I believe nutter is NOT enrolled in DROP...he has more ethics than many former mayors (Street/Rendell/Goode, etc) and most, if not all of City Council
Posted 01:39 PM, 04/23/2009
gogglespaisano
meant to say...you cannot PIN this on nutter...not IN this on nutter
Posted 01:40 PM, 04/23/2009
DonQ
Are we fools, to vote for this fellow again? Has this city been run by the Democrat bosses for too long? Answer the second question first!
Posted 01:44 PM, 04/23/2009
yawns
throw them all out, don't let them back into city hall, problem solved. philly needs to clean house. many of these council members run unopposed, they were barely elected in the first place.
Posted 02:06 PM, 04/23/2009
Wassup!
He is still using the DROP program for something other than it was intended. Besides, council people don't get to manipulate the system and make up their own rules to benefit themselves. Retire you FOOL! You ARE replaceable, step aside, and give someone else a chance.
Posted 02:22 PM, 04/23/2009
SueBoo
If someone told me I couldn't have the pension money that I contributed out of my paycheck for the past 22 years, I'd hire a lawyer.... when you get a job and your employer says they will contribute to your pension at the same rate that you contribute, you should be able to count on that money, not have people say "Oh, never mind, the economy is bad so you can't have your pension." That's all the more reason why I need it!
Posted 02:23 PM, 04/23/2009
NickEeee
DiCicco seems like a decent guy. Although, I'd like to see DROP amended to make elected officials inelgible.
Posted 02:34 PM, 04/23/2009
gogglespaisano
sueboo...he will get a pension...but should not be eligible for drop
Posted 02:36 PM, 04/23/2009
dreinterests
if the city contributed at the same rate the workers contributed, there'd be very little pension money.
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The Philadelphia Inquirer's Jeff Shields, Marcia Gelbart, and Patrick Kerkstra take you inside Philadelphia's City Hall.
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