Heard in the Hall

Heard atop City Hall: a blessing

Philadelphia City Hall and political coverage from the Philadelphia Inquirer City Hall bureau.

6 comments

Heard atop City Hall: a blessing

POSTED: Wednesday, April 8, 2009, 11:31 AM

Patrick Kerkstra

Shoshana Bricklin, a legislative aide to City Councilman Curtis Jones Jr., was atop City Hall this morning at 7:30 a.m. with three members of her synagogue to bless the sun.

The blessing, known as Birkat Hachama, is a Jewish ritual that takes place every 28 years. By sheer coincidence, the blessing this cycle falls on the day before Passover.

Bricklin, who has been studying to become a Hebrew priestess, said her party had only four people in it because that is all the city allows in the observation deck, which is just below the statue of William Penn, 548 feet above ground.

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Comments (6)

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 12:26 PM, 04/08/2009

Can we just cut Council and its budget by 2/3 already.......

— Earl J

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 9:56 PM, 04/08/2009

City Of Philadelphia's Financial Problems - Framework Of The Answer! "Part One" Mayor Nutter is a good public official who was dealt terrible cards with the City's projected billion dollar deficit but his plan to address the problem is weak as well is City Council's. Mayor Nutter in his budget is planning that city employees over the next several years won't get raises that is unrealistic and unfair, inflation will be existing during that time so employees deserve to get corresponding cost of living adjustments. The bottom line on the budget is that Mayor Nutter is going to need significantly more revenue than he has identified over the next few years to balance the City's budget. The Mayor in his budget has proposed two new temporary revenue sources, temporarily increasing property taxes and temporarily increasing the sales tax by one percent, to raise needed revenue. These are good inititiatives but the City's plan has to be dramatically better if it will fly. First as one would expect the increase in the real estate tax idea is going over like a lead balloon in City Council. Someone in the media mentioned that the strategy the City should be taking is that the city's financial burden should be carried by all the stakeholders in a fair manner, that includes not only the residents but also the business community and the non-resident workers in the City. This should be the city's strategy. "SEE PART TWO"

— JimofPennsylvania

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 10:02 PM, 04/08/2009

The City Of Philadelphia's Financial Problems - Framework Of The Answer! "Part One" Mayor Nutter is a good public official who was dealt terrible cards with the City's projected billion dollar deficit but his plan to address the problem is weak as well is City Council's. Mayor Nutter in his budget is planning that city employees over the next several years won't get raises that is unrealistic and unfair, inflation will be existing during that time so employees deserve to get corresponding cost of living adjustments. The bottom line on the budget is that Mayor Nutter is going to need significantly more revenue than he has identified over the next few years to balance the City's budget. The Mayor in his budget has proposed two new temporary revenue sources, temporarily increasing property taxes and temporarily increasing the sales tax by one percent, to raise needed revenue. These are good inititiatives but the City's plan has to be dramatically better if it will fly. First as one would expect the increase in the real estate tax idea is going over like a lead balloon in City Council. Someone in the media mentioned that the strategy the City should be taking is that the city's financial burden should be carried by all the stakeholders in a fair manner, that includes not only the residents but also the business community and the non-resident workers in the City. This should be the city's strategy. "SEE PART TWO"

— JimofPennsylvania

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 7:15 AM, 04/09/2009

Yes, I agree that Mayor Nutter walked into a difficult situation. But I believe he knew about it and is acting irresponsible by overpaying and growing his staff as if we were a growing city and expecting the people of Philadelphia to pay with taxes on their homes. Latest example is the current Mayors office Budget is 74% over prior Mayor's budget with some services switch out to other departments.

— DennisR

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 7:15 AM, 04/09/2009

— DennisR

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 11:23 AM, 04/09/2009

Nutter is over his head and out of touch with the people and the problems in the administration. Shine your boots and kick the thieves in L and I out of the MSB Building. Are you the only one (along with Franny Burns) that does not know who has been part of the thievery in the L and I Administration? Wake up Mike before Fox 29 beat ya to it!

— CommonSense4Philly