Phila. Council tentatively approves Kenney's choice for city solicitor
Sozi Tulante, Mayor Kenney's pick for city solicitor, was unanimously approved Thursday by a committee of City Council, but not without being badgered a bit by Council President Darrell L. Clarke.
Sozi Tulante, Mayor Kenney's pick for city solicitor, was unanimously approved Thursday by a committee of City Council, but not without being badgered a bit by Council President Darrell L. Clarke.
The questioning was expected. Clarke wants Council to have its own lawyers, and has said that having a solicitor who represents both Council and the mayor could result in conflicts of interests.
At one point, Clarke told Tulante that he once drafted a bill to make the city solicitor an elected position.
"I still have the Charter change bill in my desk that I drafted when nobody even heard about you," Clarke said.
Tulante's appointment in December stirred up long-standing tensions between the Solicitor's Office and Council. When Michael Nutter was mayor, some members have said, the office favored him when he and Council disagreed. To calm the waters, Tulante has met with each Council member.
On Thursday, he told Council that he can be impartial when representing both bodies. And where there is a conflict, he added, city law allows for Council to get its own representation.
"There is that safety valve I described," Tulante said.
Clarke wondered whether that was the only time Council could get its own lawyers. And he asked if Council sues the mayor - which has happened - who would represent whom.
Tulante said he would back the mayor, and Council would get its own lawyers.
"Because the solicitor represents the mayor," Clarke said.
"And City Council," Tulante responded.
"City solicitor is in the mayor's cabinet," Clarke said. "They're not a member of this staff. They work for the mayor."
Both men at times resorted to polite smiles as they debated, Tulante insisting he could be impartial and Clarke insisting a conflict remained.
"It's not personal," Clarke said.
On a personal level, Tulante drew praise from Council members inspired by his background.
Tulante, a former assistant U.S. attorney, came to Philadelphia as a political refugee from what is now the Democratic Republic of Congo when he was 8, and, despite adversity, attended Harvard Law School. On a professional level, some said that since he took over the Solicitor's Office last month, they had already seen improvement.
Tulante's appointment was approved by Council's Committee of the Whole and will be up for a full vote of Council Thursday.
After the hearing, Clarke said the bill that would make the solicitor an elected position was drafted years ago. He has taken no action on it since.
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