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Dear City Council:

It is a complete travesty of City Council's powers to do this.
I can no more imagine John Street, when he was president of City
Council, allowing this to happen, than elephants flying. There
absolutely needs to be a separation of the powers of the mayor's
office and city council as a governing body. It is part and
parcel of the checks and balances system. And we all know that
the self-righteous, pompous mayor needs no rubber stamp for
stupid plans, but rather open dialogue and debate, or we would
have had a minor city wages tax decrease taken away from us had
this existed in the last term. This is an awful lot of power to
leave in the hands of the very, very few, whom I don't trust to
have all of our best interests as a city at heart.

Dear City Council:

In Washington we have a Congress which rubber-stamps whatever
our appointed by judiciary dictator wishes. Look where it has
gotten us. Why do the same thing on the local scale? Isn't
Streey using his perogative at applying DROP willy-nilly to get
what he wants at this point enough already? For shame, the lot
of you.

Dear City Council:
Let me get this straight, I now have no voice in city council
because of a fight between the Street forces and the non Street
forces. What a city. Why bother to vote if your voice can't be
heard because of all the fighting. Will everyone stop this
carrying on and get back to the issue of running the government.
It's not how many toys you have in the end, it's the job you did
that you were elected to do

Dear City Council:city council members:
i was shocked to read about the changes made in city council
last month. As i understand it, changes were done behind closed
doors, without justification.
Again, as i understand it, questions went unanswered by those
responsible for these changes.
City council members have always elected a president to serve
for four years. now that president can be tossed out at the will
of some members of council.
i wonder if, when john street was president of council,he would
have stood still for such an agreement.
i doubt it. leading under this tentative situation, is not
appropriate or good for anyone concerned about who is running
the city.
Committee assignements were made by the president. now they are
made without her total imput. if she and the majority leader
disagree on a head of a committee, the minority leader breaks
the deadlock.

they can elect a new one. How can anyone lead under these
circumstances, or make decisions without fear of reprisal?

Under the old rules, the president determined the committee
assignments and the committee chairs. Now, the president and the
majority leader make committee assignments. If they are unable
to agree, then the minority leader (i.e., one of three
Republicans on Council) makes the final decision.

do we really want to bills bottled up for God knows how long
because the administration doesn't want to deal with it?

any changes in council should be done in the open, not behind
closed doors and certailing not without public input. we are
after all, the ones who elected council members.

thank you,

carole boynton

835 bells mill road

Dear City Council:

The battle over the rules changes is shameful. If only Council
could lead, legislate and serve as well as some of its members
fight over power.

The rules changes slow down dissent and may cause some good
legislation never to leave committee. And while that poses a
real problem, democracy, with all its flaws, is the best system
we have. And it is democracy, alone, that will determine whether
or not these rules changes stay or go. Let us hope it works to
benefit the people instead of any particular political faction.
And let us hope other civic-minded people weigh in on these
changes.

But like it or not, the majority rules. Just as it did when the
Mayor and all but one incumbent member of Council (happy
driving, Mr. Ortiz!) were reelected last year. And just like it
did when the PA Supreme Court ruled 4-3 to keep yours truly off
a primary ballot after a friend of Frank DiCicco and Senator
Fumo (both true champions of democracy) challenged my nomination
forms.

Sometimes it's not pretty, but if democracy doesn't work for
everyone across the board, it doesn't work at all.

The minority 6 have a choice to make---either get to work, or
continue to campaign against the changes. And the majority can
either defend itself or start working to advance the interests
of the people.

But c'mon guys, lets get to work. After all, there's taxes that
need to be cut, services that need to be improved, a budget that
needs to be balanced and a future to build for the residents of
Philadelphia. Remember that pay-raise you gave yourselves last
year? Well, to quote Tony Soprano, it's time to do some earning!

With all the challenges that face this City, why did it take
an "inside baseball" power shift to get six members of council
to draft a letter that was published in all the papers? If only
you all came together to stand against the go-go club that went
up a block from the Kimmel Center or against the WalMart in Port
Richmond (ask DiCicco for details on both) or for the land-value
tax.

And while this doesn't apply to those progressive good-
government dissenters on Council who honestly want true
independence and are finding themselves on the outside looking
in, allow me to pass on to others in the minority a bit of
appropriate Italian wisdom given to me by my grandmother: be
careful when you spit up in the air--chances are, it will fall
right back in your face.

Have a great session, honorable members of Council.
Here's hoping you make those of us who voted for you proud this
year. It sure has been a long time coming.

Respectfully,
Vern Anastasio

Dear City Council:I AM APPALLED AT THIS MASSACRE OF DEMOCRACY.I
WANT TO KNOW WHY THE PEOPLE OF THIS CITY,THE PEOPLE THAT YOU
REPRESENT,WERE NEVER ALLOWED TO BE HEARD BEFORE THESE CHANGES
WERE MADE.THERE ARE PUBLC MEETINGS ABOUT EVERYTHING ELSE,WHY NOT
THIS.I'LL TELL YOU WHY "PEOPLE WOULD NOT AGREE WITH IT".I BEG
YOU,PLEASE GO BACK AND RECONSIDER THIS BILL.PLEASE LISTEN TO THE
PEOPLE THAT YOU REPRESENT,THE PEOPLE THAT ELECTED YOU.I WISH A
NATIONAL NEWS AGENCY,LIKE 60 MINUTES,WOULD GET A HOLD OF THIS
ONE.I COULD SEE THE HEADLINES "BIRTHPLACE OF DEMOCRACY,NOW RUN
BY A MONARCY".

Dear City Council:
I am angry at Street's power play to end run Council President
Verna, as well as Jim Kenney and Michael Nutter. When he was
running council, he'd be pulling a Rumpelstiltskin by now if
such a thing were attempted by Rendell. Why are Council members
signing on to a sinking ship? Street is weakened and in serious
trouble with this federal probe. I'd be happier with motivated
backstabbers who saw that this mayor is weak, and would form an
oppositional coalition against him. The truly pathetic nature of
this council shows forth here. They are so lazy and contented
that they seek to suck up to somebody who is going down for the
count.

Dear City Council:
What happened to my vote? By your actions against Council
President Verna, you have thrown my vote into the trash. What
kind of mesmerizing does the Mayor have on you. What
happened to new the council people voting for this change the
same day that they were voted in? Did they know about it,or just
do as they were told. I think I have been had.

Dear City Council:
To all the city council members who so gladly voted to make a
joke out of City Council President Verna, Be aware that we will
be watching you and what you do over the next four years. Your
every vote will be monitored and questioned. We the people of
this city demand that you stop using our City for your little
power plays. We are the people who should vote you out once and
for all. Then we will see who is laughing.

Dear City Council:
What happened to my vote? By your actions against Council
President Verna, you have thrown my vote into the trash. What
happened to the new council people voting for this change the
same day that they were voted in? What did they know about it,
but to do as they were told. Is this the kind of people who are
representing our best interests? I think the answer is no. I
think I have been had.

Dear City Council:
I was shocked to read of the weakening of the City Council
President's role in our City Government. It seems to me to swing
the balance of power away from the people and into the hands of
a few. The lines and been drawn and we the people will be the
ones to suffer. We will see the effects of this unbalance
shortly and I believe we will regret it.

Dear City Council:
I believe that we were taken advantage of by the stripping of
Council Presidnt Anna Verna's power. I would like to know what
the new majority rule will do for me. It seems this was a move
to upset the balance of things and just gives the Mayor too much
power. There will be no debate, everything is already decided.

Dear City Council: Please bring this backdoor rule change into
the light of day. Repeal it and allow Council to represent their
districts fairly, and to play their proper roles as the loyal
oppostion to the Mayor's office.
Democracy depends on checks and balances. No one inside City Hall
should have absolute power. This bill concentrates power and thus
is bad for the neighborhoods and small businesses who must be
heard.
thanks for acting
--Michael McGe

Dear City Council:

Please advice how the Rules of City Council change will benefit
my community (Roxborough. How will they effect my family personally?

I would like to be better informed of this change and ask that
you hold off on this change until clarification of the change is
provided to your constituents.

Thank you,
Eileen Lowery

Dear City Council:

As a constituent and resident of Philadelphia, I am
dismayed at the lack of authority our City Council will now
have in city matters. It seems as if we have handed over the
power to do whatever is of one person's whimsy in
Philadelphia without being kept in check.

I'd like to express my outrage at this occurrence and
and sincere hopes that this is rectified immediately. Even if I
vote for a mayor, it does not mean that I believe he has the
ability to make major city-based decisions without the
judgment of others as well.

If we are putting these kind of limits on City Council,
then we may as well get rid of "trial by jury" and let
prosecutors do whatever they want. One could easily make
the analogy.

Sincerely,

Gary Ferris

Dear City Council:

As a citizen and resident of Philadelphia, I would like to know
more about how the Rules Change will benefit our city. I
strongly suggest that the Rules of Council be reintroduced and
opened for public discussion.

To those council members who voted against this change in rule,
I applaud you.

Dear City Council:

I am outraged that this would be happening in
Philadelphia, basically the birthplace of democracy. I
thought we fought to get rid of being ruled by a monarchy
many years ago and yet it seems as if the mayor is to
become the monarch of Philadelphia without being kept in
check by a governing body such as city council.
I certainly hope that this decision is reversed somehow
fast before we end up with a mayor making decisions that
are not necessarily going to help our city. What is the point
of electing representatives to City Council if they are not
going to be able to do what we elected them to do.
Thank you.
Robert Hamm

Dear City Council: Only in Philadelphia can we elect a mayor
and get a dictator. Whats next, bronze statues of our beloved
ruler in all the schools? Border guards and check points? Who's
to stop the mayor when he sells off the cities assets? Where
will that money go? Into gold faucets at the mayors new mansion?
This city council is pathetic.

Dear City Council:

I attended the investiture of City Council at the Kimmel and was
amazed that massive rules changes were inacted without discussion
and debate.

There was some alluding to a meeting that took place in the
President's office. Was that a regular meeting of Council? Was
the public and the press in attendance? Was there a record made
and were all Council members in attendance?

Were the requirements of the Sunshine law followed?

Why is the leader of a three person Republican majority given
equal power with the leader of 14 Democrats?

Council worked well under the old rules since the Home Rule
Charter. Without explanation as to the need for change and the
refusal to reveal the author of this legislation, its purpose
seems sinister. Prewsident Verna voting against the new Rules
leads me to believe their purpose is to hobble the Council.

---=Harold Rosenthal

Dear City Council:
I am ashamed that my city council person, Ms. Blackwell would
take part in such an un-Democratic action as what happened with
the coucil rules on the day of the Mayor's swearing in.

I demand that the actions taken that day be reversed immediately
and that things return that to the way that they were.

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