Philadelphia City Council
Philadelphia City Council | |
---|---|
Unicameral | |
Leadership | |
President | |
Majority Leader | |
Minority Leader | |
Structure | |
Seats | 17 |
Political groups |
|
Elections | |
Last election | November 7, 2023 |
Next election | November 2, 2027 |
Meeting place | |
Philadelphia City Hall | |
Website | |
City Council Website |
The Philadelphia City Council, the legislative body of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, consists of ten members elected by district and seven members elected at-large. The council president is elected by the members from among their number. Each member's term is four years, and there are no limits on the number of terms a member may serve.
History
While
Composition and term
The 1951 Home Rule Charter established the council as the legislative arm of Philadelphia municipal government, consisting of seventeen members. Ten council members are elected by district and seven from the city at large. At-large council members are elected using limited voting with limited nomination in which voters may only select five candidates on the ballot, and which guarantees that two minority-party or independent candidates are elected.[3] Each is elected for a term of four years with no limit on the number of terms that may be served.[4]
The members of City Council elect from among themselves a president, who serves as the regular chairperson of council meetings. In consultation with the majority of council members, the President appoints members to the various standing committees of the council. The president is also responsible for selecting and overseeing most Council employees.[5]
Legislative process
Every proposed ordinance is in the form of a bill introduced by a Council member. Before a bill can be enacted, it must be referred by the president of the council to an appropriate standing committee, considered at a public hearing and public meeting, reported out by the committee, printed as reported by the committee, distributed to the members of the council, and made available to the public. Passage of a bill requires the favorable vote of a majority of all members. A bill becomes law upon the approval of the mayor. If the mayor vetoes a bill, the council may override the veto by a two-thirds vote.[4]
Under the rules of the council, regular public sessions are held weekly, usually on Thursday morning at 10:00am, in Room 400, City Hall. Council normally breaks for the summer months of July and August.
Gerrymandering
In a 2006 computer study of local and state legislative districts, two of the city's ten council districts, the 5th and the 7th, were found to be among the least compact districts in the nation, giving rise to suspicions of
City council members
As of January 2, 2024[update]:
District | Name | Took office | Party |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Mark Squilla | 2012 | Dem |
2 | Kenyatta Johnson, Council President | 2012 | Dem |
3 | Jamie Gauthier | 2020 | Dem |
4 | Curtis J. Jones Jr. | 2008 | Dem |
5 | Jeffery Young Jr. | 2024 | Dem |
6 | Michael Driscoll | 2022 | Dem |
7 | Quetcy Lozada | 2022 | Dem |
8 | Cindy Bass | 2012 | Dem |
9 | Anthony Phillips | 2022 | Dem |
10 | Brian J. O'Neill | 1980 | Rep |
At-large | Katherine Gilmore Richardson, Majority Leader | 2020 | Dem |
At-large | Isaiah Thomas | 2020 | Dem |
At-large | Kendra Brooks, Minority Leader | 2020 | WFP |
At-large | Jim Harrity | 2022 | Dem |
At-large | Nina Ahmad | 2024 | Dem |
At-large | Rue Landau | 2024 | Dem |
At-large | Nicolas O'Rourke, Minority Whip | 2024 | WFP |
Presidents of the City Council
President | Term | Term end | Political party |
---|---|---|---|
James A. Finnegan | January 1, 1951 | January 14, 1955 | Democratic |
James Tate | January 20, 1955 | January 6, 1964 | Democratic |
Paul D'Ortona | January 6, 1964 | January 3, 1972 | Democratic[9] |
George X. Schwartz | January 3, 1972 | May 29, 1980 | Democratic |
Joseph E. Coleman | October 30, 1980 | January 6, 1992 | Democratic |
John F. Street | January 6, 1992 | December 31, 1998 | Democratic |
Anna C. Verna | January 14, 1999 | December 15, 2011 | Democratic |
Darrell L. Clarke | January 2, 2012 | January 1, 2024 | Democratic |
Kenyatta Johnson | January 2, 2024 | Incumbent | Democratic |
See also
- John Scott Medal
- List of members of Philadelphia City Council from 1920 to 1952
- List of members of Philadelphia City Council since 1952
References
- ^ Fairley, John Archibald (1904). American Municipal Councils.
- ^ "City Council". Philadelphia Department of Records. November 8, 2000.
- Billy Penn. WHYY. Retrieved August 2, 2019.
- ^ a b "About PHL Council". Philadelphia City Council. November 17, 2015. Retrieved August 2, 2019.
- ^ "Rules of the Council of the City of Philadelphia" (PDF). Philadelphia City Council. Retrieved September 29, 2009.
- ^ "The Gerrymandering Index: Using geospatial analysis to measure relative compactness of electoral districts" (PDF). Azavea. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 7, 2011. Retrieved September 29, 2009.
- ^ "City Council Ethics Agenda". Committee of Seventy. Archived from the original on January 8, 2009. Retrieved September 29, 2009.
- ^ Graham, Troy (September 23, 2011). "Philadelphia Council approves redistricting map". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved November 20, 2015.
- ^ "Paul D'Ortona, 88, Philadelphia Official". New York Times. October 20, 1992. Retrieved April 21, 2012.
Further reading
- Ginsberg, Thomas; City Councils in Philadelphia and Other Major Cities: Who Holds Office, How Long They Serve, and How Much It All Costs; Pew Charitable Trusts’ Philadelphia Research Initiative (2011). (Overview)