Broad Street Brief: Mayor-Elect Parker Begins Assembling Roundtables
December 8, 2023
December 8, 2023
Philadelphia Cozen O’Connor Public Strategies’ Managing Director Joe Hill and Government Affairs Associate Brianna Westbrooks have been appointed to the Philadelphia Mayor-elect Cherelle Parker’s transition team. Joe will serve on the Commerce & Economic Development subcommittee, and Brianna will serve on the Housing, Planning & Development subcommittee. View the full transition team here.
Mayor-elect Parker is assembling a first-of-its-kind Intergovernmental Roundtable composed of three dozen elected officials and stakeholders at the local, state, and federal levels. The goal of the group is to devise strategies to address some of the City’s toughest challenges.
With mere weeks left in his final term, Mayor Jim Kenney sat down with the Philadelphia Inquirer and WHYY to reflect on his time in office and his legacy. His first term was defined by the success of the sweetened beverage tax to fund K-12 education and repairs to recreation centers and libraries, while his second term was largely dominated by unprecedented challenges like the COVID-19 pandemic, racial unrest, and a surge in gun violence.
On Wednesday, City Council’s Committee on Licenses & Inspections advanced legislation that would amend the city’s existing ban on single-use plastic bags, which would establish a minimum fee for the provision of bags to customers and clarify definitions in the original bill.
Philadelphia’s Right to Counsel program, which provides eligible renters with legal help when facing eviction, has been expanded to 19132 in North Philadelphia, now the fifth ZIP code where the program will be offered.
A vote on a proposed food truck ban at Girard and Frankford Avenues in Fishtown has been delayed until later this month.
Philadelphia City Council holds several public hearings throughout the legislative calendar. View here.
Following the fatal stabbing of a security guard in the Center City Macy’s, District Attorney Larry Krasner was joined by several state and local officials and SEPTA and Philadelphia police to announce a renewed focus on shoplifting and retail thefts. Though rates have been high in recent years, 2023 has seen a decline in violent crime.
Trauma surgeon Dr. Jessica Beard of Temple Health has been awarded a National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant to study media coverage of gun violence, focusing on its impact in communities of color.
On Monday, Nonprofit Safehouse continued to argue in favor of supervised consumption sites at the federal level, this time saying that their right to operate such a site constitutes religious freedom under the First Amendment. Earlier this year, Philadelphia City Council passed a near blanket ban of supervised consumption sites.
Former Philadelphia Deputy Mayor for Transportation and Utilities Rina Cutler passed away last week at the age of 70. She served as Parking Authority director under Mayor Ed Rendell and deputy mayor under Mayor Michael Nutter.
On Monday, the newly Democratic-controlled Central Bucks school board authorized a legal challenge to a $700,000 payout to the former superintendent. The board also rolled back several controversial policies restricting library books.
Cozen O’Connor Public Strategies, an affiliate of the international law firm Cozen O’Connor, is a bipartisan government relations practice representing clients before the federal government and in cities and states throughout the country. With offices in Washington D.C., Richmond, Albany, New York City, Philadelphia, Harrisburg, Chicago, and Santa Monica, the firm’s public strategies professionals offer a full complement of government affairs services, including legislative and executive branch advocacy, policy analysis, assistance with government procurement and funding programs, and crisis management. Its client base spans multiple industries, including healthcare, transportation, hospitality, education, construction, energy, real estate, entertainment, financial services, and insurance.
Established in 1970, Cozen O’Connor has over 775 attorneys who help clients manage risk and make better business decisions. The firm counsels clients on their most sophisticated legal matters in all areas of the law, including litigation, corporate, and regulatory law. Representing a broad array of leading global corporations and middle-market companies, Cozen O’Connor serves its clients’ needs through 31 offices across two continents.
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