Councilwoman calls meeting to settle vending bill dispute

Hoping to bring an end to nine months of controversy over regulating vending on and around campus, Philadelphia Councilwoman Jannie Blackwell has invited the three groups involved in the conflict to a meeting Monday designed to negotiate a single ordinance proposal. The meeting will be the first time the three parties -- the University administration, the Penn Consumer Alliance and the University City Vendors Alliance -- have negotiated in several months, when each group began submitting their own versions of the proposals to Blackwell. The controversy began last May when Penn sent Blackwell a proposed ordinance regulating vending on and around campus. The community groups have sought to make the ordinance less restrictive. Last month, Blackwell asked the parties to come up with a single proposal. University officials have sought to regulate vending on and around campus for several years, citing safety concerns and the vendors' negative impact on Penn's ability to lure attractive retailers to the area. Blackwell, who represents West Philadelphia, hopes that the meeting will help end the dispute. "I hope [the meeting] will be final," she said. "I'd like to bring some level of compromise that everyone can live with and move on. I think it's counterproductive to stay at this stage." The meeting with Blackwell comes after University officials declined to attend a meeting last Thursday, organized by the PCA, which was designed to bring all the parties together. Penn officials said last week they would negotiate a proposed vending ordinance only in the presence of Blackwell. At last Thursday's meeting, representatives from consumer, vending, student, faculty and community groups reached some general agreement on overarching issues pertaining to the ordinance, including an arrangement to drop restrictions on street vending if Penn fails to build five fresh air food plazas as promised. Attendees agreed to hold another meeting, scheduled for tomorrow, to try to settle the remaining issues, such as the specific areas where vending would be prohibited. Despite Blackwell's announcement and the administration's decision not to attend tomorrow's meeting, PCA officials still plan to hold the event, at which the constituencies will finalize a proposal to present to Blackwell Monday. Representatives from each of the three groups expressed confidence that Monday's meeting will result in a final compromise. Penn Vice President for Government, Community and Public Affairs Carol Scheman said Monday's meeting will "definitely" result in a final proposal because Blackwell will make a decision after hearing from the three groups. "Mrs. Blackwell will listen respectively to what everyone has to say," Scheman said. "Then she will reach her own decision on what's an appropriate proposal." UCVA spokesperson Scott Goldstein said Blackwell will "consider the opinions of all the affected groups." And PCA spokesperson Matthew Ruben, said he believes a compromise is possible as long as "the University shows up in good faith."

Please note All comments are eligible for publication in The Daily Pennsylvanian.