City Council to look at vending bill with care

Although the bill deals with local issues, it has drawn city-wide interest. When a proposed City Council ordinance affects a specific region of Philadelphia, Council members typically defer to the person who represents that area, voting for the bill without much debate. Or so say many City Council staffers. But in the case of the controversial, Penn administration-backed bill regulating vending in University City, Council members say they are keeping an open mind. Many Council members expressed their desire to hear from the vendors and consumers affected by the bill during public hearings in April before they decide how to vote. The members said they had received a large number of phone calls and letters opposing the ordinance. "This is a people's council," said at-large Councilwoman Angel Ortiz. "We're going to listen to all those people out there before we make any decisions." Of the seven Council members who commented to The Daily Pennsylvanian this week, only Councilman Thatcher Longstreth said he had already decided to support the ordinance. The 10 other Council members did not return repeated telephone calls. City Councilwoman Jannie Blackwell, who represents West Philadelphia, introduced the ordinance in February. Blackwell did not return repeated calls for comment for this article. Among its many provisions, the ordinance bans vending in many parts of campus, prohibits the use of electrical generators one year after its enactment and establishes a Vending Advisory Board which will review vending regulations and recommend applicants for certain locations. Separately from the bill, Penn plans to build five or six fresh air food plazas, housing a total of about 45 vendors, on its property this spring. The introduction of the bill was the latest round in a controversy that began last May when Penn sent Blackwell its initial ordinance proposal. Representatives from the Penn Consumer Alliance and the University City Vendors Alliance, who want to make the ordinance less restrictive, have accused University administration officials and Blackwell of not negotiating compromises in good faith. University officials have sought to regulate vending for several years, citing safety concerns and the vendors' negative impact on Penn's ability to lure attractive retailers to the area. According to Councilman Frank DiCicco's chief of staff Robyn Schutz, members usually consider region-specific ordinances to be the "prerogative" of the Council member who represents the district. But in the case of the vending ordinance, "that is not necessarily the case," Schutz said. Schutz said the South Philadelphia councilman's office had received "a lot" of letters and phone calls from community members who oppose the ordinance. "For [DiCicco] to make a decision before he hears these people [at the hearings] would be irresponsible," Schutz said. Spokespeople for at-large Councilman David Cohen and at-large Councilwoman Happy Fernandez also said they received many calls from people expressing their opposition to the ordinance. And at-large Councilman Frank Rizzo said he is awaiting the hearings before he makes any decisions. "That's what the community hearing process is for, to hash it all out," Rizzo said. "I want to listen to the community and get their views on the ordinance." Rizzo said the hearing process will be especially important because of the "confusion and controversy" surrounding the proposed ordinance. "Who knows what plan they will end up using?" he asked. "As you can imagine, it's been very confusing for the Council members." The proposed ordinance's chances of success are unclear, according to Rizzo. "We're going to hear the pros and cons and then decide whether to be supportive or not," he said. Ortiz said he wants to be sure that the vending locations are going to be accessible to members of the University City community before he agrees to the bill.

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