For now, the ban on smoking in philly has been shelved. Apparently they didn't have quite the number of votes to pass it.
ON A ST. PATRICK'S Day when tavern owners were hoping for high volume business, they got something even better, a present from a Philadelphia City Council that deadlocked and then delayed action on a smoking ban bill.It was a day when City Councilman Rick Mariano proved to be the better nose counter than his colleague Michael Nutter, who sponsored the Street administration bill
I find it strange that in Philly they want to vote to ban smoking, but failed to pass a law outlawing giving government contracts to political contributors.
In the face of opposition from the Street administration, an unprecedented proposal to curb the longstanding practice of awarding lucrative government contracts to political contributors fell short of passage by a single vote in City Council yesterday.The vote came even as Mayor Street's former city treasurer stands trial on corruption charges that prosecutors cast as part of Philadelphia's "pay to play" political culture. Council voted, 11-5, for the measure, but failed to muster the 12-vote supermajority required to put the charter-change measure before voters. Four of the five "no" votes came from close Street allies.
The five Council members who voted against the measure were Jannie Blackwell, Darrell L. Clarke, Rick Mariano, Donna Reed Miller and Marian Tasco.
What a city.
