Philly nonprofit used as ‘personal piggy bank’ | Morning Newsletter
What’s next for the plastic bag ban
The Morning Newsletter
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It’s Thursday, or as I like to call it, Friday Jr. The sun is out and temps will reach around 46.
Community Council Health Systems has provided mental health care and drug treatment to low-income adults and youths in West Philadelphia’s Mill Creek neighborhood for decades. But behind the scenes, top executives engaged in sketchy spending for years, and no one has been held accountable.
Our lead story dives deep into the investigation of the 68-year-old publicly-funded organization.
— Paola Pérez (@pdesiperez, morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)
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An internal investigation into Community Council points to a failure in multiple layers of oversight.
For years, some $5 million was allegedly misappropriated into questionable contracts and lavish purchases made with company credit cards including travel, art, golf, and 76ers tickets.
But despite signs of trouble that showed an organization in financial distress and pointed to the potential for fraud, neither the board members, city funders, or state licensing authorities took action.
And even after one chief executive commissioned an investigation and reported concerns to the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office, no one was held accountable. Instead, deals were cut to prevent board members from being liable for improper spending.
More than a decade in the making: The disarray at Community Council goes back to when the previous chief executive, James V. Nixon Jr., took the helm.
Nixon, who died after a sudden illness in 2021, was mourned as a visionary arts benefactor. But misappropriations under Nixon were an open secret, according to James Paige, another Community Council executive. “He basically used Community Council as a personal piggy bank,” Paige said.
Larger concerns: The extravagant spending raises questions about oversight of the network of mental health and drug treatment nonprofits that collect more than $1 billion of federal health care funding in Philadelphia every year.
Councilmember Jamie Gauthier, who represents the district served by Community Council, said she worries about the potential impact on “an underserved neighborhood.”
Continue reading on the chaos at Community Council.
A month ago, City Council passed a bill that would require customers to pay 15 cents for single-use paper bags at retail stores.
But that bill sat on then-Mayor Jim Kenney’s desk without a signature as he left office, quietly killing the measure in a pocket veto.
Catch up quick: Philadelphia has already imposed a citywide ban on plastic bags. It has dramatically reduced their use in grocery stores across the region, according to the city’s study on the measure.
But another consequence of the ban is the rise of paper bags. The majority of Philly shoppers are now using paper bags more than reusable ones.
The goal of the newly proposed fee is to encourage people to use — and reuse — a set number of reusable bags, instead of using a new paper bag every trip.
Keep reading for more on what it would take for a new paper bag fee bill to get to Mayor Cherelle L. Parker’s desk.
What you should know today
Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie announced he’s dropping his Republican presidential bid.
Five children attending a daycare in Northeast Philadelphia have been sickened with measles, health officials said this week, confirming two more cases there. In all, the city has identified eight cases in a growing outbreak.
The Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, America’s oldest museum and art school, is winding down its degree-granting programs. The Academy will keep its museum open and fully operating, and plans to carry on classes in continuing education and its K-12 arts programs.
Swaths of flood-prone areas in the Philadelphia region were spared serious damage after Tuesday’s storm, but Delaware, Montgomery, and Burlington counties were not among the lucky. Take a look at a map of rainfall totals.
A Philly judge is weighing whether to throw out a landmark perjury case against three former homicide detectives over allegations that the District Attorney’s Office committed prosecutorial misconduct while investigating the matter several years ago.
Philadelphia’s City Commissioners started what is sure to be a year of intense scrutiny with new leadership after ousting Democrat Lisa Deeley as chair on Wednesday.
The Kimmel Cultural Campus and the Philadelphia Orchestra has adopted a fresh moniker — Ensemble Arts Philly — to clarify the confusion around its multiple venues.
Greyhound bus passengers (finally) have bathrooms at the outdoor intercity bus terminal along Spring Garden Avenue.
🧠 Trivia time
Which of the following is NOT a recommended way to “hack” your time at PHL, according to frequent business travelers?
A) Fill your water bottle every time you see a station
B) Get TSA PreCheck and always go to Terminal C
C) Grab an Uber or Lyft instead of a cab
D) Take a photo of your parking spot
Think you know? Check your answer.
What we're...
☔ Examining: How Parker’s administration responded to its first major weather event.
🎨 Learning: The names and works of famous PAFA graduates.
🏠 Touring: A 1870s Victorian farmhouse with a makeover that respects its history.
🧩 Unscramble the anagram
Hint: Just north of Philly, home to a Gilded Age estate
LIKE PRANKS
Email us if you know the answer. We’ll select a reader at random to shout out here. Cheers to Erica Griste who correctly guessed Wednesday’s answer: Betsy Ross. The hint was “Seamstress and flag maker.”
Photo of the day
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