Shapiro strikes a deal, Council micromanages, and Parker gets a H.O.M.E. debate for the holidays | Shackamaxon

This week’s Shackamaxon is about the mayor’s housing plan, micromanaging tables and chairs, and Gov. Josh Shapiro’s abilities as a dealmaker.

Initially, Mayor Cherelle L. Parker’s $2 billion proposal to build or restore 30,000 homes seemed like a point of consensus between the administration and City Council. Yet, Parker’s attempt to expand the income limits, particularly for the Basic Systems Repair and Adaptive Modifications programs, has proved to be a sticking point, and the war of words is escalating.

The mayor has been campaigning for her plan across the city, including at places of worship. She’s cast Council as unwilling to help those who have “paid up and prayed up.” A majority of Council members took issue with that description, insisting all they want to do is ensure the neediest residents have first dibs on the resources.

Frankly, the temperature in this debate has gotten much too high. Under either side’s plan, income levels will be expanded, and most of the benefit will go to people making less than 60% of area median income.

Instead of fighting Council over income levels, Parker should have pushed them to allow for more market-rate construction in areas that aren’t in and around Center City. Ironically, the city’s chief housing officer, Angela Brooks, published an article for the National League of Cities that makes the case to do exactly that, citing a Moody’s report that shows that much of the city is undersupplied when it comes to housing and calling for a market-smart response.

Yet, much of Parker’s Housing Opportunities Made Easy plan is geared toward demand-side support that may help individual households, but won’t reduce the rapid appreciation in housing costs for the hundreds of thousands of families across all income levels who will never apply for or receive any of these benefits.

Shackamaxon readers are familiar with Philadelphia’s tradition of councilmanic prerogative, which gives district Council members total discretion over land use and transportation questions within their districts. Typically, this means big civic questions like what to do with a closed middle school, how to renovate an aging library, or whether to proceed with an ambitious street redesign.

It also means that district members have control over even the most minor of concerns — like whether a restaurant can place tables and chairs outside.

In most of Philadelphia, you actually need a city ordinance to do this. That’s right. A restaurant or cafe owner can’t just notice it is a nice day and decide to set up outdoor dining. There isn’t even a simple permit system. Installation requires Council approval, which means getting your district Council member’s sign-off. That can be easier said than done.

After the pandemic demonstrated that expanded outdoor dining can be done without causing an uprising, City Council created a few (what I call) micromanagement-free zones for restaurants, where the process is simplified. (To her credit, 3rd District Councilmember Jamie Gauthier included her entire district.)

Even then, they must secure a $1 million insurance policy, pay a $227 annual licensing fee, and hire an architect. Yes, an architect must be involved just to put out a few tables and chairs. At Thursday’s City Council hearing, one restaurant owner claimed the process was more difficult than getting his food safety certification. For restaurants outside the designated zones, Council authorization is still required. This puts them at a competitive disadvantage against restaurants that already have the benefits of being located inside a zone.

At-Large City Councilmember Rue Landau, whose brother, Rich, owns Vedge, has come to the aid of these forgotten eateries. She proposed and passed a bill to expand the “by-right” areas, freeing more businesses from Council’s micromanagement. While the bill should help more restaurants navigate the process, they still face the prospect of waiting months or years for city approval, in a process many entrepreneurs say seems designed to trip them up rather than bring them into compliance.

Even with the limited assistance on offer, the effort still attracted the ire of 8th District Councilmember Cindy Bass. Bass, one of Council’s most prolific practitioners of prerogative, viewed the bill as an imposition on her right to dictate how things should be done. Even though Landau carved out Bass’ entire district from the legislation, Bass still felt the need to beat up on the proposal at a committee hearing.

Bass isn’t against all restaurant owners, however. This week, she pushed through a resolution honorarily renaming the intersection of Broad and Pike Streets for Saudia Shuler.

The North Philly mom and owner of Saudia Shuler’s Country Cookin’ rose to prominence as the “camel prom mom” in 2017 after hosting an extravagant Dubai-themed send-off for her son. The event included three different luxury cars, three different luxury outfits, and three different dates, alongside a camel and sand.

Shuler told journalists at the time that it all cost just over $25,000. She also held an extravagant toy giveaway later that year, handing out 100 bicycles and 800 presents to local kids.

Unfortunately, Shuler’s story did not end there. The next year, she was indicted for Social Security fraud. In 2019, she pleaded guilty, admitting to taking nearly $40,000. That means much of her generosity was coming at the expense of taxpayers and Social Security beneficiaries. Somehow, this episode went unmentioned by every member of Council, and her honors were passed unanimously.

After a four-month-long impasse over the state budget, some may have questioned Gov. Shapiro’s credentials as a dealmaker. Yet, this weekend, the ambitious Abingtonian demonstrated his mediation skills, helping to broker a deal between SEPTA and its largest labor group, the Transport Workers Union Local 234.

The agreement averts a strike that could have started on Monday (or even last Friday, according to a few operators who told me they thought action was imminent that day).

This is now the third time the governor has come to SEPTA’s rescue, although this time he managed to pass up getting behind a podium at a news conference. For riders hoping to avoid service interruptions, these interventions have been welcome. Still, I can’t help wondering why the Transport Workers Union had an easier time making a deal with Shapiro instead of with Scott Sauer, the first general manager to start his career as a rank-and-file operator.