The Philadelphia City Council, the legislative body of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, consists of ten members elected by district and seven members elected at-large. The council president is elected by the members from among their number. Each member's term is four years, and there are no limits on the number of terms a member may serve.
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The 1951 Home Rule Charter established the council as the legislative arm of Philadelphia municipal government, consisting of seventeen members. Ten council members are elected by district and seven from the city at large. At-large council members are elected using limited voting with limited nomination, guaranteeing that two minority-party candidates are elected. Each is elected for a term of four years with no limit on the number of terms that may be served.[1]
The members of City Council elect from among themselves a president, who serves as the regular chairperson of council meetings. In consultation with the majority of council members, the President appoints members to the various standing committees of the council. The president is also responsible for selecting and overseeing most Council employees.[2]
Every proposed ordinance is in the form of a bill introduced by a Council member. Before a bill can be enacted, it must be referred by the president of the council to an appropriate standing committee, considered at a public hearing and public meeting, reported out by the committee, printed as reported by the committee, distributed to the members of the council, and made available to the public. Passage of a bill requires the favorable vote of a majority of all members. A bill becomes law upon the approval of the mayor. If the mayor vetoes a bill, the council may override the veto by a two-thirds vote.[1]
Under the rules of the council, regular public sessions are held weekly, usually on Thursday morning at 10:00am, in Room 400, City Hall. Council normally breaks for the summer months of July and August.
In a 2006 computer study of local and state legislative districts, two of the city's ten council districts, the 5th and the 7th, were found to be among the least compact districts in the nation, giving rise to suspicions of gerrymandering.[3]
The Committee of Seventy, a non-partisan watchdog group for local elections, asked candidates for council in 2007 to support a list of ethics statements, including a call for fair redistricting, which should take place after the 2010 United States Census.[4]
The City Council as of January 2, 2012[5] is as follows:
| District | Name | Took Office | Party |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mark Squilla | 2012 | Dem |
| 2 | Kenyatta Johnson | 2012 | Dem |
| 3 | Jannie L. Blackwell[6] | 1991 | Dem |
| 4 | Curtis J. Jones, Jr.# | 2008 | Dem |
| 5 | Darrell Clarke† | 1999 | Dem |
| 6 | Bobby Henon | 2012 | Dem |
| 7 | Maria Quiñones-Sanchez | 2008 | Dem |
| 8 | Cindy Bass | 2012 | Dem |
| 9 | Marian B. Tasco | 1988 | Dem |
| 10 | Brian J. O'Neill*** | 1980 | Rep |
| At-Large | Blondell Reynolds Brown* | 2000 | Dem |
| At-Large | W. Wilson Goode, Jr.[7] | 2000 | Dem |
| At-Large | Bill Green [8] | 2008 | Dem |
| At-Large | Bill Greenlee** | 2006 | Dem |
| At-Large | James Kenney | 1992 | Dem |
| At-Large | Denny O'Brien | 2012 | Rep |
| At-Large | David Oh | 2012 | Rep |
Key to Chart
† President of Council
# Majority Leader
* Majority Whip
** Deputy Majority Whip
*** Minority Leader