WHYY's Susan Phillips captured an interesting moment on tape after yesterday's City Council session, during which Council voted to override the mayor's veto of the anti-casino ballot question.
here.
As the vote concluded, some members of the building trades unions and anti-casino activists got in a "tussle" outside of Council chambers.
Is it something about this particular issue that has the Council voting in such lockstep against the wishes of the building trades unions or is it a sign that those unions are losing influence in general?
Frank DiCicco, not very well-liked by certain segments of the building trades unions anyway (*cough*Dougherty*cough*), decided to throw a couple more rocks at the bee's nest with this quote (from the DN):
DiCicco responded by pointing out that Gillespie lives in Delaware County, adding, "If a casino was going to be placed within 1,500 feet of his suburban home, I think he'd be having the same argument and fighting for the same reasons that we are."
What do you think is going on here?
Comments (12)
I do think the building trades unions are losing influence as more of their members move to the suburbs. However, I think the council vote was heavily influenced by the fact that we're in an election year and several people on city council are feeling a little nervous about having challengers. I see this ballot question as being only a little better as far as addressing a problem than Councilwoman Blackwell's silly referendum to "urge" the BRT not to do a full value reassessment on city properties.
What it comes down to is that a lot of voters are getting worked up about casinos. Now if only they'd get worked up about things like corruption, ineptitude and the city's terrible business climate we might actually get somewhere.
Posted by Dave![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://blogs.phillynews.com/dailynews/nextmayor/nav-commenters.gif)
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March 30, 2007 3:10 PM
It's about time council people started looking at Labor's own home addresses. They should not be able to dictate our policies without having to live with it.
Posted by cammycap | March 30, 2007 4:25 PM
You want casinos? Vote Brady.
Like he would ever stand up to labor.
Posted by Anonymous | March 31, 2007 9:26 AM
I was at yesterday's Council session and in the middle of the hallway scrum with Pat Gillespie. I was there as a representative of the Building Trades and SugarHouse. What you're witnessing is not an erosion of the strength of the Building Trades, but rather the neutering and spaying effect an election year can have on members of City Council, even the handful of smart, honorable ones. Before yesterday's across the board display of political pandering, one Council member with whom the term "honorable" is rarely associated - Frank DiCicco - essentially told me and Cement Mason's Union Business Manager Mike Fera that there was no reason to reverse course or expend any political capital in an election year because this "situation" was going to be resolved by the courts anyway. In other words, he'll continue to pander to the anti-casino crowd, knowing that his public stance is a charade, his vote is only symbolic and, when the State Supreme Court throws out the city referendum, DiCicco can say "Well, I did all I could." Ask the Councilman to deny it. His cavalier, hypocritical attitude is what's wrong with much of the political status quo in this town. Also, the "tensions" in the hallway scrum were caused by one or two ignorant anti-casino activists, one of whom called Pat Gillespie - a truly decent an honorable man - a "snake oil salesman." Pat tried to make the point that, rather than tilting at windmills, the anti-gaming activists ought to be working to gain safeguards from the casinos to protect their neighborhoods and quality of life. Dipshits like the shrieker of "Snake Oil Salesman" were too busy preening for the TV cameras to hear his message. It's a shame because yesterday's symbolic victory simply delayed the inevitable - and also delayed thousands of new jobs, the expansion of the Convention Center, property tax relief and prosperity for the region. If I'm wrong and the casinos get killed or moved, I'll be the first to apologize and admit I was wrong. But I don't think I'm wrong.
Frank Keel
Posted by Frank Keel | March 31, 2007 9:58 AM
Bravo Frank!
Posted by Anonymous | March 31, 2007 10:33 AM
Di Cicco did a good job -but it just does not matter to a certain segement of South Philly -it may never change. Frank will be re-elected and deserves it. As for the casino, they are coming -just about everyone agrees that the Foxwoods is simply a bad location -fair enough. You don't have to be a member of Mensa to figure that out. I do know that a gertain group of peole are sad and upset that Di Cicco knows the location is bad and he is making every effort he can to champion that message.
His opponents were caught off guard, because they assumed that he would be all for locating Foxwoods at this proposed site. His reelection is getting close and the spin doctors will be out and about doing what they do best....however, Di Cicco will be reelected as 1st District Councilman because he has earned it!
Next time, may I humbly suggest,they should target an elected official that does nothing...Frank's record speaks for itself and the informed, rational voters in the 1st District know that! The voters in the 1st, 2nd, 39 A-B, 5th and the River Wards benefit from Frank's leadership - that - you cannot argue about, because his record and the facts, speak volumes to his representation.
Get out and Vote -make a difference!
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Posted by civic4mayor | April 1, 2007 12:35 AM
As powerful as the B&T union might be, I think DiCicco realizes that the voters are overwhelmingly opposed to slot parlors in his district. Moreover, this has become a people vs power issue. The B&T guys have a right to support things that will give them jobs temporarily, but there are a lot more people who will feel the negative effects of the slot parlors, permanently. The other thing is that organized labor is on the other side of the issue, in the form of the longshoremen and others who stand to lose jobs from the slots. And their jobs are permanent, not temporary.
Posted by Rich | April 1, 2007 7:16 PM
Unions = out of touch with reality and living in the past.
Posted by Anonymous | April 1, 2007 9:02 PM
Keel hit the nail on the head. Council is just pandering to the anti-casino crowd.
Posted by Anonymous | April 2, 2007 6:13 AM
I think Keel is pretty objective so I going to take what he said seriously.
either way, the casinos will get built and all of this ballot question stuff is a waste of time.
Posted by sj | April 2, 2007 10:59 AM
Frank Keel does not live in Philadelphia. Frank Keel makes a lot of money off those of us who do live here and who would have to live with casinos. I am surprised Mr. Keel didn't sign this post with his wife's name. I have not seen or heard the word "dipsh**" as he wrote in his post since I was in 7th grade. Mr. Keel is terrified because his gravy train might be drying up sooner than he thought.
Posted by davekopps![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://blogs.phillynews.com/dailynews/nextmayor/nav-commenters.gif)
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April 3, 2007 10:40 AM