Two referendums are on the ballot
Tuesday, May 19th, 2009
By: Susan Phillips
sphillips@whyy.org
Philadelphia voters will be deciding two ballot questions as they head to the polls today. One has to do with posthumous promotions of police and firefighters. The other has to do with advertising public meetings.
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The city charter prevents Council from meeting, unless it advertises all gatherings in three paid, daily circulation newspapers. But with the Philadelphia Inquirer and Daily News in bankruptcy proceedings, Councilman Darrel Clarke is worried that some day, the city won't have three daily papers to choose from.
Clarke: What we don't want to do is be in a position where one of those three papers goes out and we would not be able to conduct business in the city of Philadelphia.
The charter change would allow Council to add free papers or the internet to the list of approved advertising venues, if one of the three current daily papers stops printing.
The other question would expand automatic promotion for police and fire fighters killed in the line of duty to include those who die from other causes. The action would provide more compensation for their survivors.