A bid to bring back Commission for Women in Philly, permanently

A Philadelphia City Councilwoman is pushing for a charter change to establish a permanent Commission for Women. 

Councilwoman Blondell Reynolds Brown says in the past mayors have set up a Commission for Women, but they came and went.

“We had a commission under Mayor [Wilson] Goode, we had a commission under Mayor [Bill] Green, We did not have one under [Mayor Ed] Rendell, and did not under Mayor [John] Street and not under Mayor Nutter,” she said.

The councilwoman says it’s long past time to create an enduring commission. Changing Philadelphia’s city charter would ensure the commission sticks around.

“This will be an opportunity to put officially in government as a part of the governmental infrastructure an entity that deals with issues impacting women, starting with still women only make 77 cents to the dollar of their male counterparts,” she said.

If council approves the charter change question, it probably won’t be on the ballot for a year.