Philadelphia City Council passes resolution authorizing subpoenas for Mayor Parker, administration members

PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — A Philadelphia City Council member has proposed subpoenaing Mayor Cherelle Parker , or members of her administration, to get answers about the services being provided at a building in his district.

Councilman Jay Young has been unhappy about the addition of drug rehab beds to a state-owned homeless shelter at 2100 Girard Avenue, with no notice from the Parker administration. He sponsored a bill to prohibit a lease extension for the building and was unhappy when no one from the administration showed up to answer questions at the hearing for the bill.

He says his resolution authorizing subpoenas, including for the mayor herself, is the result.

“A subpoena’s only necessary if they do not provide witnesses to testify at the hearing, as yesterday, the administration did not provide someone to testify at the hearing and I think the community members were frustrated,” he said.

This is not the first power struggle between the Mayor and city council. While Mayor Parker has called for unity and promised to work with them, where she was a member for seven years, she’s asserted her power as mayor to do unilaterally what the council would like to have input in.

Also at this week’s session, councilman Jim Harrity called for hearings on her return-to-work order for all city employees. He acknowledges the mayor’s prerogative but says he wants to give workers a voice in the process.

Mayor Parker’s office has not yet responded to a request for comment.