City Councilmembers, state senators and representatives and more than 20 organizations sent joint letter to Congress
PHILADELPHIA – In an effort to assist the City of Philadelphia combat the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Councilmember Allan Domb rallied city council colleagues, the Philadelphia State Delegation and more than 20 organizations representing the business, education and community service sectors to call on congress to immediately pass an emergency relief package.
In a letter sent today to Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Sen. Mitch McConnell, Sen. Charles Schumer and Sen. Pat Toomey, Philadelphia officials and partnering organizations focused on the disastrous economic fallout that the nation and city are facing from the necessary shutdown of business activity as a result of the COVID-19 crisis. Supporters stated the following in the letter:
“With among highest poverty levels of any major U.S. city, our small and minority-owned businesses are shuttering their doors and our people are at risk of losing everything. We need your support now more than ever before if our local economy is to survive.
“We respectfully ask that you bring to a vote a minimum of $908 billion for a COVID emergency relief package before the December 11th deadline and commit to the $160 billion in direct and unrestricted funding to cities like Philadelphia. We understand the many challenges you face in managing the competing interests in both chambers of our federal government, but we cannot afford to leave our local businesses, especially the hospitality industry and the thousands of people they employ without the financial safety nets to get them through the winter.
“We appreciate your consistent leadership during this unprecedented crisis and we humbly look to you to provide the lifeline Philadelphians need in order to avoid the economic disaster we now face. We ask that you approve the emergency relief package and release these funds as quickly as possible.”
The list of supporters that signed the letter includes the following:
Philadelphia City Council
Councilmember Mark Squilla, District 1
Councilmember Kenyatta Johnson, District 2
Councilmember Jamie Gauthier, District 3
Councilmember Curtis Jones, Jr., District 4
Council President Darrell L. Clarke, District 5
Councilmember Bobby Henon, District 6
Councilmember Maria D. Quiñones Sánchez, District 7
Councilmember Cindy Bass, District 8
Councilmember Cherelle Parker, District 9
Councilmember Brian O’Neill, District 10
Councilmember Allan Domb, At-Large
Councilmember Derek Green, At-Large
Councilmember Isaiah Thomas, At-Large
Councilmember Helen Gym, At-Large
Councilmember Katherine Gilmore Richardson, At-Large
Councilmember Kendra Brooks, At-Large
Councilmember David Oh, At-Large
Philadelphia Pennsylvania Delegation:
State Senator Art Haywood, 4th Senatorial District
State Senator Vincent Hughes, 7th Senatorial District
State Senator John Sabatina, Jr., 5th Senatorial District
State Senator Elect Nikil Saval, 1st Senatorial District
State Senator Sharif Street, 3rd Senatorial District
State Senator Christine Tartaglione, 2nd Senatorial District
State Senator Anthony Williams, 8th Senatorial District
State Representative Kevin Boyle, 172nd Legislative District
State Representative Donna Bullock, 195th Legislative District
State Representative Danilo Burgos, 197th Legislative District
State Representative Morgan Cephas, 192nd Legislative District
State Representative Jason Dawkins, 179th Legislative District
State Representative Pamela DeLissio, 194th Legislative District
State Representative Michael Driscoll, 173rd Legislative District
State Representative Elizabeth Fiedler, 184th Legislative District
State Representative Isabella Fitzgerald, 203rd Legislative District
State Representative Jordan Harris, 186th Legislative District
State Representative Joseph Hohenstein, 177th Legislative District
State Representative Mary Isaacson, 175th Legislative District
State Representative Malcolm Kenyatta, 181st Legislative District
State Representative Stephen Kinsey, 201st Legislative District
State Representative Elect Rick Krajewski, 188th Legislative District
State Representative Joanna McClinton, 191st Legislative District
State Representative Ed Neilson, 174th Legislative District
State Representative Elect Darisha K. Parker, 198th Legislative District
State Representative Brian Sims, 182nd Legislative District
State Representative Jared Solomon, 202nd Legislative District
Partnership Organizations
Chestnut Hill Business District
Drexel University
East Passyunk Avenue Business Improvement District
Fishtown Kensington Area Business Improvement District
Greater Northeast Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce
Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance
Thomas Jefferson University and Jefferson Health
La Salle University
OceanFirst Bank
Passyunk Avenue Revitalization Corporation
Pennsylvania Restaurant and Lodging Association
Philadelphia Convention and Visitors Bureau
North Broad Renaissance
Northern Liberties Business Improvement District
Saint Joseph’s University
Save Philly Restaurants
Sustainable Business Network of Greater Philadelphia
Temple University
University City District
University of Pennsylvania
University of the Sciences
Visit Philadelphia
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Photo: Raw Pixel
