Last week, Mayor Cherelle Parker announced the appointment of Tyrell Brown as Director of LGBTQ+ Affairs, Andy Toy as Director of the Home Appraisal Program, Robin Torrance as Director of Pan Hellenic & HBCU Engagement, and...more
Gov. Shapiro Fights USDA Funding Cuts for PA Farmers, Food Banks -Governor Josh Shapiro is challenging the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) decision to cancel $13 million in funding for Pennsylvania farmers who supply...more
During her speech outlining details of her proposed $2 billion Housing Opportunities Made Easy (HOME) Initiative on Monday, Mayor Cherelle Parker urged the City Council to streamline redevelopment processes and consider...more
Governor Josh Shapiro announced that Pennsylvania’s Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) Pilot Program—in partnership with OpenAI and Carnegie Mellon—saved employees an average of 95 minutes per day and improved efficiency...more
3/26/2025
/ Affordable Housing ,
Artificial Intelligence ,
Energy Sector ,
Healthcare ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Machine Learning ,
Pennsylvania ,
State and Local Government ,
Technology Sector ,
Transportation Industry ,
Trump Administration
On Thursday, March 13, Mayor Cherelle Parker delivered her second annual Budget Address to the Philadelphia City Council, unveiling her $6.77 billion FY26 Budget proposal—an approximately $400 million increase over the FY25...more
3/18/2025
/ Affordable Housing ,
Business Taxes ,
Environmental Policies ,
Infrastructure ,
Public Safety ,
Real Estate Development ,
Renewable Energy ,
State and Local Government ,
State Budgets ,
Tax Reform ,
Urban Planning & Development
Mayor Parker Delivers FY26 Budget Address-
Mayor Cherelle Parker presented her $6.7 billion FY26 budget proposal to the Philadelphia City Council today, highlighting an $800 million housing plan, significant business tax...more
Gov. Shapiro Announces $5M Investment to Address Nursing Shortage -During a visit to Temple University Hospital last week, Governor Josh Shapiro announced a $5 million investment to strengthen Pennsylvania’s nursing pipeline...more
3/11/2025
/ Affordable Housing ,
Environmental Justice ,
Grants ,
Healthcare ,
LGBTQ ,
Nurses ,
Pennsylvania ,
Political Candidates ,
State and Local Government ,
Voting Rights ,
Water Quality
City Council Green Lights Bike Lane Expansion-
During Thursday’s meeting, the City Council approved legislation introduced last week by Councilmember Jeffery Young, Jr. (District 5) to add bike lanes to high-traffic streets...more
Tax Reform Commission Recommends Eliminating BIRT, Reducing Wage Tax -
The Philadelphia Tax Reform Commission released its interim report this week, proposing that the City eliminate the Business Income & Receipts Tax...more
Pennsylvania officials are awaiting further guidance on federal funding cuts — impacting infrastructure, energy, transit, and more — with Governor Josh Shapiro’s office suing five federal agencies over $1.2 billion in...more
2/21/2025
/ Affordable Housing ,
Agricultural Sector ,
Data Privacy ,
Economic Development ,
Energy Policy ,
Energy Projects ,
Environmental Policies ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Federal Funding ,
Infrastructure ,
Marijuana ,
Nuclear Power ,
Pennsylvania ,
State and Local Government
Mayor Parker Appoints New Housing Initiative Leader -
Mayor Cherelle Parker appointed Angela Brooks, who currently serves as director of the Corporation for Supportive Housing in Illinois, to oversee the Housing...more
2/21/2025
/ Affordable Housing ,
Community Development ,
Education Reform ,
Housing Developers ,
Local Elections ,
Mayors ,
Political Candidates ,
Public Policy ,
Public Schools ,
Real Estate Development ,
State and Local Government ,
Urban Planning & Development
Mayor Parker Unveils “Mission 30,000” Housing Plan -
Mayor Cherelle Parker outlined her “Mission 30,000” plan to build, preserve, and repair 30,000 housing units in Philadelphia during the Chamber of Commerce for Greater...more
2/14/2025
/ Affordable Housing ,
City Councils ,
Housing Market ,
Low Income Housing ,
Municipalities ,
Property Tax ,
Real Estate Development ,
State and Local Government ,
State Budgets ,
Tax Reform ,
Urban Planning & Development ,
Zoning Laws
Gov. Shapiro’s Prison Closure Plan Sparks Debate Over Savings, Community Impact -
Governor Josh Shapiro's proposal to close two Pennsylvania prisons and two community corrections centers aims to save $110 million annually,...more
2/12/2025
/ Affordable Housing ,
Artificial Intelligence ,
Economic Development ,
Employee Benefits ,
Federal Funding ,
Healthcare ,
Healthcare Reform ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Paid Leave ,
Pennsylvania ,
Prison ,
Sports ,
State and Local Government ,
Tax Reform ,
Trump Administration ,
Unions
City Council to Consider Labor Law Enforcement, Lead Paint Disclosure Deadline Bills -
During Thursday’s meeting, City Councilmember Kendra Brooks (At-Large) introduced legislation to enhance City enforcement of labor laws...more
2/7/2025
/ Affordable Housing ,
Disaster Aid ,
Disaster Relief Fund ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Economic Development ,
Housing Developers ,
Labor Reform ,
Local Elections ,
New Legislation ,
Political Candidates ,
Real Estate Development ,
Small Business ,
State and Local Government ,
State Labor Laws ,
Urban Planning & Development
On Tuesday, February 4, Governor Josh Shapiro delivered his third annual Budget Address to a joint session of the General Assembly, where he unveiled his $51.47 billion FY26 Executive Budget — marking an approximately 7.5%...more
2/6/2025
/ Affordable Housing ,
Decriminalization of Marijuana ,
Economic Development ,
Educational Institutions ,
General Assembly ,
Infrastructure ,
Marijuana ,
Pennsylvania ,
Public Safety ,
Renewable Energy ,
State and Local Government ,
State Budgets
Jim Davis, Joe Hill Named Among City & State’s Who’s Who in GR -Cozen O’Connor Public Strategies Executive Vice President Jim Davis and Managing Director Joe Hill have been recognized by City & State Pennsylvania on their...more
City Council Turns Attention to Affordable Housing, Rental Regulations -During Thursday’s meeting, Philadelphia City Councilmember Jamie Gauthier (District 3) introduced a legislative package to streamline zoning and...more
1/31/2025
/ Affordable Housing ,
Department of Transportation (DOT) ,
Electric Vehicles ,
Healthcare ,
Immigrants ,
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) ,
New Legislation ,
Public Transit ,
Real Estate Development ,
Transportation Industry ,
Urban Planning & Development ,
Zoning Laws
Parties Rush to Nominate Candidates for HD-35 Special Election-
Democrats and Republicans are quickly selecting nominees for the special election on March 25 to resolve the even split in the Pennsylvania House. Democrats...more
1/28/2025
/ Affordable Housing ,
Electric Vehicles ,
Electricity ,
Energy Policy ,
Energy Sector ,
Executive Orders ,
Federal Employees ,
Pennsylvania ,
Political Parties ,
Public Health ,
Public Utility ,
Real Estate Development ,
State and Local Government ,
State Elections ,
Trump Administration ,
Unemployment
Mayor Parker Expresses Openness to Working with Trump Admin.
Mayor Cherelle Parker expressed a willingness to collaborate with President Donald Trump on shared priorities, emphasizing the need for bipartisan cooperation to...more
1/24/2025
/ Affordable Housing ,
City Councils ,
Immigrants ,
Immigration ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Mayors ,
Pension Funds ,
Political Candidates ,
Public Policy ,
Public Schools ,
Real Estate Market ,
School Districts ,
State and Local Government ,
Substance Abuse ,
Trump Administration ,
Universities ,
Urban Planning & Development
The Philadelphia 76ers have abandoned plans to build a Center City arena, which was pitched as a critical development for East Market Street. Instead, the team will partner with Comcast Spectacor to construct a new arena near...more
1/17/2025
/ Affordable Housing ,
City Councils ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Educational Institutions ,
Federal Funding ,
Infrastructure ,
Mayors ,
Political Candidates ,
Public Policy ,
Retailers ,
State and Local Government ,
Urban Planning & Development
Mayor Parker Marks Opening of Riverview Wellness Village-
This week, Mayor Cherelle Parker unveiled the new Riverview Wellness Village in Northeast Philadelphia, a key part of her administration’s strategy to address...more
CHICAGO — Teachers Union Narrows Contract Demands-
After eight months of increasingly tense contract negotiations, the Chicago Teachers Union has now narrowed its number of demands to land a deal in the next month, the...more
12/5/2024
/ Affordable Housing ,
Commercial Leases ,
Contract Negotiations ,
Local Elections ,
Mayors ,
Minimum Wage ,
Public Health ,
Public Schools ,
Public Transit ,
Public Transportation ,
Real Estate Development ,
Small Business ,
State Taxes ,
Teachers ,
Unions ,
Wage and Hour
Parker Administration Vows Reforms to Fix Philadelphia’s Troubled Land Bank -
Last week, following intense criticism from City Council and community advocates, the Parker Administration pledged to address longstanding...more
Mayor Charelle Parker’s Street Cleaning Initiative Kicks Off-
Philadelphia’s Department of Sanitation claimed that it has cleaned 3,000 of the total 18,000 city blocks promised in Mayor Parker’s citywide clean-up program....more
Newest City Council Members Discuss First 6 Months in Office-
Freshman City Council Members Nina Ahmad (At Large), Rue Landau (At Large), Nicolas O’Rourke (At Large), and Jay Young (District 5) discussed their first six...more