City Council Continues Probe Into Fatal Center City Building Collapse
By Mike Dunn
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - Philadelphia City Council today continues its public probe of last month's tragic building collapse on Market Street. One issue this morning involves who will not appear.
Thursday's hearing is the third of five scheduled by a special committee of City Council to look at regulatory issues related to the tragic collapse. The Nutter Administration, according to City Council staffers, at first refused to send anyone, but then relented and will send representatives of streets, water and other departments.
Councilman at large Jim Kenney though is fuming that Licenses and Inspections, and the Fire Department, will not be there.
"It's bewildering to me why I can't talk to the Fire Department about something relative to public safety going forward," Kenney said.
A spokesman for the mayor says the list of administration speakers was worked out with the chairman of the committee, Councilman Curtis Jones, and that L-and-I had already appeared.
Jones could not be reached, but Council President Darrell Clarke isn't worried about the absence of certain departments.
"Council always has a number of options," Clarke said. "One is to have a direct conversation with the mayor or the Chief of Staff. And if need be, Council always has subpoena power."
The June 5th building collapse killed six people, including the daughter of a top Nutter Administration official.
