Tense Exchanges At Confirmation Hearing For Phila. City Solicitor
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Philadelphia City Council is poised to confirm Mayor Jim Kenney's choice for City Solicitor, after a tense hearing where the Council President challenged the nominee's ability to represent Council.
Council members praised Sozi Tulante's personal journey. He came to Philadelphia as a young refugee and earned a Harvard Law degree before becoming a federal prosecutor.
But the hearing took a decidedly hostile turn when the Council President tried to get him to agree that Council could hire its own outside lawyer. The city charter says it can't, that the solicitor represents the mayor and council -- that's why council gets to confirm him -- and Tulante resisted a different interpretation.
"The charter is really the Bible for our form of local government and that's what I kept going back to," said Tulante.
Tulante shrugged off the exchange.
"Democracy's fun. This is the way it should be. I like people saying nice things about me but I'm here to work and that's what this was about."
The nomination passed out of the Committee of the Whole and will be voted on next week.
