Councilman DiCicco Questions Results Of Petition For Beautifying East Callowhill Street

By Mike Dunn

Philadelphia (CBS) – A battle that has divided one of Philadelphia’s fastest-growing neighborhoods isn’t over yet; at least not if an outgoing member of City Council has his say.

At issue was a plan for what’s called a “Neighborhood Improvement District,” or NID, for the area around Callowhill Street, east of broad.

The NID would work to beautify the streetscape, with residents footing the bill through a surcharge on property taxes. Under a formal process, petitions for and against were tabulated by the City Council clerk, who determined that opponents outnumbered supporters by a narrow margin.

Councilman Frank DiCicco isn’t so sure.

“I’ve done petitions my whole life, and I’ve never seen a petition where there was not some error. But I’m not totally convinced that they have the 51 percent yet.”

DiCicco, who leaves office on January second, wants the petitions validated. A spokesman for the mayor says city attorneys are “looking into what needs to be done.”