MAKING PUBLIC MEETINGS
BETTER!
Please support the
effort below to end the
systemic violations to
the Sunshine Act, based
on George Bochetto's
2024 letter to City
Council on my behalf, by
sending an email of
support to the City
Council email list
below. It would be
greatly appreciated by
those of us who attend
and speak at City
Council meetings, as
well as the public, at
large. Thank you!
Lynn Landes
714-204-2690
----------
Forwarded
message
---------
From: Lynn
Landes <lynnlandes@gmail.com>
Date: Tue,
Apr 21, 2026
at 1:23 PM
Subject:
Request to
include on
the agenda
of the Rules
Committee a
Proposal
To: Cindy
Bass <Cindy.Bass@phila.gov>
Cc: Council
President
Kenyatta
Johnson <Kenyatta.Johnson@phila.gov>,
Councilman
Mark Squilla
<Mark.Squilla@phila.gov>,
Isaiah
Thomas <Isaiah.Thomas@phila.gov>,
Jamie
Gauthier <Jamie.Gauthier@phila.gov>,
<Curtis.Jones@phila.gov>,
Brian ONeill
<Brian.Oneill@phila.gov>,
Katherine
Gilmore
Richardson <Katherine.Gilmore.Richardson@phila.gov>,
Kendra
Brooks <Kendra.Brooks@phila.gov>,
Mike
Driscoll <Mike.Driscoll@phila.gov>,
Quetcy
Lozada <Quetcy.Lozada@phila.gov>,
Anthony
Phillips <Anthony.Phillips@phila.gov>,
Jim Harrity
<Jim.Harrity@phila.gov>,
Jeffery
Young <Jeffery.Young@phila.gov>,
Nina Ahmad <Nina.Ahmad@phila.gov>,
Rue Landau <Rue.Landau@phila.gov>,
Nicolas
ORourke <Nicolas.ORourke@phila.gov>
DATE: April
21, 2026
TO:
Cindy Bass,
Chair
Rules
Committee
Philadelphia
City Council
City Hall,
Room 508
Philadelphia,
PA
19107-3290
(215)
686-3424,
(215)
686-3425
FROM:
Lynn Landes,
Founder
ProtocolsForDemocracy.org
PhillysRep.net
217 S.
Jessup
Street
Philadelphia,
PA 19107
LynnLandes@gmail.com
714-204-2690
Request to
include on
the agenda
of the Rules
Committee, the
Proposal
below, in
approximately
one month’s
time.
SUBJECT:
Proposal to
Amend the
Rules in
order to
address
Sunshine Act
violations
and concerns
regarding
the fairness
and
practicality
of the
conduct of
meetings of
City Council
and its
Committees:
1. RESTRICTING
PUBLIC COMMENTS:
City Council and its
Committees
systematically
restrict "public
comments" to "agenda
items only" at their
official public
meetings.
RESULT: Citizens
are not allowed to
“air their
grievances” on
matters of
government concern,
a basic right of
citizenship and free
speech under the
First Amendment to
the U.S.
Constitution and the
Pennsylvania
Sunshine Act.
SOLUTION: End the
restriction. If
Council members are
concerned about
large numbers of
public commenters,
one option is that
they can enforce the
prohibition against
repetitive comments.
Keep in mind, that
If City Council’s
committees end the
restriction on
“agenda items only”,
then perhaps less
people would feel
the need to make
public comments at
City Council
meetings, to begin
with.
2. INCOMPLETE
AGENDA & “SAME
DAY” VOTING: 1)
City Council
routinely
introduces bills
and resolutions
at the beginning
of each meeting
that should have
been included on
the regular
agenda and are
not emergencies,
2) In many
cases, council
is voting on
these non-agenda
items on that
same day, and 3)
Communications
from the Mayor
are also not on
the Agenda.
RESULT: 1) The
general public
is being not
informed about full agenda
in a timely,
proper, and
legal manner so
that they can
have a
meaningful
opportunity to
prepare their
public comments,
2) Those “in the
know”, who may
be interested or
affected parties
to the
legislation, are
routinely told
in advance and
therefore are
prepared to make
public comments,
and 3) It is
confusing as the
general public
cannot follow
the published
agenda as it is
significantly
incomplete.
SOLUTION: 1) All
proposed
legislation
(bills &
resolutions)
should be listed
on the Agenda,
2)
Communications
from the Mayor,
and the Mayor’s
appearances
should also be
listed on the
Agenda, and 3)
No voting should
be allowed on
legislation that
was introduced
that same day,
unless it is a
true emergency
where there is
an imminent
life-threatening
danger to
others.
3. CITY
COUNCIL
RECOGNITIONS:
City Council
routinely fills
the agenda with
congratulatory
resolutions and
recognitions,
which include
street “name
changes”.
RESULT: These
recognitions do
the following:
1) Add
approximately an
hour to the
proceedings,
which includes
recipients and
their supporters
also giving
public comments,
2) Transforms
the atmosphere
of City Council
meetings from
one that should
be conducive to
conducting the
peoples’
business in a
business-like
manner, to an
"awards show"
environment, and
3) That makes
those of us, who
have serious
concerns to
share, feel and
look like
“Debbie
Downers”, which
is unfair for
all concerned.
SOLUTION:
Schedule a
separate public
meeting for
honoring others
with
acknowledgements,
awards, and
street “name
changes”, to
include voting
on those related
resolutions or
bills. It could
be scheduled for
the same day,
but at a
different time;
such as after
the business
meeting and a
lunch break.
4. INCONSISTENT
TIME LIMITS FOR
PUBLIC
COMMENTS: City
Council Rules
inform the
public that,
normally, they
will have 3
minutes to
speak, but in
reality, the
public are
usually given
only two
minutes, and
sometimes only 1
minute.
RESULT: Public
commentators are
often unprepared
to edit their
remarks at the
last minute,
which can create
confusion,
frustration, and
comments that
could have been
more coherent.
SOLUTION: A
two-minute limit
should be the
unvarying
standard.
I respectfully
request that
this proposal be
included in the
Rules Committee
agenda in four
weeks’ time, and
would greatly
appreciate an
appointment with
you, so that we
can meet to
discuss this
subject further.
Sincerely yours,
Lynn Landes
* Background
document:
Attorney George
Bochetto’s 2024
letter to City
Council
President
Kenyatta Johnson
et al: https://www.LynnLandes.com/SunshineAct.pdf
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