Anna Cibotti Verna (April 15, 1931 – June 15, 2021)[2][3] was the President of the Philadelphia City Council on which she served from 1975 to 2012, as the representative of the Second District, which encompasses most of South Philadelphia as well as most of the western end of Center City. She was a Democrat.

Anna C. Verna
President of the Philadelphia City Council
In office
January 14, 1999[1] – December 15, 2011
Preceded byJohn Street
Succeeded byDarrell Clarke
Member of the Philadelphia City Council from the 2nd District
In office
January 6, 1975 – January 2, 2012
Preceded byWilliam Cibotti
Succeeded byKenyatta Johnson
Personal details
Born
Anna Cibotti

(1931-04-15)April 15, 1931
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
DiedJune 15, 2021(2021-06-15) (aged 90)
Political partyDemocratic

Career

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Verna was the daughter of past council member William Cibotti and was elected to his seat following his death in 1975.[4]

She drew criticism for her support of the Deferred Retirement Option Plan (DROP), which deferred compensation for city employees allowing municipal employees to forgo some pension payments in lieu of a lump-sum payment on the date of their retirement. Prior to the 2011 municipal election, several council members exploited a loophole in DROP, allowing elected officials to retire for a day at the end of their term, and then resume work in their next term. Following public outcry, several of the council members who enrolled in DROP, including Verna, declined to run for re-election. Others, such as Councilman Frank Rizzo, Jr., were defeated for renomination.[5]

Ward leader

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Verna was the Ward Leader of the 36th Ward Democratic Executive Committee.[6]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Verna elected Council prez: Blackwell's pension bill falls short". The Philadelphia Tribune. January 15, 1999. Archived from the original on November 2, 2012. Retrieved November 16, 2011.
  2. ^ Marquis Who's Who on the Web
  3. ^ Brennan, Chris (15 June 2021). "Anna Verna, the first and only woman to serve as president of Philadelphia City Council, dies at 90". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved 15 June 2021.
  4. ^ "Philadelphia City Council's Final '11 Meeting Marks End of Verna Era". CBS Philly. 2011-12-15. Retrieved 29 April 2014.
  5. ^ Dunn, Mike (December 15, 2011). "Philadelphia City Council's Final '11 Meeting Marks End of Verna Era". CBS 3. Retrieved December 29, 2011.
  6. ^ Committee of Seventy (2009-12-21). "2009 Citizen's Guide" (PDF). The Committee of Seventy, Philadelphia, PA 19103. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2009-04-19. Retrieved 2009-12-21.
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