Council's Committee of the Whole meets Nov. 10 on the new City Solicitor and the police contract proposal

Two items that touch nearly every corner of city government will go before all 17 members of City Council on Tuesday, Nov. 10, at 10 a.m. in Room 400 of City Hall. Sitting as the Committee of the Whole, Council will consider Mayor Cherelle L. Parker's choice for City Solicitor and hold the hearing city law requires before the administration starts bargaining with the Fraternal Order of Police (meeting page).

The solicitor runs the Law Department, which defends the city in court and advises every department. The police contract sets pay and overtime, and also discipline and how misconduct cases are handled. This hearing is the public's one chance to weigh in before talks begin.

The solicitor nomination

Who she is. Monique Myatt Galloway has been acting City Solicitor since Sept. 2, the city said (release). She was an assistant U.S. attorney in the civil division of the Eastern District of Pennsylvania from November 2023. Before that she was regional counsel for the U.S. General Services Administration and the Federal Transit Administration in the Mid-Atlantic region. She also served on the Pennsylvania State Ethics Commission and was president of the Barristers' Association of Philadelphia in 2014, according to the release.

Why the job is open. Renee Garcia, solicitor since 2024, announced in July that she was leaving for the private sector, the Inquirer reported. Under Garcia, the Law Department fought the federal government over the slavery exhibits at the President's House site. It also handled the city's response to a Council bill barring federal immigration officers from wearing masks. At Garcia's urging, Parker let that bill become law without her signature, and the federal government then sued the city, the paper reported. Parker said Galloway's federal experience was a key reason she chose her.

What our records show. Resolution 260820 was introduced Oct. 1 by Majority Leader Katherine Gilmore Richardson for Council President Kenyatta Johnson, and was referred to the Committee of the Whole on Oct. 13. It cites Section 3-203 of the Home Rule Charter, which requires "the advice and consent of a majority of all members of the Council." That means at least nine votes, no matter how many members are present (resolution text). Council confirmed Garcia in March 2024 (city release).

The police contract hearing

How it got here. Parker wrote Council on Oct. 20 that her administration planned to submit a contract proposal to FOP Lodge 5 under Act 111, the state law for police and firefighter bargaining. She asked Council to schedule a hearing within 30 days (letter). Council adopted Resolution 260932 on Oct. 29. It authorizes the Committee of the Whole to hold the hearings required by Chapter 17-2300 of the city code.

What our records add.

• Sponsors. Gilmore Richardson, who wrote the 2020 law that created the hearing, is the primary sponsor. Jim Harrity, Kendra Brooks, Nicolas O'Rourke and Quetcy Lozada co-sponsored.
• Timing. Nov. 10 is 21 days after the mayor's letter, inside the 30 days she asked for. When we reported the resolution on Oct. 30, no date had been set.
• The last contract. The current deal came from an arbitration award in August 2025, with 3% raises in fiscal 2026 and fiscal 2027 and a one-time $3,000 payment (city announcement).

The hearing does not approve a contract. It airs the city's opening proposal before bargaining begins.

What's next

• Nov. 10, 10 a.m.: Committee of the Whole hearing. If the committee reports the Galloway resolution favorably, it could go to a vote of the full Council at a later stated meeting.
• Nov. 12 and Nov. 19: Council's next stated meetings.
• Our meeting page will add video and a transcript once the city posts them.