Philadelphia voters overwhelmingly approved making permanent a Mayor's Commission on African American Males, which examines the challenges facing black men in Philadelphia.
The commission, which was established by former Mayor Michael Nutter, is now part of the city's Home Rule Charter. Its members advise Philadelphia elected officials, particularly in the areas of prospective policy and legislation.
Voters approved adding the commission to the charter by a count of 130,292 to 76,062, with 96 percent of precincts reporting.
"An advisory body (it has no statutory powers) with 30 unpaid members, it was established by Mayor Michael Nutter in 2011," the Committee of Seventy wrote on its website, describing the commission. "Actually, Nutter reestablished it. Mayor Wilson Goode created a similar commission in December 1991 just before he left office, but his successors allowed it to lapse."
Seventy added that Washington, D.C., Baltimore, and Bloomington, Ind., have similar commissions.
