WHEREAS, Born and raised in the Overbrook neighborhood of Philadelphia, Robert A. Brady served as a union contractor, until a broken streetlight changed the course of his life. After a local democratic committeeperson would not help him fix that broken streetlight, Brady ran against and defeated him for his seat in the 34th Ward; and
WHEREAS, In 1974, Brady became the Seargent-at-Arms of the Philadelphia City Council, where he was pivotal in ensuring security and order in the sometimes-raucous City Council Chambers. Eventually, Brady went on to succeed George X. Schwartz and became leader of the City’s 34th Democratic Ward, a position that he has held ever since; and
WHEREAS, In 1986, with the backing of then Mayor W. Wilson Goode, Sr., Robert Brady became the Chair of the Philadelphia Democratic Party, a role where he would cement his legacy over Philadelphia’s politics for decades; and
WHEREAS, In 1998, Robert Brady announced he was running for Congress and received 71% of the vote in the special election for Pennsylvania’s First Congressional District. Throughout his 20 years in the Capitol, Brady was the prime sponsor of 11 bills signed into law and was a co-sponsor for hundreds of others. In addition to his legislative record, the Congressman was instrumental in bringing in $15.5 billion in funds for projects like dredging the Delaware River, the 2016 Democratic National Convention, repairing the George C. Platt Memorial Bridge, and the Philadelphia Navy Yard; and
WHEREAS, During his Congressional career, Brady served as both the Ranking Member and the Chair of the Committee on House Administration, which oversees general administration, security of the Capitol Building, and overseeing federal elections. Brady has made numerous consequential votes that have changed the course of American politics, including opposing the Authorization for the Use of Military Force against Iraq in 2002, supporting numerous bills concerning abortion rights, and voting for the Small Business Jobs Act of 2010; and
WHEREAS, Throughout his decades as Chair of the Democratic Party, the City has made monumental strides in electing candidates that look like the City. Congressman Brady has been noted for his efforts to unify the party. During his time as Chair, the City has elected four black mayors, Philadelphia’s first female mayor, the first openly LGBTQ+ City Councilmember, the first Asian-American female City Councilmember, the first Southeast Asian Member of Council, and numerous judges of color throughout the years; and
WHEREAS, Congressman Brady’s decades of dedication and service to the citizens of Philadelphia and West Philadelphia should be honored and commemorated, and his work shall be forever memorialized in the Overbrook Park Neighborhood where Robert A. Brady lived for many years, and on the entrance of the library where his mother worked for many years; and now therefore,
THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA HEREBY ORDAINS:
SECTION 1. The Overbrook Park Branch Library is hereby renamed and dedicated as the
“Robert A. Brady Library of Overbrook Park”
SECTION 2. This Ordinance shall take effect immediately.
End