City Council this year approved Bill 250,654 to expand the Economic Opportunity Review Committee (EORC) by creating designated seats for the Asian American Chamber of Commerce of Greater Philadelphia and the Independence Business Alliance, officials said at the committee's Dec. 8 meeting.

"I'm here because your work matters," Councilmember Nina Ahmed told the committee, saying the ordinance ensures that oversight "must be more than policy on paper" by bringing more community voices into contracting oversight. Ahmed said the structural change is intended to help the city measure outcomes, identify gaps in access, and recommend remedies where contractors fail to meet inclusion commitments.

Lynn Newsome, deputy director of the City of Philadelphia's Office of Economic Opportunity (OEO) and ex-officio chair of the EORC, summarized the panel's duties under the Philadelphia Code, noting the committee reviews implementation and enforcement of Chapter 17-1600 (Equal Opportunity Plans), takes public testimony related to diversity and inclusion, and may recommend remedial action including debarment for flagrant violations.

Representatives from the two newly added seats introduced themselves: Kainzo Arthur, president and CEO of the Asian American Chamber of Commerce of Greater Philadelphia, and Zach Wilco, CEO of the Independence Business Alliance, the LGBTQ+ chamber. Robert Harris said he was sitting as proxy for the president of AFSCME District Council 47, underscoring continued labor representation.

Committee leaders said the change follows a long-standing need to diversify oversight and that they expect the new members to help the EORC better track whether public contracting expands opportunity across the city. Newsome reminded the public that EORC meetings are held quarterly and that transcripts and information about presenting to the committee are available through OEO (oeo.phila.gov). Participants were given instructions to register for future testimony and contact OEO by phone or email for assistance.

The ordinance number was cited in committee remarks but the transcript did not include council roll-call or a vote tally at the EORC meeting; those details are recorded in City Council records.