Anna C. Verna

Who is Anna C. Verna?

Anna Cibotti Verna is a former 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 is a Democrat. She is the daughter of former council member William Cibotti and was elected to his seat following his death in 1979.

Verna has drawn criticism for her support of the Deferred Retirement Option Plan for city employees which allows municipal employees to forgo some pension payments in lieu of a lump-sump payment on the date of their retirement. Prior to the 2011 municipal election, several councilmembers, including Verna,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 councilmembers who enrolled in DROP, including Verna, declined to run for reelection. Others, like Councilman Frank Rizzo, Jr. were defeated for renomination.