“You must understand the anger and frustration of those who feel strongly that taxpayer dollars and corporate funds should not be devoted to supporting this event,” Mr. Kenney wrote in the letter, dated Jan. 21. The Mummers divisions loosely organize many groups under broad banners — there is a Comic Division and a Fancy Brigade — and their leaders have always struggled to police the behavior of groups and participants. Mr. Kenney, himself a former Mummer, requested a meeting of the leaders with the city’s managing director, and proposed several changes to how the Mummers organize. “We agree with his chain of thought that some things have to be improved,” said Richard Porco, the president of the Comic Division. The bill is not final, she said in an interview on Friday, noting that it would have to take into account legal protections for free speech.

Source: New York Times January 24, 2020 20:15 UTC