About the Team
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President and Co-Founder
Frank DiCicco is President and co-founder of Frank DiCicco Associates, LLC, a lobbying and consulting firm, representing clients in the corporate and private sector. Frank served four, four year terms (1996-2011) in Philadelphia City Council as the Councilman for the 1st Councilmanic District. As the Councilman Frank served as Chairman of the Streets and Services Committee and as a member of the following committees: Finance, Labor and Civil Service. Parks and Recreation, Cultural Affairs, Economic Development, Fiscal Stability and Intergovernmental Cooperation, Housing and Homeless and Technology and Information Services.
While serving on City Council, Frank authored the 10 year Tax Abatement which is widely credited for much of the 20 year housing boom in Philadelphia. He also worked tirelessly to encourage responsible commercial and residential development in cooperation with nearby residential neighborhood concerns. Frank’s sponsorship and support for quality of life legislation within the LGBT community, including domestic partner and gender identity protections is among his proudest accomplishments.
Prior to serving as Councilman, Frank served 3 years as the Court Administrator for the Philadelphia Traffic Court where he directed and managed the day to day operations and staff support associated with the issuance and disposition of motor vehicle violations issued within the City of Philadelphia. During that time Frank designed legislation to aid in the impoundment of unregistered, uninsured and scofflaw vehicles. He also spent four years working for Philadelphia City Controller Jonathan Saidel as Special Investigator in charge of investigating waste and abuse in city government. Prior to working for the City Controller, Frank spent 5 years working for the Senate of Pennsylvania as a Budget Analyst.
Frank is a lifelong resident of Philadelphia, who has lived in the same neighborhood as his parents and grandparents before him going back many decades. He is the proud father of two sons: Frank DiCicco Jr. a dentist, currently operating four dental practices in New York City and Christian DiCicco a judge in the City of Philadelphia. He and his wife Maria are the proud grandparents of five grandkids. In addition, Frank is a licensed real estate sales agent, licensed in both Pennsylvania and New Jersey and has served on many boards and commissions, including the Delaware River Port Authority, Penns Landing Corporation, Pennsylvania Convention and Visitors Authority, Reading Terminal Market Authority and Philadelphia Mummers.
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Founding Partner and Co-Founder
Carl Engelke is a founding partner of Frank DiCicco Associates, a consulting and lobbying firm located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Carl co-founded the firm in early 2012 with former Philadelphia City Councilman Frank DiCicco. Priding themselves on collaborative teamwork that produces results, DiCicco Associates has a varied list of clients including Pennsylvania Real Estate Investment Trust, The Goldenberg Group, Toll Brothers, Dranoff Properties, Comcast, Catalyst Outdoor Advertising, Cigar Association of America and more.
Prior to starting Frank DiCicco Associates Carl had his own Government and Community Relations consulting firm, Eagle Eye Solutions from 2005 until 2012. His client list included the Pennsylvania State Senate, Philadelphia City Council, Core Realty, EZ Park, Old Hill Partners, Pearl Properties, Trump Tower Philadelphia as well as many small business owners. Previous to that Carl spent 8 years working for State Senator Vincent J. Fumo, the last 5 as the Director of Community Relations.
Carl has worked in many areas of government, serving on the staffs of Pennsylvania State Senators Robert Mellow (Minority Leader) and H. Craig Lewis. In addition he was a campaign aide to U.S Congressman Peter H. Kostmayer of Pennsylvania, serving as head of opposition research. From 1989 to 1993 Carl was a partner in ELC Campaigns, which had clients ranging from candidates for Municipal office to State legislative office to United States Congress.
Prior to working for Senator Fumo, Carl spent 3 years as Assistant to the Vice President of the Foreign Policy Research Institute in Philadelphia where he was in charge of special events.
Carl graduated in 1983 with a BA from Bryn Athyn College. Carl has served on several boards including the Washington Square West Civic Association, Equality Forum and the Independence Business Alliance (founding member). He currently resides in center city Philadelphia with his husband Markus.
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Executive Vice President, Government Relation
Before joining Frank DiCicco Associates, Andrew spearheaded local government affairs for Greenlee Partners for eight years. Working tirelessly for his clients in Philadelphia and Harrisburg, Andrew was able to achieve consistent results. He is an expert on Philadelphia City Council, the inner workings of Philadelphia City Departments and the local political landscape. Traveling between Philadelphia and Harrisburg, Andrew has been able to help his clients work with three Governors as well as both sides of the aisle in the Pennsylvania House and Senate. He continues to be a consultant/adviser to many current local and state elected officials.
Most days you will find Andrew in City Hall engaging with his friends and allies in City Council as well as top administration officials. Andrew has the advantage of having worked closely with many of these folks during his ten years as a Philadelphia City Council staffer. During that time Andrew served as Deputy Chief of Staff and Legislative Aide to two Philadelphia City Councilmembers and was instrumental in crafting many important pieces of legislation.
Andrews’ time in City Hall has served him and his clients well over the years. He has successfully advised such clients as Verizon, AT&T, GrubHub, Aramark, McDonalds, The Philadelphia Archdiocese, Temple University, the Pennsylvania Restaurant & Lodging Association as well as many Building Trade Unions.
As Executive Vice President, Government Affairs for Frank DiCicco Associates, Andrew on behalf of his clients, lobbied City Council members on many legislative matters including the city cable franchise agreement, paid sick leave, sugar drink tax and many other high-profile issues. His experience and relationships with many City and State agencies continues to help his clients navigate the tricky day-in-and-day-out issues they face.
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Since the beginning of her career in public service, Blondell Reynolds Brown has been dedicated to enriching the lives of Philadelphia residents by “putting people first.”
Blondell built her public service career serving as an educator, community activist, political leader, and concerned parent. First elected to city council in 1999, Blondell spent the next 20 years serving her constituents. She sponsored and gained passage of legislation that increased access to meaningful chances to improve the lives and opportunities for women, children, and families as was evidenced with the creation of the Youth Commission and the unprecedented Children's Fund and Menu Labeling bills, now law. In addition to her work in the education, arts and culture sectors, Blondell also championed equity for women as lead sponsor of the bill creating the City's Women's Commission and was a leading voice for increasing MBE/WBE opportunities. Blondell established a track record of strong advocacy for the arts and culture community in her role as Chairwoman of the Philadelphia City Council Committee on Parks, Recreation, and Cultural Affairs for 8 years. During her tenure, she helped to increase funding for arts and culture programming in the City’s annual budget, and fought to ensure the integrity of the City’s “Percent for Arts” programs. Working alongside City Council President Darrell L. Clarke, Blondell successfully merged the Department of Recreation and Fairmount Park into one succinct entity. As a senior ranking member of the City Council Finance Committee for 12 years and Majority Whip, Blondell worked closely with Council leadership and multiple mayoral administrations to review, examine, and render decisions and appropriations for City departments, boards, and agencies.
Her public policy and legislative achievements, along with her experience and knowledge of the legislative branch of Philadelphia local government makes Blondell an exceptional member of the Frank DiCicco Associates team. Her understanding of the Harrisburg landscape, coupled with the depth and breadth of working professional relationships across the government, corporate, non-profit, non-government, and religious sectors informs and enriches the mission of Frank DiCicco Associates and her work on a daily basis.
Prior to being elected to Philadelphia City Council, Blondell spent 18 years dedicated to public and community service. Her work in education, arts and culture, and social service initiatives all helped to vastly improve the welfare of citizens within Philadelphia’s diverse communities.