"My take is that all those concerns are legitimate," she said. "But it's important that we do the homework and the research. . . . We need to be open to the conversation."
She wants people to discuss the idea because the city must find new revenue sources for the financially troubled School District.
Will the thought of schoolchildren going without art and music classes inspire late-night civic-minded swizzling?
Janelle Findlater, 22, of West Philly, a bartender stopping for a drink at Khyber Pass on South Second Street on Thursday, was ready to join the cause.
"There's lots of nights when I'm not done, but I have to go home because everyone stops serving at 2," she said. "After 2, I'll go to a friend's house - but why not put that money back into the community?"
Brown estimates that the extra hour would generate an additional $5 million for the School District. In fiscal 2010, liquor taxes generated $42 million for the schools.
Council has raised major taxes for three straight years, and the public is unlikely to tolerate more hikes, she said.
"Continuously going back to our taxpayers and asking to raise their property taxes puts a knot in our throats," Brown said.
Her plan appears headed for political turbulence.
Mayor Nutter does not think Brown's bill is a good idea, said his spokesman, Mark McDonald.
"If you look at patterns of violence in the city that occur with high frequency in the overnight hours and often near bars, there is a lot of crime," McDonald said, "and that raises a serious question about the bill."
AAA Mid-Atlantic issued a statement saying the bill had the potential to increase drunken driving, noting that if suburban bars stay only stay open until 2 a.m. but city watering holes can serve until 3, people may be tempted to drive from one location to the other.
Professionals were divided.
