And We’re Off…
November. 16, 2018
In the concluding week, former City Controller Alan Butkovitz announced his intention to challenge Mayor Jim Kenney in next year'southward primary, and State Senator Tony Williams—felled by Kenney in 2015—said he's also deciding whether to jump in, though he already sounds like a candidate.
Simultaneously, in recent weeks, there has been polling in the field testing the name recognition and popularity of Jeff Brown, the entrepreneurial grocer who has brought fresh food and healthy lifestyle choices to Philadelphia's food deserts, and who has been an outspoken critic of the anti-progressive furnishings of Kenney's drink revenue enhancement.
The groundwork to all this is, of class, that in Philadelphia, incumbent mayors don't fend off serious challenges. No incumbent mayor in modernistic Philadelphia history who has run for reelection has been defeated. Nosotros once had a mayor who infamously bombed a neighborhood in his own city, and he got reelected. In 2011, when Michael Nutter sought reelection, the only candidate to emerge from that flavour's whispering and jockeying was Milton Street, the colorful, outspoken former pol who had washed prison fourth dimension. (Street exceeded expectations past getting 25 pct of the vote on election day.)
So, history tells us that, chances are, we'll be having a Kenney second term. But if turnout continues to escalate and the zeitgeist's widespread ambition for alter doesn't misemploy, who knows? At the very least, it'south refreshing to hear that, in this famously uncompetitive political boondocks— Moscow on the Delaware —some credible candidates are emerging. Because, no thing who the mayor is, we need an open and honest fence about a vision for the urban center.
At the very to the lowest degree, it's refreshing to hear that, in this famously uncompetitive political town—Moscow on the Delaware—some credible candidates are emerging. Considering, no matter who the mayor is, we demand an open and honest argue about a vision for the urban center.
That's what's been missing from Kenney, whatever larger sense of where he sees Philadelphia in, say, five years, with goals and timetables laid out to get us at that place. In fact, that's what was missing in our terminal mayoral election, which Kenney won by skillfully holding together a diverse coalition of interest groups and past mouthing New York Mayor Bill DeBlasio-tested progressive slogans—while existence the labor candidate of choice.
I care less most who runs next year and more about having a existent citywide discussion about where we're going. But it won't be plenty to just run against Kenney. Anyone looking to unseat him has to also offering an affirmative case for a amend Philadelphia.
How politically vulnerable is Kenney? Well, twice he's spent political majuscule endorsing other candidates, and both times his candidate was roundly rejected . Outset, at that place was his endorsement of Steven Zappala in the Attorney General's race, seen as payback to labor leader John Dougherty, his prime backer. Then, before this year, the Mayor blanketed the TV airwaves with ads for his mitt-picked congressional candidate, Rich Lazer, his former correct manus homo and some other Dougherty acolyte. When the congressional map was redrawn by the Country Supreme Courtroom, Lazer's district was divide betwixt South Philly and Delaware County. That meant that, to win, Lazer would have to have nearly 70 percent of Southward Philly. In the stop, he didn't come up close to that and finished well behind Delco candidate, and newly elected Congresswoman, Mary Gay Scanlon.
South Philly is Kenney country, no? Information technology's where he grew up, where his begetter was a fire-eater, where he delivered the morning Inquirer, where he marched in the Mummer's Parade. Due south Philly should be his base. Yet, candidates who were knocking on doors in Southward Philly concluding May say they were surprisingly confronted by opposition to the Mayor'southward policies. Among the complaints: the soda revenue enhancement, the out-of-nowhere property reassessments, the moving of the Rizzo statue, non to mention the mayor's support for sanctuary cities and his visit to Meek Mill in prison house.
Jim Kenney was elected mayor in 2022 afterwards very skillfully putting together a strikingly diverse coalition. He appealed to white working class ethnics as Jimmy From The Block, the i-fourth dimension Mummer who called Chris Christie a "fat ass" on Twitter for being a Dallas Cowboys fan. With Johnny Doc past his side—and having his back—he was the labor candidate. But he added to that calling carte du jour with significant African American support from the likes of former Councilwoman Marian Tasco and State Rep. Dwight Evans. And then he added to that by taking a page out of DeBlasio'due south playbook and speaking the language of urbanist, progressive Philly.
Can he proceed that fragile coalition together again? It's not articulate, for instance, who might be Butkovitz'southward natural constituency, which is no doubt why, in his proclamation, he tried to exploit fissures amid Kenney's supporters, every bit when he critiqued Kenney for not catastrophe stop and frisk policing, as promised.
I caught up with Williams on Wednesday night, and, like Butkovitz, he lays out the critique: Kenney hasn't made a paring in the poverty charge per unit—in fact, median household income in Philly, alone among large cities, is downwards ; murders—primarily of African Americans—are upwards 4 percent this year later on a fifteen percent surge final year; Kenney withal hasn't been able to discover the missing millions or agree anyone accountable for $924 million in bookkeeping errors nether his lookout; Kenney has increased taxes by 17 percent, without a commensurate increment in task growth. Just what kind of return on investment are we getting for this incessant taxation of an already-constricted tax base of operations?
It'due south easy to be a critic, of form. I'thou eager to hear ideas that can move Philly forward.
Williams sounded eager, besides, when I spoke to him Wednesday night. Many of united states were disappointed in his 2022 mayoral campaign. Equally a state senator, we'd long known him to be a thoughtful policy guy. His campaign, though, seemed lackluster and unfocused, not driven by ideas. He attributes that to existence also cautious, afraid to brand a mistake, scared to lose.
Opposing Kenney means not just providing an alternative to his policies, only also projecting a different style. Kenney frequently wears a sad sack expression and will tell just about anyone who will listen how much he dislikes his chore. A apparent challenger will accept to be a happy warrior whose love for Philly—and its people—shines through.
"That was a missed opportunity by me," Williams told me. "I didn't speak the mode I normally speak. Candid." In a 15 infinitesimal conversation, Williams returned again and again to the big challenges: Poverty, taxation policy that can fuel economical growth, and violence on our streets.
"We are long overdue for a real argue in this city on what matters," he told me. Williams, Butkovitz and anyone else contemplating running will have to grapple with the authenticity challenge. Opposing Kenney means non just providing an alternative to his policies, just also projecting a unlike mode. Kenney often wears a lamentable sack expression and will tell only nigh anyone who will listen how much he dislikes his chore. A credible challenger will have to be a happy warrior whose love for Philly—and its people—shines through.
Are in that location others who might take the plunge? Most call back that Councilman Alan Domb volition wait for 2023 to run. Ditto Helen Gym. The wild menu is Brown, whose entry into a mayoral race could be a game changer because of his big personality, and because he could probable self-fund. Brown is someone with entrepreneurial spirit and with existent brownie in neighborhoods, having serviced food deserts and hired the formerly incarcerated at his stores.
Most importantly, he gives off that happy warrior air: He'southward a dorsum slapper and a high-fiver, as comfortable on the street as with the elite. Brownish did not return my call seeking to explore his involvement in running, simply I wouldn't hold my breath. When I've talked to him virtually it in the past, it seemed similar family unit concerns would concord him back from doing anything beyond criticizing the Mayor—who he's supported in the by—for his tax-happy ways.
And what of Kenney? It's three years in, and his rhetoric nearly lessons learned from not winning the Amazon bid sounds encouraging, until y'all remember…Hmmm. Where is your bold economical development programme? I was at a private dinner roughly a year ago with some local CEOs and Commerce Director Harold Epps, in which Epps said he was working on a groundbreaking pro-growth plan. I'g however awaiting its rollout.
This is a plea for Kenney to answer his critics with vision and substance of his own, rather than Trump-like personal attacks. I'g not optimistic on that front end, yet. In The Inquirer story most Butkovitz's announcement, there was Kenney's attack dog, Lauren Hitt, back at it: "Philadelphians want a progressive leader who will stand upwards to the rich and powerful—non a corporate Democrat running to help billionaire soda CEOs," she said, suggesting that Butkovitz was aught more than a pawn of the soda industry honchos who are angry at Kenney for taxing them.
Of course, questioning the motives of one'south political opponents—rather than answering their critique—is a page ripped right from the Trump playbook. But it'south what Kenney and Hitt do. It'south what they did to Brown—someone with impeccable progressive credentials—when he complained well-nigh the soda tax, ignoring the critical question: If a revenue enhancement potentially forces the closing of a ShopRite that services an inner-city food desert, how exactly is that a progressive tax?
Come up to recollect of information technology, the most healthy fence we can take ought to be oriented around that very question: Just what does information technology mean to be a progressive in Philadelphia today? Regardless of who the mayor is, the answer will say a lot about us and where nosotros're going. Who can paint a picture of a more than fair, just and safe future for citizens who piece of work hard and play by the rules? And who tin show us a roadmap for how to get there? No affair who the candidates are, if nosotros have an ballot next twelvemonth that addresses those questions, nosotros'll accept established a marketplace of ideas in our political life, and, for at to the lowest degree one shining cycle, mayhap we'll no longer be the People'southward Democracy of Philadelphia.
photo via Flickr 
Source: https://thephiladelphiacitizen.org/and-were-off/
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