At-Large Candidates Begin Politicking

There were two types of politicians that showed up at the Italian Bistro on Thursday, December 7th for an event organized by Neighborhood Networks-the politicians who talk about their résumés and the politicians who talk about their ideas. The well-attended, interactive forum was intended as a way for Philadelphia’s progressive community to learn about the candidates who may be running for the at-large seats in the City Council next year.

Overwhelmingly, the night was a success for the politicians who turned on the charisma and explained the core set of ideas and goals that would guide them if elected to City Council. These included the Reverend Jesse Brown, Derek Green, Blondell Reynolds-Brown, Matt Ruben, and Marc Stier.

Reverend Jesse Brown, a leader at the Calvin Lutheran Church in North Philadelphia, started off the night… preaching! Throughout his speech he was greeted by various attendees shouting, “Preach, reverend, preach,” and “That’s right, ” whenever he hit upon a good point. And he hit upon quite a few. Brown’s core values, as he explained, consisted of healthcare and stopping the casinos, as well as any other corporations, that seek to take advantage of Philadelphia’s communities.

Reverend Brown stressed a community-based approach to politics through his three-minute speech, which he applied to issues like education, taxi’s, environmental concern, and eminent domain. He ended by declaring, “We can own it. We can run it. And we can decide what is in our best interest,” in regards to his community based approach to Philadelphia politics.

Derek Green, who has not yet decided to run, took the opportunity to talk about the violence that is all too apparently plaguing our city. “We fear for the future of our city,” he stated as he described a shooting that took place next to the William Penn School, where he was leading a discussion on violence at the time. Green stressed that the city’s violence is a true public health crisis in the same way that AIDS, E. Coli and breast cancer are public health crises. Yet, he added, it is not addressed with the same weight. The city does not give violence the same attention it does other public health crises. What Philadelphia needs, he continued, are more programs like Don’t Fall Down in the Hood, which teach at risk youth “how to resolve conflicts without resorting to violence.”

In the spirit of the night Blondell Reynolds-Brown was greeted by an audience member yelling, “Let’s hear it for the WO-man, ” as she took the stage. Reynolds-Brown, who stated her core platform consists of children, arts and culture, and advocacy for small businesses, decided to focus solely on youth issues during her allotted time. As an example of her dedication to the city’s youth, Reynolds-Brown explained her success passing a law that requires all Philadelphia sports team to pay one million dollars a year, for the next 30 years, to the Children’s Fund. The Fund is in turn available to all non-profits focusing on particular aspects affecting Philadelphia’s youth. It was this type of mentality she promised to bring to office if elected.

Matt Ruben began by quickly running through a few of the successful programs he has been involved in, including pro-choice clinic defense and street-vendor advocacy. He then brought the audience into participation by stating, “Raise you hands if you think you are an informed citizen?” Most of the room did. He then stated, “Now raise your hands if you are happy with how the Philadelphia City Council is now.” No one did. The point proven, Ruben went onto describe how he feels, “education is the silver bullet.” Education, combined with jobs and services will help stop the tide of violence in the city, he stated. Ruben then added that he is dedicated to stimulating “economic growth with social justice” as a means to solve the majority of the city’s problems. The rest of his speech was greeted by large amounts of applause and cheers as he dropped lines like, “Gentrification decreases the diversity of our city,” and “We need to overcome the historic, cultural differences which have been used to divide us.”

Mark Stier, picking up on Ruben’s point, drove home the idea that “politics in Philadelphia is broken.” Working within the system for several years, he explained, taught him that the system truly is not working as it should. If you are not connected, he explained, you are unable to take full advantage of the city’s benefits. Stier finished by stating that racism and class continue to play a huge role in the inequality of city services-a statement that was endorsed by the lively crowd.

The other politicians present, including Ben Ramos, Maceo Cummings, David Oh, Andy Toy and Bill Greenlee, lost the crowd in a tiresome list of their resume, personal accomplishments, previous positions, and ill-prepared speeches lacking in the necessary charisma.

Overall the night was a success, as it allowed citizens to learn about potential candidates in an intimate and personal setting. What remains to be seen is which candidates will be endorsed by Neighborhood Networks - an organization which stands for “fair taxes, clean government, a healthy environment, the right to speak out without fear, social equality, and a safety net for the poor and needy”- and the communities they seek to serve. More information regarding Neighborhood Networks can be found at www.phillynn.org.

Comments

lack of women in the at large race

Submitted by AC (not verified) on Mon, 12/11/2006 - 11:22am

one thing that struck me about the forum was the lack of women running, which also speaks to the lack of powerful women in philly politics right now. here is the list of the candidates:

Those who attended were:

Blondell Reynolds-Brown
Maceo Cummings
Derek Green
Bill Greenlee
Jesse W. Brown, Jr.
Ben Ramos
Elmer H. Money, Jr.
Marc Stier
Matt Ruben
Sharif Street
Andy Toy
David Oh

Those who did not attend were:

Jim Kenney
W. Wilson Goode, Jr.
Frank Rizzo

what can we do to have a more diverse ticket and in philly politics in general?

These candidates sound passionate.

Submitted by ark (not verified) on Mon, 12/11/2006 - 9:20am

But I can't help but wonder how much of it is the usual, political hot air that gets pushed around before elections. Let's fix the educational system... HOW? Let's bring down the barriers that seperate us.. HOW?

I'd love to see a day where we have candidates sign contracts with the public, so that they will be held accountable for their promises if they do indeed reach office.

this is a progressive current here

Submitted by AC (not verified) on Mon, 12/11/2006 - 11:20am

many of the candidates are interested in changing politics as usual esp jesse brown, marc stier, and matt ruben. all three impressed me.

Ruben

Submitted by Matt (not verified) on Tue, 12/12/2006 - 3:26pm

Seems like Ruben knows what he's talking about. He's got my vote. Great writing too... why isn't this writer on the lead more often?...

is this matt speaking

Submitted by tw (not verified) on Wed, 12/13/2006 - 6:32am

if it is I love your piece "Penn Ink". it rocks

Wasn't my post

Submitted by Matt Ruben (not verified) on Wed, 12/13/2006 - 1:31pm

TW, it's not me speaking in that post. That post about me was made by someone else who apparently is also named Matt - and I appreciate his kind words.

I am, however, the same Matt Ruben who wrote the article "Penn and Inc." - and I'm glad you liked it.

Best,
Matt Ruben

Qualifications Do Matter

Submitted by MGP (not verified) on Thu, 12/14/2006 - 6:11am

I, for one, am interested in knowing what qualifications a candidate possesses that makes them qualified to run for city council. A candidate's resume is extremely important to me.
David Oh, Ben Ramos, and Derek Green have great leadership qualities. I've heard David speak on a few occasions; he has an exceptional background. He not only understands the problems this city faces but has realistic solutions. I was also very impressed with Ben Ramos and Derek Green.

hmmm

Submitted by acm (not verified) on Thu, 12/14/2006 - 9:03am

actually, when Ruben asked whether anybody was happy with City Council, Greenlee and Reynolds-Brown (both incumbents) meekly raised their hands, to general amusement... :)

as to the rest, I agree that it's overly dismissive to say that the crowd had no interest in the backgrounds (Ramos, among others, had pretty impressive creds). also, the second part of the event, where each answered a specific issue/policy question, allowed some of those who were quieter in the first round to speak up a bit and show their thoughtfulness -- Cummings was one of the ones who piqued my interest more in the second part. don't know if you were there for that or not. I have a lengthy write-up at http://asmokefilledroom.blogspot.com/2006/12/at-large-city-council-forum....

Qualifications Do matter

Submitted by Patrick Blair (not verified) on Fri, 12/15/2006 - 5:14pm

I sincerely hope that my article has not lead people to think that I believe qualifications to be an insignificant aspect of politics. They most certainly do matter, and I do not advocate voting merely for a candidate’s charisma or stated ideals. That is the very definition of an uneducated voter. Yet on the other hand we must be wary of career politicians. It is a fine line we walk as voters.

In writing this story I was merely reporting what I saw from my position in the back of the room-namely that attendees were excited by speakers who were able to play to the audience. It is my hope that this excitement, that the speakers generated, will in turn energize voters to extensively research the candidates they feel most closely reflect their own values and beliefs, and then vote accordingly.

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