The primary election is next Tuesday, and Philadelphians will see a crowded ballot.
The premier race is the Democratic primary for mayor. The candidates are Jim Kenney, Anthony Williams, Lynne Abraham, Milton Street, Doug Oliver and Nelson Diaz. Republican Melissa Bailey is unopposed.
There will also be races for City Council, city elections commissioner, register of wills, sheriff, Common Pleas Court, Municipal Court, Pennsylvania Supreme Court, Superior Court and Commonwealth Court.
In addition, there will be a special election in the 5th Senatorial District. And voters will decide on four proposed changes to the Home Rule Charter.
The polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.
City Councilman Ed Neilson is calling on Mayor Michael Nutter to issue an executive order that would allow city municipal workers to be granted time off on days of elections to cast their votes. Neilson notes that the long hours of police officers, firefighters and paramedics can prohibit them from having the time to vote.
A sample ballot is available at http://www.philadelphiavotes.com/
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The primary has attracted 43 Democrats and one Republican running for 12 seats on Common Pleas Court.
The lone Republican is Somerton’s Vince Furlong. He is cross-filed on the Democratic ballot. His name appears at the bottom of the second of seven columns.
Furlong and his wife Pat have four children: Liz, Erin, Vince Jr. and Brendan. He’s been a local sports coach and is a member of the Ancient Order of Hibernians.
Now in private practice, he is a former assistant district attorney, deputy state attorney general and special assistant U.S. attorney.
Furlong has been endorsed by Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 5, Sprinkler Fitters Union Local 692, Plasterers’ Union Local 8, the United Veterans Council of Philadelphia and the Retired Police, Firefighters and Prison Guard Association of Philadelphia.
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In the mayoral race, Lynne Abraham criticized Tony Williams’ recent statement that he would fire Police Commissioner Charles Ramsey, calling it a cheap political ploy.
“I completely agree with Mayor Nutter’s assessment. Commissioner Ramsey has done an outstanding job during his tenure making real reforms to address and resolve our city’s public safety issues. Look at the statistics. Shootings are down 30 percent since 2007. Tony originally said that he would keep Ramsey. Does anyone else wonder why he suddenly reversed his position three weeks before the election? I don’t buy it,” she said.
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Ken Trujillo, who dropped out of the Democratic race for mayor, last week endorsed Jim Kenney, who served 23 years as a city councilman.
In Trujillo’s view, based on his history and campaign, Kenney is the best candidate to bring communities together.
Trujillo made the announcement in an op-ed in Philadelphia magazine. He faulted Williams for merely citing a desire to be a chief executive as his reason for running. He suggested that Williams’ reliance on the legacy of his father, the late state Sen. Hardy Williams, is reflective of a “troubling sense of entitlement.”
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Meanwhile, the Philadelphia Fire Officers Union endorsed Kenney.
The membership includes the ranks of lieutenant, captain, battalion chief and deputy chief).
“Jim Kenney understands all that we firefighters endure because he has firsthand knowledge, growing up as the son of a firefighter. Jim has demonstrated his support for us throughout his long political career. He even attended the ‘Fire Operations 101’ course at the Fire Academy several years ago, donning bunker clothes and putting out fires, performing CPR drills, observing Special Operations activities and more,” said Charles Klink, the group’s president.
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Americans for Democratic Action of Southeastern Pennsylvania and the 5th, 8th, 9th, 27th and 30th wards have endorsed Kenney.
All cited his commitment to ending stop and frisk, fully funding public education and fighting for LGBT and immigrants rights.
“Americans for Democratic Action of Southeastern Pennsylvania is proud to endorse Jim Kenney for mayor,” said Chair Glenavie Norton. “His 22 years as an at-large member of City Council give him an unparalleled insight into city government.
“We respect his support for increased protections of the LGBTQ community; marijuana decriminalization; a sensible and just immigration policy; support for public education — in particular funding for high-quality PreK; and increased economic opportunities for returning citizens,” said Americans for Democratic Action chair Glenavie Norton.
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At an event in Love Park, the Philadelphia Multicultural Coalition announced its endorsement of Kenney.
The coalition is a group of organizations and individuals from Philadelphia’s Asian, Latino, Muslim and black communities led by Andy Toy, Marwan Kreidie, Nina Ahmad, Numa St. Louis and Mathew Tharakan.
“Jim Kenney is the only one equipped to tackle the serious challenges facing our city, and his support from all corners of Philadelphia speaks to his ability to connect with residents regardless of their country of origin, race, gender, sexual orientation or religious affiliation. Jim understands and supports the struggle of new immigrants, values diversity and will fight for quality education for all,” Toy said.
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Also endorsing Kenney is the Philadelphia Progressive Democratic Caucus.
“Jim’s strong, progressive record and his continued commitment to ending stop-and-frisk, creating universal pre-k and increasing the minimum wage made him the clear choice for our endorsement,” said PDPC vice chairwoman Danielle Moskowitz. “On everything from LGBT and immigrant rights to campaign finance reform, Jim was an early advocate for progressive change in Philadelphia. As mayor, we know he will continue that approach.”
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On Tuesday, Kenney was endorsed by the Philadelphia Interfaith Coalition, made up of ministers and faith leaders from North Philadelphia.
“We are concerned about the welfare of our communities, the safety and education of our children as well as the safety and comfort of our seniors,” the coalition said in a statement. “We believe that Jim Kenney’s experience in city government working on police-community relations and supporting our public schools will help secure a better future for Philadelphia. We believe that he will help our City not only advance, but make it a leading city in our nation.”
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The bipartisan Philly Set Go political action committee has endorsed Doug Oliver for mayor.
The PAC was founded this year to encourage millennials to become more involved in state and local politics and to advocate on behalf of Philadelphia millennials on issues of common concern such as K-12 education, job growth and quality of life.
The group believes Oliver is the new leader that a dynamic city like Philadelphia needs. He is energetic, optimistic and forward thinking, members say. He is unburdened by obligations to the Philadelphia political establishment, including the traditional powerhouse of organized labor. He’d have the freedom and flexibility necessary to pursue new policy ideas to improve Philadelphia’s education system, grow the city’s economy and continue efforts to make city government more ethical and transparent.
The PAC has also endorsed Democrat Allan Domb and Republican Terry Tracy for at-large City Council seats.
Domb, the group believes, has a substantive approach to addressing the issues that millennials care most about: improving K-12 public education, reducing poverty in Philadelphia and increasing job growth. He favors creating a tax credit for employers that hire graduates of Philadelphia universities.
Of the 25 largest cities in the United States, Philadelphia is the only city without a City Council member under the age of 40. To truly be able to influence the city and leave an imprint on policy, millennials believe they need one of their own in Council, and that, “Terry Tracy is the right millennial candidate for the job.” ••
