Republican mayoral candidate Melissa Murray Bailey is running a proactive campaign when it comes to meetings with groups of people.
“Please invite me. I will be there. I have a message that needs to get out,” she’s been telling groups.
Bailey is one of five candidates running to succeed Michael Nutter on Tuesday. The others are Democrat Jim Kenney, independents Jim Foster and Boris Kindij and the Socialist Workers Party’s Osborne Hart.
Bailey is running a grassroots campaign. She has five steady campaign workers, and gladly accepts any invites to talk to civic associations and speak to media. She’s also active on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.
The election is not a foregone conclusion, she said, despite Democrats’ huge voter-registration edge. She has been told by many Democrats that they are voting for her.
“The momentum is building,” she said.
Bailey met recently with local media at Republican City Committee headquarters at 3525–27 Cottman Ave.
There, she was joined by state Rep. John Taylor, chairman of the local GOP.
Taylor expects to have two-thirds of the roughly 1,000 polling places covered with campaign workers.
The longtime lawmaker is pleased with Bailey’s efforts.
“Melissa has done a tremendous job,” he said. “We have been very proud of Melissa’s performance everywhere she goes.”
Taylor describes Bailey, 36, as one of the future leaders of the party. He also includes in that group Council candidates Kevin Strickland, Terry Tracy and Dan Tinney and former congressional candidate Armond James.
Democrats have a big money advantage in the race, and Republicans will struggle to find poll workers in minority areas, but the party has hope.
“Our job is to get Republicans to the polls,” Taylor said.
Bailey grew up in Absecon, New Jersey. Married with one child, she heads the Americas division of Sweden-based Universum Global, an employer branding company. In office, she’ll use her business skills to entice businesses to expand or move into Philadelphia. She would push for a “significant” reduction in the city wage tax.
Bailey vows to clean up Philadelphia, from its dirty streets to crime to corruption and the pay-to-play culture.
If elected, she’ll engage members of City Council months in advance of the deadline to pass a budget. Democrats are expected to hold a 14–3 advantage on Council.
“There are things we can all see eye to eye on,” she said.
On the campaign trail, Bailey has met citizens angry about things such as bad public schools and unsafe playgrounds, and she thinks she can work with Council to solve those problems.
“These are not partisan issues,” she said.
On schools, she’d like the chance to name a superintendent and make it a cabinet-level office. She argues that the mayor should be fully responsible for the school district.
On a related matter, she’d take the best practices in charter schools and introduce them into public schools.
Bailey wants to build a “bridge of trust” with leaders in the legislature to improve the city’s relationship with the state.
As for a replacement for outgoing Police Commissioner Charles Ramsey, she’ll look inside the police department.
The candidate would hire 500 police officers, expecting that the cost would be $10 million.
“You sure could find that money somewhere,” she said.
Bailey wants to hire cops who have passion, street smarts and a commitment to the community. She’d recruit inside and outside the city, and provide sufficient resources for all members of the department.
“We need to stand lock step with the police,” she said. “The police are the cornerstones of the community.” ••
