Democratic mayoral candidate Allan Domb was in the Northeast last week, touring diners along Frankford Avenue.
Domb, in an interview at the Mayfair Diner, spoke about plans he has for the city, specifically the Northeast.
Domb resigned from City Council to run for mayor. He is one of 10 Democrats in the race. On the Republican side, Councilman David Oh is expected to run.
Domb, a North Jersey native, grew up poor. He moved to Philadelphia in 1976, built a successful real estate career and served as president of the Greater Philadelphia Association of Realtors.
In 2015, Domb won an at-large Council seat and was re-elected in 2019. As a councilman, he donated his salary to public schools.
In office, he’d have a plan for all 10 Council districts. He pointed to Leonardo Helicopters, 3076 Red Lion Road, as a successful company. He’d entice Leonardo’s suppliers to open in Philadelphia, adding good-paying jobs.
Domb would also try to lure movie studios to film on vacant riverfront land, and look to Northeast Airport for employment opportunities.
“We need jobs,” he said.
Good jobs, in Domb’s view, would lead to a decrease in crime.
Domb has issued a 10-point plan for public safety.
“It’s the No. 1 issue,” he said.
Among other things, he would declare a crime emergency on his first day in office; declare a public health emergency in drug-ravaged Kensington; triple funding for the recruitment of police officers; install cameras at every high school; and clean every vacant lot and seal every abandoned building.
More police beats, he believes, would build trust with communities and lead to the solving of more crimes. He’d meet weekly with law enforcement agencies, and believes Danielle Outlaw can be an effective police commissioner if backed by the mayor, arguing that Jim Kenney has failed in that area.
While many people argue that Philadelphia is in dire need of affordable housing, Domb points to data showing that Philadelphia has the lowest average income of the 50 largest cities.
“It’s really an income problem,” he said.
Education, he believes, is the answer to increasing income and homeownership. He favors the mandatory teaching of financial literacy, technology and entrepreneurship in kindergarten through 12th grade, and would give high school students the chance to work at a job one day a week. Domb said giving high school students four different job experiences would be a “game-changer.” ••
