Here’s why I’m voting for Sherrie Cohen, Helen Gym, Bill Greenlee, Wilson Goode, and Derek Green for City Council at Large
We have, it seems, almost an embarrassment of good candidates for Council at Large this year including both challengers and incumbents. But look closely and a few stand out above the others, not just because they have good characters and good ideas but because they have the potential to bring something to Philadelphia politics that we have long needed—a connection and commitment to engaging the public, and especially the progressive / labor community, in politics.
When I ran myself for this position in 2007 I said, repeatedly, that politics was broken in Philadelphia. That’s a little less so today in large because of some new voices, and reinvigorated old voices in Council and because of the efforts of Council President Darrel Clarke to make Council more assertive. But one glaring problem remains: Council members are still too disengaged from the issue and community activists in Philadelphia. And when the ideas and voices of issue and community activists are not heard, our politics both stagnate and comes to be dominated by the voices that never go away, those of wealthy businesspeople and their hired lobbyists.
We’ve seen how effective community voices can be when Council stood up to the Nutter Administration’s rush to implement AVI before it was ready and to the administration, the energy companies, and the newspapers when it said no to selling PGW. There are, however, other cases where business interests have gotten what they have wanted simply because Council didn’t hear opposing voices. And on one of the most important issues facing Philadelphia—how to sustain economic growth and make it work for everyone—Council only hears one voice, those who say cut taxes and all will be well. Unfortunately it is not at all clear that this is true. If we cut taxes, and especially the wrong ones, we may find ourselves with less money to spend on those things, such as improved schools and investments in commercial corridors, that actually do bring new individuals and businesses to Philadelphia. (I’ll be saying more about progressive economic development strategies soon.)
So what we really need in Council at this moment is members who hear the voices of community and issue activists, and especially who hear progressive and labor voices that have an alternative to the business communities’ vision of how to create economic growth that benefits all of us. And, even more, we need Council members who are committed to helping build that progressive / labor movement—who dedicate some of their ample staff to create and sustain a force that can help move Council and our city in the right direction.
And that’s why my top two votes for Council at Large will go to Sherrie Cohen and Helen Gym, who have a long history of progressive / labor activism in Philadelphia. Everyone knows Helen as the premiere advocate for public schools in Philadelphia. Her passion, tenacity, and knowledge are exemplary. Even when I disagree with her—and I do sometimes—I find that her point of view is always well-reasoned and based on clear thinking and evidence. And that goes for Sherrie as well. I’ve worked with her on so many projects over the years—from saving the libraries from Nutter administration cuts to fighting for essential services to raising the minimum wage to securing quality, affordable health care for all. Time and again, I’ve been struck by her energy and commitment.
Helen and Sherrie are not independent candidates, they are connected ones. And, contrary to what a lot middle class progressives think, we need connected candidates not independents in Philadelphia. We need political officials connected to the progressive / labor movement who see themselves as advocates and champions for our ideals of economic justice and inclusion, who search for public policies that might realize those ideals, and who are willing to build coalitions outside and inside council in favor of legislation that embodies those ideals. And we need to support political candidates who have proven to us, again and again, that they are those kind of leaders. Those are our candidates, not the shiny new kids on the block who have the right resume, degree, and lineage but who have never marched with us, planned with us, organized with us, rallied with us, or gotten arrested with us.
Sherrie Cohen and Helen Gym are those kinds of candidates and that’s why I’m going to push the buttons for them first.
And then I’m going to push the button for two incumbents, Bill Greenlee and Wilson Goode, Jr. who have long records of supporting progressive ideals. For three terms now, Councilman Goode has been asking hard questions and proposing tough legislation that would address the plight of working people and the poor. No one else in Council is as engaged, knowledgeable and passionate about these issue. The one who comes closest, and who has other virtues besides, is Bill Greenlee. Bill was the dogged and relentless sponsor of the earned sick day legislation. He kept pushing and built a coalition in Council that got the bill pass twice and finally worked out an arrangement with the administration to get Mayor Nutter to sign, it making it law. Bill’s been a champion for black Philadelphians, those who are disabled, and members of the LGBT community. And he as strong a supporter of labor as anyone on Council.
Wilson Goode and Bill Greenlee also are among the members of Council who are most willing to work with and help build support outside Council for progressive legislation.
The last slot on Council raises the questions about whether we should just not cast the fifth vote in order to benefit the top four choice. But if you choose to cast that vote, the ones I’m considering the following:
Blondell Reynolds-Brown was an effective champion of education and the arts in the past. She’s also had some serious ethical lapses which concern me.
Ed Nielson is a pretty new member of Council. I’ve gotten to know him a little and I have to say I’m impressed with how savvy he is. He was a good State Representative and could be a really good Council Member.
But I’m most likely going to vote for Derek Green. He was President of East Mt. Airy Neighbors when I was President of West Mt. Airy Neighbors. We worked very closely together then and I go to know him well. He’s incredibly well informed about public policy and has really good political judgment. He stands with progressives on most issues. I’m a little troubled by his endorsement by Philly 3.0, which is more supportive of business than progressive concerns. But I understand practical politics and know that Council candidates need to take support where they can get it.
There are a bunch of other Council at large candidates who have gotten some attention and run strong campaigns, especially Paul Steinke and Tom Wyatt. They both impress me with their commitment and ideas and work. But they don’t have the connections to the progressive / labor movements that we really need in our politics. And I’m afraid they will be voices for the usual ideas about economic growth in Philadelphia that play too large a role in our politics as it is.