a working artist's guide to philadelphia's 2015 primaries

A WORKING ARTIST’S GUIDE TO PHILADELPHIA’S MAY 19TH, 2015 PRIMARY ELECTIONS: YES IT’S LONG, BUT THERE’S A TABLE OF CONTENTS.

A WORKING ARTIST’S GUIDE TO PHILADELPHIA’S 2015 PRIMARY ELECTIONS

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TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction page 2

‐ Organization page3‐ Authorship page3‐ Write‐invoting page4

2015 Democratic Primary page 5

‐ Mayoralcandidates page5‐ CityCouncil(At‐Large) page9‐ CityCouncil(District) page16‐ Down‐ballotraces page17

2015 Republican Primary page 20

‐ Mayoralcandidate page20‐ CityCouncil(At‐Large) page20

Sheriffs & Judges & Ballot Questions page 23

‐ Sheriff page23‐ Judges page24‐ BallotQuestions page25

Appendix I: This is (not) a sample ballot page 26

Appendix II: Summary/Recap, #ArtsParksForum page 27


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INTRODUCTION or, IN A (MOSTLY) ONE-PARTY TOWN, PRIMARIES REALLY MATTER

Philadelphia elects Democrats. This has been pretty much universally true since the1950s,whenRichardsonDilworth(namesakeofPhilly’snewestandclassiestsprayground)andhisgangofreformerstoppledanincrediblycorruptRepublicanmachine,andit’s justastruetodayasit’severbeenintheinterveningdecades.Sure,thereareseatssetasideonimportantrepresentativebodies(CityCouncil,forinstance)forminorityparties;butthesearetheexception,not therule.Philadelphia isaone‐partytown,and inone‐partytowns,primaryelectionsreallymatter(wemean,c’mon,don’tyoupeoplewatchTheGoodWife?).Philadelphia’s next primary electionwill be heldTuesday,May18th (find your pollingplaceatwww.philadelphiavotes.com),andit’llalmostcertainlyseePhiladelphianschoose(amongmanyotherelectedofficials…)theirnextmayor.Thisisabigdeal,asaremanyofthedown‐ticket races,beginningwithCityCouncil (which, in recentyears,hasbecomeamuchmorepowerfulorganizationthanitoncewas).WHY SHOULD ARTISTS CARE ABOUT MUNICIPAL ELECTIONS (AND THIS ONE IN PARTICULAR)?

Firstofall, fortheallthesamereasonsanyoneelseshould.But inadditiontotheir“bigdeal”statusforPhiladelphians,thisyear’sracescouldalsohaveasignificantimpactontheartsclimateinPhiladelphia(inotherwords,yourfunding’spotentiallyindanger,again,ofcourse).WhilethepastfivetotenyearshavebeenagreattimetobeaconsumeroftheartsinPhila‐delphia(thanks,guys!),thoseyearshaven’talwaysbeenkindtoartiststhemselves(asweprobablydon’tneedtoremindyou);thatsaid,theNutteradministrationhasmadeartsin‐vestment a priority (well, up until itsmost recent budget proposal…), so things haven’tbeenasbadastheycould’vegotten:MayorNutter...

Reestablished(andrenamed)theOfficeofArts,Culture&theCreativeEconomy; Createdthepositionof“ChiefCulturalOfficer;” ...and, along with the current crop of City Councilmembers (plus ex‐Councilman,

turned‐mayoral‐candidate JimKenney), presidedover last year’s “increase” in thePhiladelphiaCulturalFund’sbudget(reallymoreofarestorationthananincrease,gettingusbacktopre‐recessionfundinglevelsofjustover$3.1millionannually).

Unfortunately,MayorNutter’sproposedbudgetthisyearprovidesanobjectlessoninjusthowfragilethesetriumphscanbe:theCulturalFundlineitem’sbeenslashedbackdownto$1.84million,andthesamecoalitionoforganizationswhofoughtforlastyear’srestoration(ifyou’reaPCFgrantee,you’vegotawholehostofpeopletothank,probablystartingwith


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GroundSwellandtheGreaterPhiladelphiaCulturalAlliance)areadvocatingandmobilizingonceagain.Andifyouthinkthatsoundsfrustratingand/orfrightening,remembertothankyour lucky stars thathe’sevenproposing that$1.84million:atanApril candidate forumorganized by Groundswell (and some other partners), Republican mayoral candidateMelissaMurrayBaileysuggestedshe’dzeroouttheCulturalFund’sbudgetentirely,citingtheSchoolDistrict’sfundingcrisisasamorepressingconcern.Inotherwords:thefolksthatyouandweandtherestofPhiladelphia’sone‐and‐a‐half‐oddmillionresidentselectthisyear,ourMayorandCityCouncilmembersinparticular,arego‐ingtodeterminewhetherPhillyartsorganizationsandtheiralliesspendthenextfour‐to‐eightyearsfightingrearguardactionsagainstfurtherbudgetcuts,orareabletobuildabet‐ter and richer (in every way…) arts climate on the foundation this administration andCouncilleavebehind.This guide toPhiladelphia’sMay2015primary electionswill attempt tohighlightwherethecandidatesstandgenerallyintheelection,and,totheextentthatthey’vearticulatedapositionon arts funding and artspolicy,will try tomake that position at least relativelyclear.Thisiseasiertomanageinsomeraces(theraceformayor,forinstance)thanothers(lookingatyou,CityCommissioners),butinallcasesyourauthorshavetriedourverybesttolookatthecandidatesandtheirpositionsfromaworkingartist’spointofview,withoutnecessarilyprojectingourownpoliticalbeliefsandagendasontoouranalyses;tosomede‐gree we’ve also tried to avoid pigeonholing all working artists as radical libertariansocialists and/or champagne‐quaffing Coastal Elites, and to present an at least semi‐objectiveintroductiontoallofthecandidatesdescribedbelow(thoughthere’sagenerally“progressiveleft”vibetomostoftheanalysisbecause,well,weare).You’lldecideforyour‐selfhowwellwe’vedone,buthey,atleastwe’vedefinitelytried.A quick word about organization... Thefirstmore‐than‐halfofthisguidecoverstheDemocraticprimary;thesecondsectionisdevoted to the(muchsmaller)Republicanprimary;and the thirdand finalsection intro‐ducesthecandidatesforSheriff,afewbasicrules‐of‐thumbforvotinginjudicialelections(Rule #1: Admit that this is a pretty terribleway to choose judges), and the four BallotQuestionsthat’llconfrontyouinthevotingbooth.Followingthesethreesections,there’sasort‐ofsampleballotandasemi‐transcriptofthemayoralartspolicyforum.We’vegenerallyleftoutanyonerunningforofficeunopposed;ifyou’reinterestedinlearn‐ing more about those candidates, we’d recommend checking out the Committee ofSeventy’swebsite,www.seventy.org(they’rea100+year‐old,non‐partisan,“goodgovern‐ment” organization, and a generally good source for information [though notendorsements,neverendorsements]aboutPhillyandPennsylvaniaelections).A quick word about authorship... Theauthorsof thisguidehavechosentoremainanonymous,butyou’reentitledtosomegeneral background information: we’re not artists ourselves, but we know and are onfriendlytermswithanumberofworkingartists.We’refolkswho,generallyspeaking,know


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afairamount(thoughcertainlynoteverything)aboutthisstuffpartlybecausewe’reinter‐ested in following the ups and downs of local politics, and partly because Philadelphia’spoliticalclimatedirectlyimpactsourabilitytogetourjobsdoneonadailybasis(this,forwhatit’sworth,isalsowhywe’vedecidedwewouldremainanonymous;wemighthavetoworkwithsomeofthesepeopleinthecourseofourdayjobs).Thatsaid:we’renotjournalistsorpoliticalconsultantsorprofessionalpoliticalpunditsoranythinglikethat,andwhilewe’retryingourbesttowritehonestlyandinformatively,wecan’t absolutely promise not to allow a bit of hearsay or the occasional un‐fact‐checked“fact”intothetext(ortoleaveoutsomethingimportantthatwe’veforgottenabout).Onceagain,we’ll tryourbest,butwe’renotpros: you’re strongly encouraged todouble‐checkandverifyanythingyoureadhereifyouthinkitsoundsoddorunlikely(thoughtobehon‐est, a lot ofwhat passes for normal in Philly politics probablydoes soundboth odd andunlikely to your average Philadelphian).We hope you’ll accept the following guide as aguide, not a prescription for maximizing arts funding and ushering in Utopia‐on‐the‐Delaware.A quick word about write-in voting… WhilePhiladelphia’sHomeRuleChartercanestablishsomebasicminimumrequirementsfor office‐holding, andwhile there are a whole bunch of rules governingwhowinds upqualifying andnot‐qualifying to appearon theballot, nobody canactually stop you fromvotingtoelectyourselforyourhousemate‐Patti‐from‐downstairstoanyofficeyouchoose.You’vegottherighttocastawrite‐invoteforanyoneyouwant,thoughifyouwanttodosowe’drecommendbringingapen into thevotingboothwithyou.Philly’svotingmachinesaren’ttooclunkyanddifficulttouse,butifyou’renotsurepreciselywhattodo,thefolkswhotakeyournameandcheckyouincanexplainhowtomakesureyourwrite‐invoteiscounted. They’re also, generally speaking, friendly people; if they’re not too busy, we’resure they’d enjoya chat (got a showcomingup?Whynot stop andpromote it?Politely,don’tbendtheirearstoomuch,theycan’tleave.).Thisisaratherlong‐windedwayofsaying:don’tlikewhatyouseehere?Well,you’reprob‐ablyoutofluck,butit’snotactuallynecessarytoholdyournoseanddothelesser‐of‐two(ormore) evils thing.You canquite literally vote for anybodyyouwant to vote for, andshouldfeelfreetodoso.Write‘emin.


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2015 DEMOCRATIC PARTY PRIMARY

This is the big spring blockbuster, theAvengers:AgeofUltronof Philadelphia’s various2015elections(facetiousmoviecomparisonsfortheRepublicanprimaryandtheNovem‐bergeneral arenot available at thispoint, sorry).And like theNewYorkTimes trying toconvinceyouthatthelatestAvengersinstallmentisn’thalf‐bad(honestly,that’stheirreal,honest‐to‐goodnessverdict!)we’regoingtotryourdamnedesttomakethecaseit’strulyworthyourtimetogetoutthereonTuesday,May18thandactuallyvoteforafewoftheseladiesandgentlemen.THE MAYORAL RACE

Thanks to (as discussed earlier) Groundswell and some other organizations that spon‐sored amayoral candidates forumon the arts and parks/public space inmid‐April (andyes, that’saweirdpairing,weagree; “Could thecandidatespleaseexplain theirviewsonthePhillies’chancesintheNLEast,andthequalityofMexicanavocados?”),we’veactuallygot some information, straight from the candidates’mouths,describing themayoralcon‐tenders’positionsonthearts.This isarareprivilege,youshouldknow:mostcandidatesforanycitywideofficestillseemtoconsiderartspolicyanicheconcern,anddon’tdevotemuchefforttodevelopingorpromotingtheirdistinctpolicypositionsonthetopic.Priortothe#ArtsParksForum(look,wedidn’tnameit,weswear),publicstatementsontheartsbyanyofthecandidateswerepretty,pretty,prettylimited;LynneAbrahamhadsuggestedacoupleof off‐the‐wall ideas, andbeyond that?DougOliver visitedNextFabone time,An‐thonyHardyWilliamsthinksPhillycanbecomea“videogamingindustryhub”(doesthatcount?),JimKenneyistheproudrecipientoftheIATSEStageHandsLocal8endorsement,andNelsonDiazthinksour“artsandculturalamenities”areworld‐class.Givenallof that,mostof the followingdiscussionof thecandidates’ artspolicypositionsdrawsontheirstatementsatthe(ugh,thatname…)#ArtsParksForum;ifyouwantamoredetailedrecapoftheforumitself,that’savailabletoo,attachedtothisdocumentasanAp‐pendix,becauseyou’renotaseriousdocumentunlessyou’vegotanAppendix.Oneofyourauthorswasthere,andcapturedthewholethingforyouinterribleandover‐detailedpur‐pleprose, a lot ofwhich is repeatedor rephrasedbelow; that said, if you reallywant toknowwhatthecandidateshavetosayaboutthearts…toourknowledge,ourAppendixisthe only existing summary that actually includes any level of detail. This is the problemwithvotingasanartist inPhiladelphia,and it’saproblemwe’retrying toaddress: infor‐mation for you isn’t available. We’re not going to succeed in addressing it completelybecausenobody’spayingusandwe’redoingitallinoursparetime,butstill:we’retrying,we’rereallytrying.Giveusthebenefitofthedoubt(ordon’t,butreadonregardless).Here,basedonthecandidates’statementsatthe#ArtsParksForumandinothervenues,arewhatweunderstandtheirpositionsontheartsandarts/artist‐relatedtopics(ifthecandi‐


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datestakeissuewithanyoftheconclusionswe’vereached,thencool,theyshouldprobablypublishanactualartspolicyproposalon theirwebsite; not doing so leaves their positionopentointerpretation,andtheycanwearthat):LynneAbraham:OfallthecurrentcandidatesforMayor,LynneAbrahamisprobablythemostpassionateaboutPhiladelphia’sartsandculturebya longshot,andtheonlyonetopublishanartspolicypriortobeingaskedabout itbyGroundswell&co;thatsaid,atonepointduringthe#ArtsParksForum,LynneAbrahamproposedbuyingairplaneswithinfra‐red cameras to patrol the night skies over Fairmount Park. She’s a passionate publicservant,whohasdedicatedmost of her adult life to theCity of Philadelphia, andwho isrunningforMayoronthebackofalegacythat’svery1990s(“America’sDeadliestDA”)andsome loony ideas andwhole lot of passion. But the loony ideas… her campaignwebsitedoesn’t suggest increasingarts funding,butdoessuggestputtingonmassive festivals forthePope’svisitandHillaryClinton’scoronationceremony,whichisfinebut–well,expen‐sive, and not likely to benefit your everyday working artist so much as your moreinstitutionalartsorganizations.

Andyet;shelovesthearts,shelovesourartsandourculture.Shecares,shereallydoes.She’sa littlebit crazy.She’dbeouroldestMayor in foreverorsomething like that.She’sgotbaggagelikenobody’sbusiness.Shecanbearaciallypolarizingfigure.She’sa completely inappropriate candidate formayor if you think that perhaps there’sevenabitofaproblemwithpoliceviolenceinthiscountry.But…shedoescareaboutthisartsstuff,genuinelyandpassionately,andthat’sworthatleastalittlebit.We’dsuggestthatit’sonlyworthalittlebit,unfortunately;in2015,wereallydon’tneedamayorwho’sgoingtoleaveherselfopentobig(reallybig,likereallybig)questionsaboutherneu‐tralityinacasesimilartothatofFreddieGray’s(OK,accused,butwe’reonlyqualifyingthisbecausewethinkwehavetosowe’redefinitelynotlibelinganyone)killers’.

There’s a point atwhich this isn’t about “what’s their position on the arts?” any‐more, but about our empathy and their basic humanity.We’d really like to tell you thatnow’sthetimetopushforafemalemayor,but…sadly,now’sprobablynotthetime.Incaseyouhaven’tnoticed,we’vesuddenlygottenserious,butyeah:thisisonecasewherewe’regoingtoadoptthevery,veryseriouspositionthatPhiladelphianeedsamayoreveryonecantrusttotreatcrimevictimsandallegedcriminals(including,insomeunfortunatecases,po‐lice officers) fairly, and it’s tough to advise a vote for Lynne Abraham in that context.Admireherasatrailblazer,butlookforPhiladelphia’sfirstfemalemayorsomewhereelse(and if there isn’t a serious female challenger in four or eight years’ time, that’s Philly’sfault,becausewe’vegotalotofreallypromisingyoungishfemaleleadersinandoutofpoli‐ticswhoshouldabsolutelybeintherunningforit;fornow,thisisthewrongcandidateatthewrongtime).NelsonDiaz:NelsonDiazisverypassionateaboutopeningupPhiladelphia’sartsandcul‐turalinstitutionstopeoplefromallcommunitiesandbackgrounds,andthisisanexcellentandadmirablesentiment.NelsonDiazisalsoverypassionateaboutpubliceducation,andrestoring local control over Philadelphia schools.NelsonDiazhasa lotofgood ideas,quiteafewverywackyideas,andalotofenergy,butNelsonDiazisnotgoingtobethenextMayorofPhiladelphia,barringsomedramaticshiftineveryone’sfortunes;


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onehopes thatall those ideasandall thatenergygetsplowed intosomethinguseful.Oh,andartists?YoushouldaskNelsonDiaztojointheBoardofyourorganization,ifyou’vegotone.Heprobablywon’t–he’sonalotofBoardsandispresumablyaprettybusyguy–buthe’sverymuchthesortofpersonwhocoulddoyoualotofgoodwerehetosay“yes.”Thatsaid,dudealsohasa lotofwacky ideas,so…justkeepthat inmind.Butwhileyou’renotvotingforhim,tellallyourfriendsthatNelsonDiazwouldmakeagreat<<<insertanyposi‐tionbesidesmayorhere>>>,becausehewould,andPhiladelphiaasawholeneedstomakesurethathecankeepthepublicplatformthismayoralracehasgivenhim.JimKenney:Leadingwiththesort‐of‐negative,yourauthorsareprobablyKenneyvotersandmaybecan’tbetrustedhere(at leastoneof themisadyed‐in‐the‐woolKenneysup‐porterdatingbackprevious tohisdeclaringhis candidacy).We’re sortof in the tank forhim.Andatthe#ArtsParksForum, itmustbeadmitted,mostofKenney’sresponseswereprettydull, thoughtheycouldcertainlybeconsideredbroadly “good”or“correct” froma“relativelyyoung,independentworkingartist’sperspective.”Butunremarkable,it’sfairtosay.Thiscouldbeagoodsign(There’splentyofroomtoshapeProspectiveMayorKenney’spositionsonartsissues!)orabadone(ArtsissuesarenotgoingtobeaveryhighpriorityinProspectiveMayorKenney’sadministration!)orsomethinginbetweenthosetwopoles;it’s hard to tell. It seems pretty safe to say, though, that a Kenney administrationwouldn’t be at all hostile to the arts (compare his answers to Republican candidateMelissaMurrayBailey’s,forinstance). Finally,unliketheothermayoralcandidates,KenneyhasaCouncilvotingrecordtolookat,and,well,itlooksprettygood.HewaspartoftheCouncilthatvotedtorestoreCulturalFundfundingtopre‐recessionlevelslastyear,andinthepasthe’sbeenaCulturalFundBoardmember (andnot to stereotypeyou folks again, but hewas also thedrivingforcebehindthosereducedpenaltiesformarijuanapossessionyou’veheardsomuchabout[andwhoknows,maybeevenbenefittedfrom…]).There’sadegreetowhichthisfeelsun‐fair, but it isn’t: Kenney the Councilman was, if not a close friend, at least a friendlyacquaintanceforartsorganizations,smallandlarge.HewasalsoaMummeratonepoint,ifthatmatters,and…OK,we’regushingnow.We’llstop.We’remostlikelyallvotingKen‐ney,butyouabsolutelydon’thaveto.Yourcall.DougOliver:Inmanyways,DougOliverisnotaseriouscandidate–hisplatformcanbeabitwacky,evenintheareashe’sputalotofthoughtinto,andhesometimesseemstobeabitatseawhenrespondingtoquestionsforwhichhe’snotallthatwell‐prepared–buthe’sbuildingareputationasagoodcandidatenonetheless,soperhapshe’sgotafutureinPhil‐adelphiapolitics.Ifthat’sthecase,bendinghisearaboutwhat’simportanttoactualartistsoverthenextfour‐to‐eightyearsorsowouldn’tbeabadidea.Remember:heusedtoplaythetrumpetinschool.Thiscameupalotatthe#ArtsParksForum.

Butseriously:peoplearetalkingaboutDougOliverasournext‐mayor‐but‐one;thisisuselesslyunhelpful,buthe’senergeticandbrightandhe’sgotalottocontributetoPhila‐delphia in some non‐mayoral position over the next few years. Everyone agrees: DougOlivermightbereallysuper‐importantoneday(healsomightnot,but…).Payattentiontohim.Befriendhim.Whatever.He’salsoverygood‐looking,that’sathing,too.Whatever.

Theimportantbitsare:he’snotgettingelectednow,buthe’sintherunningforpret‐


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tymuchanyofficeincomingyears,localorstateorevenfederal.He’sgood.Talented.At‐tractive.Didwementionhe’sattractive?Didwementionhe’ssmart?Didwementionthatdespiteallofthat,he’sbynomeanspreparedtobemayor?Artists:helpshapethisguy’scareer, it’s justgettingstarted.It’sverymuch justgettingstarted.Makesurethatheknowswhatmatterstoyou,andmakesurethat itmatterstohimaswell.But incaseweweren’tclear:he’snotready.Butthepotential...wow.Wait,didwementionhe’sattractive?T.MiltonStreet: The crowd at the#ArtsParksForumwasnot the crowdMilton Street’scampaignistargeting,andhedidn’tshowup.Fine.That’sOK.LaughingatMiltonStreet,assomany local political journalists and bloggers andwhatnot arewont to, isn’t the rightthingtodo–OKfulldisclosurehereaswell,oneofyourwritersvotedforMiltonStreetinthelastMayoralprimary,anddidsoun‐ironically–ashereallyisquitefrequentlytheonlyoneoutthere,withanykindofpublicplatform,tryingtospeakforandintheinterestofhisblackworking class constituency.His relationshipwithmainstreampolitics and politicalcommentaryandtraditionalcampaigning inPhiladelphiacanatbestbedescribedas“ra‐therfraught.”Despitewhatyou’lllikelyhearandreadelsewhere,thereareveryrealreasonstovoteforMiltonStreetthisMay–butno,he’sprobablynotlikelytospendtoomuchtimedirectlyaddressingtheconcernsofthe“relativelyyoung,independentworkingartists” forwhomthis issupposedtobewritten.ButhedoesdeservetherespectPhilly’spoliticalwritersrefusetogivehim.AnthonyHardyWilliams:TherewerefewdifferencesbetweentheanswersprovidedbyAnthonyHardyWilliamsandJimKenney(accordingtorecentpolls,thetwofront‐runners,with Lynne Abraham possibly contesting their position, maybe, sort of) during the#ArtsParksForum,exceptthatWilliamsleftearlyandneitherKenneynoranyoneelsedid(despitetheirall,accordingtoAbraham,beingheadedtothesameplace).Williamswasal‐so basically unable to identify a favorite artistic medium (asked which form of art hefavored,hisresponsewasjust“messy”–basedonaclaimthathe’dratherappreciatetheworksofothers,whichcompletelyignoredboththespiritandtheratherprecisewordingofthequestion).AllthereistosayaboutKenney’s lackluster#ArtsParksForumisthathewassolidbutunspectacular;heatleastdidn’tactivelyscrewup,whereasWilliamsdid.

Williams is thesonofa formerstatesenator(confusingnamedHardy[no“Antho‐ny”]Williams),andbyallaccountsasmartandreasonablepolitician,asfarasthesethingsgo. In recentweeks he’s taken to promoting himself as the candidate for Philadelphiansoutragedbypoliceviolenceelsewhereinthecountry,butthere’snoevidencethathehasafirmplanfordiminishingthelikelihoodofsaidviolencehereinPhiladelphia,andascam‐paignpivotsgoit’salittlebitlate(comparehimtoMiltonStreet,forinstance,who’smadecrimeandviolencegenerallythecenterpieceofhiscampaignfromDayOne). There’s more to say aboutWilliams’ candidacy, but you’ll hear that elsewhere ifyou’re interested: basically, themost important fact about his run is that it’s beenheavily‐financedbyMainLinemillionaireswhohavebeenaccusedof (and inyourauthors’opinions,theseaccusationsare…notunfair)favoringcharterschoolsoverpublicschoolsforreasonsthathavemoretotheirstockportfoliosthanwitheduca‐tionaloutcomes.TheWilliamscampaignhas tended torespond to thoseaccusationsbyinsinuating that theKenneycampaign is supportedbyequallydarkandmurky interests,


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suchas teachersandcivil andLGBTrightsactivistsand*gasp*electricians.Yourwritersaretemptedtosuggestthatpeoplewholiveinglasshousesshouldstoptellingthemediatothrowtheirstonesatthatotherguy,andtonotethatMrs.Williamsisapaidadvocateforthefrackingindustry…butbearinmindthatwe’renotreallyneutralshere.We’renottell‐ingyou liesaboutWilliams,butwe’reprobablygilding the lilysomewhatonourKenneyandDiazsummaries(we likethemboth).Doyourownresearch ifyoumust,andconsulttheAppendix for a detailed recap of everyone’s position on the various arts‐and‐culturequestionsthatwereraisedatthe#ArtsParksForum.Youknow(now)howwefeel.

Tobeentirelyhonest,though,there’sprobablynotallthatmuchdistanceseparatingKen‐ney and Williams on the political spectrum: apart from the education policies, thedifferencebetween the two front‐runners ismoreoneofprioritiesandstyle than funda‐mentaldifferences.Obviouslyeducationpolicyishugelyimportant(andtheroleofcharterschools[thebiggestpointofdivergencebetweenthetwocandidates]inthecurrentschoolfunding crisis really is quite significant), but neither of these candidates should be dis‐missedoutofhand.Oneofthemwillrunthiscity, it’salmostcertain, forthenextfourtoeightyears.Youshouldpickone,oroneoftheothercandidatesifyouprefer,andvoteforhimorher;youshouldencourageyourfriendstopickone(thesameone,oranother)andvoteforhimorher.Thisisanimportantrace.Areallyimportantrace.Forartists,forwork‐ers,forPhiladelphiansjustgenerally.Itreallydoesmatter;pleasevote?Tempted to stop reading here? Please don’t… Andnotjustbecausewedon’twanttofeellikewewastedourtimewritingtherestofthis.TheMayor’sOfficeisprettyobviouslyimportanttoartistsandtoeveryoneelseinPhiladel‐phia,butoverthepastfewyears,CityCouncilhaslookedincreasinglylikethenewnexusofpowerinCitygovernment.Soit’simportanttoreadontothenextsection—sorry! CITY COUNCIL (AT-LARGE)

WhileCityCouncilcouldpotentiallyhaveaprettysignificantimpactonthelivesandlive‐lihoods of Philadelphia’s working artists, our actually‐existing Councilmembers’contributiontothePhillyartssceneismostlytobefoundinthePhiladelphiaCulturalFundbudgetlineitemeachyear(ifthisvoters’guidewasalaborforcashratherthanalaboroflove, yourauthorsmight takea closer lookatpastmunicipalbudgetsandcomb throughCounciltranscriptsandvotingrecordstofigureoutwhatotherpositionsontheartsCoun‐cilmembershaveadoptedinthepast,butunfortunatelythisprobably‐mostly‐truesentenceisgoingtohavetodo,aswe’redefinitelynotbeingpaidtodothis).This is particularly true of City Council’s “At‐Large” members, who are elected on acitywidebasis(nomorethanfiveofthem,forwhatit’sworth,cancomefromthesamepar‐ty);unlikeyourlocalDistrictCouncilmembers,theycan’tbeheld(quiteas)accountableforanyparticularpothole,nuisanceproperty,orundevelopedlot.Thatsaid,At‐Largeseatsare


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supposedtoberepresentativeoftheCityasawhole,notbeholdentoanyparticularneigh‐borhood or community, so [a] they’re pretty important and [b] these seats are anopportunityforfolkswithbigideastomaketheirwayontoCouncil.They’realsoanoppor‐tunityforpeoplewithbignamestomaketheirwayontoCouncil,sowe’vetriedtoflagallofthe folksdirectly related topastandpresentelectedofficials foryou.Someof themmayhaveearnedyourvoteontheirownmerits,butitprobablypaystobeawareoftheirfamilyconnectionsbeforeyoucastyourvote.We’vealsodoneourbest (it’snotverygood,butstill…) toorganizeeveryone intoprettydiscrete and informative categories for you. Thismay have been a terrible idea, butweneedsomewaytohandlethefactthatthereareatonofpeoplerunningforthesefivenom‐inations.Oh,andeveryone’sinalphabeticalorder;nobody’spositionsuggestsanydegreeofpreference.And finally:youcanonlyvote for fiveDemocraticcandidatesnow,but inNovemberyou’llhave tovote for sevenAt‐Large candidates in total (because somerepresentationisreservedfornon‐majorityparties).YoucanskimtheRepublicansectionbelowtotryandgetsomesenseofwhoyoumightvotefor,butalsobearinmindthattheGreensand(possibly?)someotherpartiesareormayberunningcandidatesoftheirown(atleastoneofyourauthorsisplanningtovotefiveDemocrats,oneGreenandoneRepub‐lican,andthusfeelsthatit’simportanttoremindyouthatyou,too,havethisoptiontofallbackupon).The Incumbents Inotherwords, the folkswho currentlyoccupy these seats.Goode,GreenleeandBRBhavebeenaroundforawhile;Neilson,notsomuch.He’sanincumbentmoreorlessbytheskinofhisteeth,sothere’smuchlessonwhichwecanevaluatehisperformance.Asfortheothers…well,asnotedpreviously,we’renotneutralpartiesandwedohaveourowninterestsandourownvoting intentions to take intoaccount,buthere’sa (vaguely)disinterested lookat thefourcurrentofficeholders(#5,JimKenney,you’vealreadyreadaboutabove;heresignedhisseatinordertorunformayor);pleasenotethatthesefolksweren’tconsideredforinclusioninanyoftheothercategories,asintheircaseswe’vegotactualvotingrecords(albeitbriefones,inNeilson’scase)toexamine.W.WilsonGoode,Jr.:The“Junior”hereiscritical.CouncilmanGoodeisthesonofPhila‐delphia’s formermayorWilsonGoode—initially best known as a groundbreaking figure,ourfirstAfrican‐Americanmayor,butnowprobablymostfamousforbombingasectionofWestPhiladelphiainthe1980s.Despitethemore‐than‐a‐hint‐of‐nepotismthatlandedtheyoungerWilsoninthisposition,GoodeJr.hasbeenareliableadvocatefortheinterestsofpoorPhiladelphiansofcolor,and,occasionally,avoiceforrealchangeonCouncil(includingaproposal in2010toimposetermlimitsonCouncil incumbents).He’salsoanadvocateforproposalsthatwouldimprovetheCity’sfinancialstandingwithoutaskingforanymore sacrifices from its poorest andmost vulnerable residents; there’s a degree towhichhisadvocacyforPILOTsfromlargenon‐profits(“paymentsinlieuoftaxes”–didyouknowPenndoesn’thavetopaypropertytaxes?Youmightifyou’rewithanartsnon‐profitthat owns its own building, as they don’t, either) could potentially have some negativespillovereffectsforthearts,butstrikingtherightbalancewhenitcomestoPILOTsisadif‐


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ficult one and your authors (somewhat divided on this issue themselves) don’t think itshouldbeconsideredaredlineeitherway,forartistsoranyoneelse.It’satrickyissuethatneedstobeworkedout;Goodeisinterestedindevelopingadecent,workablesolution.He’salsobeenrecognizedasan important localadvocate forartseducation inpublic schools,which,while your authors don’t think it really translates to “great for artists, generally”probably shouldn’t be overlooked; that said, challengers who haven’t held office beforegenerallyhaven’thadachancetorackuphonorslikethis,so…WilliamGreenlee:BillGreenleeisn’tthemostinspiringcandidateoutthere,butduringhistimeonCouncilhe’sput togetheraprettysolidrecordchampioning liberalcauses (mostrecently,paidsick leave–Greenleekeptat itandkeptat it and finallygotabill throughbothCouncilandacrosstheMayor’sdesk,whichisabigdeal).Atthesametime,Greenleepissesa lotofpeopleoffbecausehe’soneofCouncil’s lessbike‐friendlymembers(whichreally issayingsomething,on thisCouncil).This isabsolutelyobnoxious,butstill…somethingsdomattermore thanothers (hey,we ridebikes too!But still…).Beyond just that,Greenlee’ssympathyfor low‐wageworkerssuggeststhathemightbemoreamena‐ble than many Councilmembers to supporting legislation that’ll help outPhiladelphia’sindependentcontractors,whonumbermorethanafewartistsamongtheirranks.That’sareasontovote for the less‐than‐thrillingGreenlee,butagain, this isalwaysabalancingact.EdNeilson:EdNeilson isoneof the reasons thereare sodamnedmanyAt‐Largecandi‐datesrunningforCouncil–hewaselectedinalow‐turnoutspecialelectionwhichsetthebar for signatures really low (or at least, that’s howwe read the relevant section of theHomeRuleCharter).He’saformerelectricians’unionofficer,aformerRendellgovernmentofficial,aformerStateRepresentative,acurrentCouncilman…he’snotanunaccomplishedfellow.Buthe’sinaroughposition,withoutmuchofapublicrecordtostandonduetohislimitedtimeinbothpublicofficestowhichhe’sbeenelected(18monthsinHar‐risburg,lessthanthathere).Atthesametime,he’salsoinaprettyenviableposition,asanincumbentCouncilmanwithanofficialDemocraticPartyendorsement.So…that’sEd.BlondellReynolds‐Brown:Twotakeshere.First:CouncilwomanReynolds‐Brown(here‐after lovingly referred to as “BRB”) is a long‐time Councilperson and ally of CouncilPresidentDarrellClarke.She’salsohadaspotoftroublewithcampaignfinancing,butwhoamongushasn’tputsomemoney in thewrongbankaccountonce inawhile,eh?BRB ispossibly best‐known as a championof education and green issues inCouncil,where shechairstheCommitteeontheEnvironment.Thatsaid,it’slikelyoneofthecandidatestore‐placeherifshefailsinherre‐electionbidwilltakeontheroleofenvironmentalistjustaseffectively (andcertainlyeducation isat the forefrontofmanyof theircampaigns), so ifyou feelstronglyaboutCouncilmembers’ethicsand independence,shemaynotbeyourtopchoice. Second,though,BRBisanex‐Philadancocompanymember—yes,youreadthatcor‐rectly,she’sactuallybeenthereanddoneallof thatandisnotonlyareliablevote,butalsoareliableadvocate,forartsandculturalfunding.This isthefacetofherpoliticalidentity that’s much more difficult to replace from the current crop of candidates, and


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worthbearinginmindwhenweighingyouroptionshere.The Unabashed Liberals InaDemocraticprimaryinaDemocratictown,“unabashedliberal”isn’ttheput‐downit’dbeonsomeCNNtalkshowwhereRandPaulwaspresentedasavoiceofstudiedmoderation.Allfourofthesecandidatesaredeadly‐serious,withprettysignificantliberal,laborandleft‐winginstitutionalbackingand(wethink)thepolicychopstocut itonCouncil(in fairness,that’snotatremendouslyhighbar,butstill...).SherrieCohen: SherrieCohen’sdadwasoneof those twentieth‐century local legislatorsaboutwhomtheterm“liberallion”isoftenbandiedabout;SherrieherselfisalifelongPhil‐adelphian,anattorneywiththeTenantUnionRepresentativeNetwork,andachampionofvariouscivilrightscauses.Sheticksalltherightboxes,she’sgotalltherightendorsements(includingtheofficialPartynod,thefirst“out”candidateevertoreceiveit,ever);shejust…well,shedoesn’talwaysprovideallthatmuchinformationaboutwhatexactlysheintendstodoasaCouncilwoman, and she’sgotten in somemediahotwater forpayingherownstaff less thanwhatshe’spubliclycalleda livingwage. Ifyou’reon the liberal left,youcanprobablyassume“therightstuff,”but ifyouwantspecifics,wecan’treallyhelpyou.HelenGym:WithGym,ontheotherhand,youknowexactlywhoyou’reelecting:astaunchliberalwhohasmadeanameforherselfasanadvocateforpubliceducationinPhiladelph‐ia, earning the support of teachers’ unions, LGBTQ advocates, and immigrants’ rightsgroups.She’ssaidgoodthingsabout“urbanistissues”likebikelanesandparkingfeesthatmakethosefolkshappy,anddemonstratedacompletedisregardfortheold[white]boys’clubpersonifiedbySchoolReformCommissioner,formerCouncilperson(andyes,anothersonofaformermayor)BillGreen.Ifyouconsideryourselfa“progressive”voter,thereisn’tabettermatchforyourinterestsinthiselectionthanHelenGym.DerekGreen:Alawyerandformerstaffer for long‐servingCouncilwomanMarianTasco,Greenhasrackedupanumberofinterestingendorsements,fromtheradicalleft‐wingcau‐cus in the teachers’ union and Clean Water Action on one end of the spectrum, to theChamberofCommerceandshadydark‐moneysuper‐PAC“Philadelphia3.0”(runbyAlisonPerelman—yes, of those Perelmans) on the other.What’smore, if you take a look at hiswebsite,he’sactuallypublishedathoughtfulplatformcoveringawiderangeofimportantissuesandpolicyareas–no,really,hehas!Wemeanit! Green’sgotsomeCouncilexperiencethroughhisworkwithTasco,he’sasmallbusi‐ness advocate (he lives in Mount Airy, so you’d sort of expect it…), he cares about theenvironment,allthatstuff.He’sgotanautisticson,andhe’saprettydevotedadvocateforspecial education – something that’s really, really, really important, but often forgottenaboutineverydaydebatesaboutschoolfunding.Also,he’swillingtoletyouaskhimanyquestion you want about “the future of Philadelphia or my [his] campaign,” atwww.dereksgreen.com,sothat’ssomething.Whynotaskhimtoarticulateapositiononthearts?He’saqualitycandidate,sogettinghimontherecordonissuesimportanttoyou(sincehe’soffered,afterall…)isn’tabadidea.


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IsaiahThomas:Fouryearsago,IsaiahThomaswasano‐shotcandidatewithnopoliticalexperience to speakof, a teacherandabasketball coach (butno,not that IsiahThomas)nobodythoughttotakeallthatseriously.Butheimpressedsomefolkshereandthere,heputinhistimehelpingotherDemocratscampaignforoffice,andhekept,youknow,teach‐ingandcoachingandallthat.AtleastoneofyourwritershasmetThomasinperson,andcanconfirmthathe’sequippedwithawinningpersonalityandwhatseemslikeanhonestdemeanor–hesayshecaresabouteducation,andreallydoesseemtocareabouteducation(thefactthathe, likeHelenGym,hasclassroomteachingexperienceiscertainlyaplusaswell).Wecan’ttellyou“IsaiahThomas isagoodcandidatebecause lookathisrec‐ord!”butlikealotofotherbig‐namepoliticians,activists,unionofficialsandothers,wethinkhe’sanexcitingcandidate,agoodguywithgoodintentionsandalotofen‐ergy.That’snoguaranteeof,well,anything,butitseemslikeadecentstart.The Business Lobby (or, more accurately, The White Dudes) Somewhat surprisingly, there’smore overlap between the “Unabashed Liberals” describedaboveandthefolksdescribedhere.Revealingly,though,itseemslikeyoustillneedtobease‐rious‐looking,affluent,middle‐agedwhitemanifyouwantthelocalmediatotreatyouasastandard‐bearerforthePhiladelphiabusinesscommunity.Acceptingthatasbothanunfortu‐naterelicfromapastwe’dallliketomoveonfromand,rathersadly,stilla“given”thesedays,theimportantquestiontoaskofthesecandidatesis,“OK,whatelsehaveyougot?”Beforewegettowhatelsetheybringtothetable,though,here’saprettyunfortunatelybutnecessarilydullparagraphonwhyyoumightconsidervotingtheUncleMoneybagsticket:

Therewasatime,even fairlyrecently,whentheBusinessLobbycouldmakeaprettygoodcase(OK,semi‐good;OK,itwasalwaysastretch)thattheyhadImportantThingsToSaytowhichnobodywouldlisten.ThiswasparticularlytrueoftheirargumentsthatPhiladelph‐ia’s tax structure iskindofwacky.Unlikemostmunicipalities,we relya lotmoreonwagetaxesthanwedoonpropertytaxes;sometimesthisworksinourfavor(e.g.whenthere’sabighousingcrash,itsimpactonoverallCityrevenuesissortofmuted),butinthemediumtolongterm itspellstrouble(whenbusinesses leavetownor layoffworkers,revenuesdogodown,making it harder to provide essential services to the now un‐ or under‐employedworkersthosebusinessesleavebehind).Abunchofbusiness‐suitedguys,ledbyPaulLevyattheCenterCityDistrictandJerrySweeneyatBrandywineRealty,puttogetheraplantoaddressthisinagradualandrevenue‐neutralway,shiftingmoreofthetaxburdenontocommercialreales‐tatewhilepityingthesmallhomeownerandpickinguphis/hershareofthisshift(sorry,weknowthisisgettingcomplicated[wedidn’tevenmentionthatpropertytaxesarewheremostof the School District’s local budget allocation comes from, but cut us a break...]). Levy,Sweeneyandothershavemadeaprettyconvincingcasefortheirplan,andit’snowembracednot only by the larger business community, but also (in some form or another) by all themayoralcandidates,theHispanicandAfrican‐AmericanChambersofCommerce,andalargeswatheofthelabormovement.Inshort:thisisprobablythebiggestissueonwhichtheBusi‐nessLobbyhasbeenalonevoiceinthewildernessforawhilenow,andit’snowamainstreampositioninPhillypolitics(thoughadmittedlytherearestillalotofmovingpartshereandinHarrisburgthatneedtobemaneuveredintoposition;still…).

TheTL/DRversionofthatisifyoucarealotabouttaxreform,youshouldprob‐


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ablythinkabouttickingafewoftheseguys’boxesonyourballot.But,readon:AllanDomb:AllanDomb is rich. Like, really rich. People call him the “CondoKing.” Hemight even call himself the “CondoKing.” He’s rich. He’s so rich,we considered doing afind+replaceonthisparagraphandsubbinginadollarsignforeveryletter“S.”Thatrich. People react to Domb’s wealth in different ways: some people wonder why he’swastinghistimerunningforCouncilwhenhe’sdoingjustfineasis,somepeoplethinkhe’dmake a great Councilmanbecause getting as rich he is a beautifulAmerican thing, somepeople thinkhe’dmakea terribleCouncilmanbecausegettingasrichashe ismeansrip‐pingtherestofusoff,andsomepeoplethinkthey’dliketokeepanopenmindregardlessandjudgeDombonhispolicyproposalsratherthanhiswalletsize.Unfortunately,it’sthelastofthosegroups,theopen‐mindedone,thatDomb‐the‐candidatehasreallyhosed–he’sproposedalotofunrealisticcrap,likecollectingover98%ofPhilly’sdelinquenttaxes. Compared to the other Business Lobby candidates, Domb looksmore $uc‐ce$$fulbutle$$$eriou$(he’salsobeendoggedbyrumorsthathe’sbasicallyrunningasaspoiler, injecting hismoney into the campaign to complicate other challengers’ paths toelectionassomekindof favor toCouncilPresidentDarrellClarke;weobviouslyhavenoideaatallwhetherornotthis is true,but it’sat leastaconvincingenoughargumentthatwe’rewillingtobringitup,asaresomemembersofthelocalmedia).PaulSteinke:OneofyourauthorshasmetSteinke,andcanconfirmthatheisReallyTall.Doesthismattertoyou?Ifso,readnofurther. Butassumingyoucareabout, like,whywouldyouvoteforhim:Steinkeisthefor‐merGMofReadingTerminalMarket,soyouknowhehassomestrongopinionsonroastporksandwiches.He isgenerallyconsideredat leastpartlyresponsible forRTM’scontin‐uedgrowthand success, including its recent renovation.He’s gayandhasbeenactive inPhilly’sLGTBcommunity,soweshouldassumehe’lladvocateforthoseinterestsonCoun‐cil,buthehasneveractuallyheldpublicofficebefore,sowedon’treallyknowthatthat’sthecase.Wethinkyoucanprettymuchbankonit,though. Regardless,SteinkefeelslikethemostprogressiveofthethreeMembersoftheBusinessLobby (aeuphemismoneofyourauthors isnowexcited touse todescribeallwhite dudes, from now on, forever)—for instance, he’s the only one to mention “civilrights”onhisissuespage,thoughthere’sscantdetailonhowthattranslatestopolicy.TomWyatt:Wyatt looksreallyyoung.Like,has‐never‐shavedyoung.Yourauthorsdon’thavetime(“Really?”yousay,10,000wordsintoreadingthisdocument?)todetermineex‐actlyhowyoungwe’retalking,butitseemsworthmentioning. Wyattisalawyer,aformerTeachforAmericafellow,andinyourwriters’es‐timationprobablyaprettygoodguy. It’snotclearwhyhewants tobeonCouncil,though,andanendorsementfromnotedfuture‐Members‐of‐the‐Business‐LobbyPAC“5thSquare” aside, has not generatedmuch excitement in the race. The Inquirer, though, en‐dorsedhimonthebasisofpreviousemploymentwithawatercompany(we’reassuminginamanagerialpositionandsomethingtodowithmunicipalutilities,notthathewasliketheguydeliveringthosebigbottlesofDeerParktowatercoolersinaSouthJerseyofficepark[thoughoneofyourauthorshasgottentoknowsomeofthoseguysinthepast,andthey


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canbequitefunfolks]).The Candidates Named Frank Rizzo So,FrankRizzo,Jr.usedtobeaRepublicanCityCouncilman.HisdadusedtobePhilly’sDemocraticmayor, thoughhe’dbeenaRepublicanbeforethatandlaterranfortheofficeagainasaRepublican,and…well,justGooglehim.ThisFrankRizzoisnothisfather,but…well,makeyourownmindup.Wedon’tthinkhe’sgoingtobeelected,butcountingtheRiz‐zofamilyoutdoesn’tseemlikeaverygoodidea(well,itdoesseemlikeagoodidea,forthecity,but…youknowwhatwemean),sohegetshisowncategory.

Presumablyhe’sgotavoting recordonartsstuff,but inallhonesty,yourauthorsaren’tpreparedtogivehimthechancetolookgood.Doyourownresearch(ifhewasrun‐ningasaRepublicanagain,forwhatit’sworth,we’dsuggestatleastgivingitathink;asaDemocrat,well,therearetoomanyothercompetitivecandidates, andanysuggestionwe’vemadethatLynneAbrahammightbeasomewhatraciallydivisivecandidatecountstimestwentyorfiftyorahundredforanyonenamed“Rizzo”).The… Other Folks Asthesheernumberofdifferentcandidatessuggests,it’smucheasiertorunforCityCouncilAt‐Largethanitistowin;andthentheretheIsaiahThomasfolks,whoaren’treallycontend‐ersthistime,butmightbeinthefutureiftheycandemonstratetheirseriousnessandimpressthelocalpoliticalclass.Thefollowingfolksarenot,yourauthorsagree(disclaimer,wecouldbe idiotsand theycould trounce the field),going tobeelected toCityCouncil,but theyarerunning,andtheymightstillbeimportantfiguresinthePhillypoliticalscenemovingforward.Also,maybeyoucanaskthemiftheywanttoserveonyourBoardorwhatever.Atanyrate,heretheyare:WilsonAlexander:Inwhat’sgoingtoemergeassomethingofathemehere,WilsonAlex‐ander is for all intents and purposes a nice guy with a good heart, who’s active in hiscommunity and has been a pretty dedicated Democratic Party servant for a number ofyears.He(andtheotherfolksinthiscategory…)haveprobablygatheredtheirfairshareofsignatures for other candidates over the years, and are probably known and trusted bytheir neighbors. In otherwords, he (and the others…) collected the requisite number ofsignaturestosecuretheirplaceontheballot,but justaren’tgoingtoreceivethePartyorindependentfundingsupportnecessarytoactuallywinthisnomination.Andagain,there’salwaysthechancethatthey’llbethiselection’sIsaiahThomas,andimpressenoughpeoplethatnexttimetheyrun,thatsupportisforthcoming.JennéAyers:See,thisiswhatwe’retalkingabout;just26yearsold,Ayersisasignature‐collecting phenomwith an Ivy League pedigree and pretty deep (family and individual)connectionsinthelocalDemocraticParty;ifyoucaretocheckoutherwebsite,she’sactual‐lygotadecentplatformputtogether,aswell.Doyoureallythinkthisisthelastwe’regoingtohearfromher?Butyeah,she’snotgettingelectedeither.Thistime.CarlaCain:CarlaCainisaDemocraticcommitteewomanupinNorthwestPhilly;explainingwhatacommitteepersondoesisbeyondthescopeofthisguide,butbasicallyshe’saneigh‐


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borhoodDemocraticPartyactivist,whoseems likeaprettyniceperson,witharelativelyunobjectionablebutprettyundevelopedplatform(i.e.“myfatherwasaWWIIveteran”lit‐erally accounts for significantly more than 10% of the entire platform posted on herwebsite[thatsaid,she’sgotawebsiteatleast,whichcan’tbesaidforAlexanderorAument‐Loughrey]),whoisnotgoingtowinacitywideelection.MarnieAument‐Loughrey:BasicallythesamedescriptionasWilsonAlexander,onlyshe’sfromKensington,notSouthwestPhilly(oh,she’salsoanothercommitteeperson).Anothergoodperson!She’srunforofficeawholebunchbefore.Sheseemsrealnice.Thesearen’treasonstovoteforher,but(apartfrom“she’snotgoingtowin”),wealsocan’treallygiveyouareasonnot tovoteforher,orforCainorAlexander(withAyers,hey,we’vealreadyestablishedthatwethinkyou’regoingtohavemorethanonechancetovoteforheragaininthefuture,so…).The LGBT Candidates (repeats, but important repeats) Whilewe’veundoubtedlyhadourshareofquietly‐gaylegislatorsinthepast,Philadelphia’sneverelectedanoutmemberofCityCouncil.Thatcouldverywellchangethisyear,withserious contenders Sherrie Cohen and Paul Steinke both active, outmembers of the in‐creasingly‐politically‐active‐but‐still‐under‐represented Philly LGBT community. If this issomethingthat’simportanttoyou(andintheopinionofyourauthors,c’mon,itshouldbe),youmightwanttoconsidervotingforoneorbothofthem.CITY COUNCIL (DISTRICT)

So,asweprobablyshould’vereviewedearlier,Council consistsof sevenAt‐Largemem‐berswho(intheory…)representthewholecity,andtenDistrictmemberswhorepresentspecific neighborhoods and/or weirdly gerrymandered globs of Philly (please note thatrepresentingaweirdlygerrymanderedglobdoesn’tnecessarilymakeyouabadelectedof‐ficial,andthatnomatterhowyousplitthecityupintotenparts,you’regoingtowindupwithsomeweirdDistrictsonceyouactuallylookatthingsmoreclosely).MostoftheseDis‐trictcouncilmembersarerunningunopposed,buttwoincumbentDemocratsare lookingatsomeprimarycompetition:Kenyatta Johnson (incumbent) vs. Ori Feibush (District 2; Southwest Center City,South Philly west of Broad Street, everything below the Walt Whitman Bridge,SouthwestPhillydowntotheAirport[yes,thisisaprettysprawlingdistrict…]):Thisracehasbeenfoughttooth‐and‐nailforthepastseveralyears.IncumbentCouncilmanandformerstatelegislatorJohnson,black,isalifelongPointBreezeresident;realestatedevel‐operOriFeibush,white,boughtahomeintheareaaftercollege,andhassinceledamostlyone‐man crusade against anyone and anything preventing the extension of his GraduateHospital/PointBreezerealestateempire(atthemoment,hisprimarytargetsareJohnsonandsomeissuesinthezoningcode).Feibush’ssometimes‐childishanticsand/orstrategicgenius(dependswhoyouask…)haveexcitedquiteabitofcontroversyinaneighborhoodwherethere’sahugeexistingneedforqualityaffordablehousingoverlappingwithahuge


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andgrowingdemandformarketratehousing,andbroughthimintoconflictwithJohnsononmorethanahandfulofissues.Wecan’tbegindoingthiscontestjustice,sowe’renotgo‐ingtogiveyouanymorethanareallybasicglossandarecommendationthatyoudoabitmore research (though, avoid Feibush’s unbelievably glowing Wikipedia page if you’relookingforanunbiasedtake):

JohnsonsaysFeibushispro‐gentrificationandanti‐affordability,andthathe(John‐son) is definitely not anti‐development generally; Feibush says that Johnson is anti‐development and anti‐affordability, and that he (Feibush) is not pro‐gentrification. Theybothsaythattheirapproachistherightwaytopreserveaffordabilityandboostquality‐of‐lifeforneighborhoodresidents.Neitherofthemiscompletelywrongorcompletelyright,butyourauthorsaretoodividedamongstthemselvestoevenbeginsoundinglikethey’reendorsingeitherJohnsonorFeibush’scandidacy.

There’salsoanargument,though,forJustNotVotinginthisparticularcase.Onere‐sultof a campaignas franklyandunerringlynegativeas thisone is thatneitherof thesecandidatescomesoutof it inspiringall thatmuchconfidence that they’ll serve theircon‐stituents well on Council (what can we say, they ran really convincing negativecampaigns).Youmightwanttowrite‐inthenameofsomeparticularly‐pleasantneighborofyours,orsimplymakeyourdispleasureknownbyleavingthisparticularballotblank.Atleast one of our writers feels that should voters do this in sufficient numbers, perhapssomeonewill notice that “Party Apparatchik versus Self‐Impressed Gentrifier” leaves anawfullotoffolksfeelingbereftofacandidatewhorepresentstheirviews.Maria Quiñones‐Sánchez (incumbent) vs. Manny Morales (District 7; LowerNorth/NortheastPhiladelphia):There’saprettymajorbackstoryherethatwe’renotgo‐ingtobothergoing into,butbasicallyMorales(the“official”Democraticcandidate inthisracebecausedamncansomefolkseverholdagrudge)isthatdudeyouheardaboutontheradiowhopostedallthatincrediblyracist,homophobicandgenerallyterriblestuffonhisFacebookpage,andthenaccusedhisopponentof“hacking”hisaccount.Whoknows,may‐behe’s telling the truth, butnobody really seems tobelievehimanymore (tobehonest,nobodyseemstobelisteningtohimanymore,period),andthere’sreallynoreasontovoteforhim(unlessyou,too,areamiserableandhatefulperson).

Quiñones‐Sánchez,ontheotherhand,whileshehasherfaults,hasaccomplishedafairbitsinceherelectiontoCounciltwotermsagoandlookspoisedtocontinueworkingandaccomplishingmoreinyearstocome;shealsositsontheCulturalFund’sBoard,whichadds another layer of significance to this race, and she’saprettyarts‐friendly incum‐bent. It looks like everyone’s treating Morales as a sad and embarrassing and entirelyunfunny “joke” at this point, so her seat’s probably not in jeopardy…but remember hername,she’sagoodonetowatch.“DOWN BALLOT” RACES

Honestly,ifyou’rereadthisfaryou’reprobablyoneofPhiladelphia’smore‐informedvot‐ers, even if your “research” still hasn’t covered even half the offices on this ballot. Buthavingreadthisfar,whynotkeepitup?We’rehonestly,genuinelyalmostdone,andthere


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areplentyofPhillyelectedofficialsyouperhapsdidn’trealizeexist,whoassumethattheyrepresentyounevertheless(and,legallyspeaking,theydo).Or,evenifyouknowthatthe“RegisterofWills” isathing,you’renotsurepreciselywho’srunningorwhyyouneedtovote for him (OK, we’re not sure either, but still). In short, there’s not muchmore, butthere’salittlebitmore…CITY COMMISSIONER

Theofficeof“CityCommissioner”doesn’treallyhavemuchofanythingtodowiththeartsorwithindividualartists;CityCommissionerishoweveraratherimportantpositionaboutwhichmostPhiladelphianslikelyknowverylittle(iftheyknowanythingatall).So first off:what do ourCity Commissioners (there are three of them)do?According totheirownwebsite,they’rea“bipartisanboardofelectedofficialsinchargeofelectionsandvoterregistrationfortheCityofPhiladelphia”andthey“setandenforcedepartmentpoli‐ciestoadministervoterregistrationandconductelectionsinaccordancewithfederalandstatevoterregistrationandelectionlaws”.Sowhoarethey,andwho’srunningtounseatthem?TheincumbentCityCommissionerwiththemostcomplicatedbackstorydoesn’treallymat‐ter,becauseyoucan’tvoteforher:StephanieSingerwastossedofftheballotbyaCourtruling that she hadn’t obtained enough valid registered voters’ signatures (1,500 – andyeah,that’showyougetontheballot).AtleastoneofyourwritersthinksStephSingerwasa pretty goodCity Commissioner, though, so if she’s on the ballot in future elections re‐membertogivehersomeconsideration.With Singer tossed off the ballot,Anthony Clark is the lone Democratic commissionerRunning for reelection.Clark isprobablybestknown fornotvotingseveral times inrecentyears,mediacoverageofwhicheventuallyreachedthepointthathefeltobligatedtopublishhis“93%votingrecordfrom1977to2014”(whichpresumablytailsoffabitattheendthere…).Again,thisisaguywhosejobis(orshouldbe)toencouragepeopletogetout to thepolls. For this reasonalone, it’s somewhat tough to thinkupagood reason tosupporthisre‐election.RunningalongwithClarkforthetwoDemocraticnominationsforCityCommissionerare:LisaDeeley:DeeleyisaformeraidetoCityControllerAlanButkovitz,aboutwhomatleastoneofyourwritersfeelssonegativelythattheothershavedecidedwedon’thavemuchtosayhere,either.TracyGordon: Gordonwas recently forcedout of her position asdeputy to soon‐to‐be‐former Commissioner Stephanie Singer after pleading guilty to—stop us if you’ve heardthisonebefore—ethicsviolations.We’renotgoingtoparseexactlywhatitwasGordondid


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wrong,butlasttimeshewoundupinhotwaterwiththeBoardofEthicsitwasformakingpostsdeemed“political”onherpersonalFacebookpage,inviolationofCityethicsrules.Carol Jenkins: Jenkins is a poll worker with a doctorate in public administration fromTempleUniversity (#TempleMade), and has secured the endorsement of EdRendell, forwhateverthat’sworthtoyou.Whatever,youtrywritingcaptivatingdescriptionsofeverysinglecandidateforCityCommissioner,andseehowrivetingyoursare.WillMega: Mega’s Twitter profile begins “God’s servant leader,” which, it’s going to behardtotopthat.OK,OK,inallseriousness,he’sbeenendorsedbySingerandseemslikeafinecandidate.Also,incaseyoudidn’tnotice,hesoundslikeasuperherodoingapoorjobconcealing his secret identity; if elected, you could call him CommissionerMega, whichsoundskindofcool.OmarSabir:Sabir iscurrentlyapolicyadvisor toStateSenatorVincentHughes(not thestatesenatorrunningforMayor!Adifferentstatesenator!).Sabir’sbeenendorsedbysomeofthebuildingtradeunionsandhasa(verybrief,butstill!)platform,sohehasaleguponsomeoftheothercandidates,inthathe’sclearlygotatleastsomeideawhatheplanstodoifelected.Stuffyouneedtoknow:Yougettovotefortwocandidatesspecificallybecause,tokeeptheCommissionnon‐partisan,nomorethantwoCityCommissionerscanbefromthepoliticalpartywiththe largestnumberofregisteredvotersinthecity, i.e. theDemocrats.TheRe‐publicansdon’treallygettodecideanything,astheircandidateforCityCommissioner,AlSchmidt,is(intheopinionofatleastacoupleofyourwriters)alegitimatelyqualifiedcan‐didate for this office, but is running unopposed in the Republican primary and thusguaranteedaspotontheCommission.Noactionisrequiredonyourparthere, justknowthatthereactuallyaresomereasonablefolksrepresentingyouinthecity,evenoneswithan“R”aftertheirname.REGISTER OF WILLS (WHO?)

Yes, this an elected office.No,wedon’t really knowwhat it’s for, either. TheDemocratwhocurrentlyholdsthisofficehasdoneforsometime(since1980!).He’srunningunop‐posed.Youshouldvoteagainsthimifyouholdsomekindofsimmeringdiscontentwiththisofficeclosetoyourheart,butifnot…considerhowlowapprovalratingsareformostelect‐edofficials. If thisguy isn’tbotheringyou, Imeanreally,whynot just,youknow, lethimkeeponkeepingon?Asfarasyourauthorsknow,he’sdoingadecentjobandhasn’treallyupsetanybodyenoughtomakethenews.Inoverthirtyyears.That’ssomething.


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2015 REPUBLICAN PARTY PRIMARY

AswedidourbesttoexplainintheIntroduction,andasyou’reprobablyalreadyaware,Philadelphia is a (mostly) one‐party town – by and large, we elect Democrats to prettymuch every elected office we can find.While there are some exceptions, particularly inNortheastPhilly,therearestillsofewRepublicansinthecitythatevenbyprimaryelectionstandards,PhiladelphiaRepublicanprimariesareboring.Thissectionisn’tshortbecausewedon’t likeRepublicans(though,well…)orbecausewedon’tthinktheseracesareasimportant(thoughagain,well…),butbecausemostRepubli‐cansrunningforofficearerunningunopposed.Andbecause, incaseyouhaven’tguessedthismuchalready,noneofyourauthors(andprobablyvery,veryfewofyoufolksreading)arethemselvesregisteredRepublicans.Inotherwords,wecan’tvoteforanyofthesefolksuntilNovember,sosloggingourwaythroughcampaignbiosandvotingrecordsjustwasn’ton.Instillotherwords,wegotabitlazy.THE MAYORAL RACE

Ifyou’reaworkingartistalsohappenstobearegisteredRepublicaninterestedinvotingforanarts‐positivecandidateinthisyear’sprimary,well,scrollbackuptothepartaboutwrite‐invotes.Sorry,butyou’reoutofluckonthedeclared‐candidatesfront.Infact,theonlyRepublicanmayoralcandidateontheprimaryballotis…MelissaMurrayBailey:MelissaMurrayBailey isn’tgoingtobe thenextmayorofPhila‐delphia,sothisdoesn’treallymatter,butshe’stheonlycandidatesolidlyontherecordinfavorofcuttingartsfundingtothebone(like,literally,to$0.00).Ifyou’restillinterestedinlearningmoreaboutMMB,well,shewasatthesamecandidates’forumastheDemocraticcandidates,andherresponsestoallofthearts‐relatedquestionscanbefoundinthesameAppendixandtheirs.CITY COUNCIL (AT-LARGE)

Ifyoufollowlocalpoliticsclosely,overthepastcoupleyearsyou’veprobablyheardoneortwomembersofthatrarebreed,thePhiladelphiaRepublican,opinethatthelocalpartyisakinder,gentlerandmore inclusiveonethanitsnationalcounterpart.While this isalmostcertainly true, it’s also true that every one of the seven Republican candidates for CityCouncilatLargeisaman;fiveofthemarewhitemen(bothRepublicancandidatesforDis‐trictCouncilseatsarealsomale,asistheRepublicancandidateforSheriff).That said, incumbent Councilman David Oh is currently Council’s only Asian‐American


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Councilmember,andhiselectionwasaprettybigdealwhenitwentdown(well,byRepub‐licans‐getting‐elected‐to‐Council standards). If you’re interested in pushing thePhiladelphiaRepublicanParty in thediverseand inclusivedirectionsomanyof itsmem‐bersseemtosuggest it isand/orshouldbemovinginordertoreinventandreinvigorateitself, it’sprobablyworthkeepingthatdirection inmindanddoingwhat littleyoucantoensure thatNovember’s Republican Council At‐Large candidates aren’tall just a pack ofmiddle‐agedwhiteguys.Now,let’smeetthecandidates…The Incumbents Remember,only two seatsonCouncilare reserved fornon‐Democrats– sovery likely,onlytwoofthefiveguysyounominateforCouncilaregoingtomakeiton,sorry.Thetwocurrent‐ly‐servingRepublicanAt‐LargeCouncilmembersaredescribedratherbrieflybelow.DennisO’Brien:Ifyou’refromthearea,youmightrememberthathewasamemberofthelegislature inHarrisburg for a helluva long time,wherehe spent a lot of time (gosh, re‐memberingthishappeningisgoingtomakeallofussoundsoold)cooperatingwithhisDemocraticcolleagues;hewasevenelectedSpeakerduringaperiodwithaDemocraticmajority, for complicated reasons we won’t go into now. Suffice it to say, he’s alwaysseemedlikeadecenthumanbeing.Andsorry,that’sreallyallwe’vegot.DavidOh:We kind ofwent over David Oh already, a little bit (we admit,we’re gettingdamnedtiredofwritingallthisstuff,particularlydownhereamongsttheRepublicans).Hiswebsite(www.davidoh.com)coveralotofstuffforanincumbentCouncilmemberoracan‐didate, so if you’re interested in his positions on basically anything, check it out.What’simportant for Republican artists reading this summary is thatOh sits on the CulturalFundBoard,aswellasonafewotherrelevantBoards,andseemsinterestedinopen‐ingupopportunitiestoparticipateintheartsforyoungpeoplefromallbackgrounds.YourauthorsallhavesoftspotsforOhforvariousreasons,butalsofeeljustifiedinsuggest‐ingthatheprobablydeservedoneofyourfive—remember,yougetfive,andthereareonlysevencandidatesfortheRepublicanCouncilAt‐Largenominations—votes.…and:The Sort-Of Challengers It’s tough to accurately describe these guys’ status vis‐à‐vis the incumbents, since three ofthemcanpickupnominationswithoutknockingtheincumbentsoutofcontention(though,inthegeneralelectionthisNovember,it’squitelikelythatonlytwoofthemwillactuallymakeitthrough toCouncil [thereare twoCouncil seats reserved formembersofanynon‐majorityparty;really,theRepublicansareluckytheGreenshaven’tyetgottheiracttogether,andthisNovember it’sworthbearing inmind that there isaGreen candidate forCouncilAt‐Largewho’swellworthyourconsideration]).But anyway: these are a couplewords each (we admit, probably not super helpful; again,


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we’renotRepublicans)aboutthefivedudesrunningwithand/oragainstthetwodudesabove(havewestressedsufficientlythatthey’reallmen?)forthefiveavailableRepublicanCouncilAt‐Largenominations…AlTaubenberger:Whataname,right?NortheastPhillybusinessman,prettyclosetowhatpassesfora“Republicanpower‐broker”inPhiladelphia.DanTinney:Unionguy,Catholic,born‐and‐raisedintheNortheast.Ifyou’refromthearea,youknowlotsofguyslikeTinney,andalotofthemaredecentfolks.TerryTracy:This isunfair topointouthere,butprobablyhas themostnoticeable fore‐headof any current candidate inanyparty.Lives inCenterCity, graduated fromTemplethengotaMaster’satPenn.Again,youknowalotofguyslikehim,probably.JamesWilliams: Since this is theRepublican section,we’ll justnote inpassing thatWil‐liams isn’tawhiteguy,whichisn’tareasontovoteforhimornottovoteforhim(but, issortofareasontovoteforhim,Imean,weliveaprettydamneddiversecityandtherestoftheseguys[Ohexcepted]arereally,reallywhite).Ex‐trackstar,nowacollegetrackcoach,he’salsoworkedwithspecialmentalhealthneedsstudentsinPhiladelphiaschools.OK,weadmitthathe’salsoaprettygood‐lookingguy.We’rewonover. We’llalsojustsaythathehasthisdreamofrevivingPhilly’sonce‐proudtextilein‐dustry(OK,yes,wealreadyadmittedwewereswooning,justletustellyouthisonemorething…),whichmightbeof interest toanyreaders in the fashionand/orcostumedesignpartsoftheartsworld.MattWolfe:Lawyer,livesinWestPhilly,actuallylookslikealegitconservative.Which,OK,ifyou’rearegisteredRepublicanmaybethat’syourkindofthing.There.Wedidit.


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LAW ‘N ORDER: SHERIFFS, JUDGES (…oh, and BALLOT QUESTIONS!)

YoucouldbeexcusedforwonderingwhyPhiladelphianselecttheirSheriff,ortheirjudg‐es.Infact,youareexcusedforwonderingaboutthat,becauseyourauthorshavemanyofthesamequestions.We’renotgoingtotellyouwhotovoteforhere,andinfactwe’regoingtotrytogetthewholethingoverwithasquicklyaspossible.Ready?SHERIFF

CandidatesinboththeDemocraticandRepublicanSheriff’sprimariesarerunningunop‐posed,so(becausewewantedtostaykindofconsistentlywithintherulesweinventedforthisthing)they’renotfeaturedabove.However,thisis(weknowthisisgoingtobehardtobelieve,butpleasebearwithus…)actuallyaprettyimportantraceforaprettyimportantoffice,andoneinwhichtraditionaldistinctionsbetweenthepartiesaren’tquiteasclearasnormal,sowe’regoingtofeaturethecandidateshereanyway,albeitprettybriefly:There’sreallynoeasywaytoexplainwhetherJewellWilliams(D)orChristopherSaw‐yer(R) isthemoreprogressivecandidate,andwe’vereallygotnoideahowtomakethisraceseemrelevanttoartists.Exceptthatifyou’reworriedaboutand/orwanttobuyava‐cant or run‐down property, the Sheriff’s Office can help you out or stand in your way.Sawyerthinksitstandsinthewaymoreoftenthanitshould,anddoesn’tdonearlyenoughtohelpout(ortoactpreemptivelywhenthat’snecessary);Williamsarguesthathe’sgotatoughjob(he’sthecurrentSheriff),whichisobviouslytrue.CouldSawyerdoabetterjob?HethinkstheOfficeoftheSheriffhastoomanyweirdlydiverseresponsibilities(thisisalsotrue…) and should concentrate on property rights stuff (yeah,we’re reallyglossing oversomecomplicateddisagreements).Atthevery least,Sawyerhassomeactually‐importantquestionstoask,butsohavefolksrunningforSheriffinotherrecent,previouselections.It’snotbyanymeansclearthathe’sgotbetteranswersthanWilliams,andWilliamscouldprobablythrowSawyerafewthat’dknockhimforaloop,aswell.Allwe’reaskingisthat,ifanyofthissoundsvaguelyinterest‐ingor important to you, you try andpayattention to this race inNovember, since therearen’tlikelytobethatmanymorecompetitiveonesontheballot.KILLER FACT: The Sheriff is theonly lawenforcement inPhiladelphiawho candefinitelyarrest theMayor (thePoliceCommissioner is amayoral appointee).Thisprobablywon’tmatter,butnowyouknow.…it’sworthnotingthattheGreenPartydoesn’tappeartoberunningacandidateforSheriffthisyear,thoughthey’vedonesointhepast.Wecouldbewrongaboutthis(thoughtheirsurprisingly‐informative [themajorpartiescould learnsomething…]www.gpop.orgweb‐


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sitesuggestswe’renot),sodon’tvoteinNovemberwithoutfirstconfirmingthatwhateverwe’vesaidherereallyisanaccuratesummationofwho’scontestingthisoffice(thisistruegenerallyspeaking;alotcanchangebetweennowandNovember).JUDGES (Yes, Pennsylvania elects judges; yes, this is a terrible idea)

Ohboy.Ifyou’reanythinglikeus,you’rejustgoingtoskipthissection(bothofthisguide,andmaybeeveninthevotingbooth).Butdon’t!Ordo,wedon’thonestlycare.Votingforjudgesisdumb,andveryfewvotersknowanywherenearenoughaboutthelawtomakeaninformeddecision.Wecertainlydon’t.Presumably,however,lawyersdo(maybe?We’renottotallyconvinced,either…),soit’sal‐ways a big deal whether somebody is “Highly Recommended,” “Recommended” or “NotRecommended”by theBarAssociation.Theproblem is,whatdo those categoriesmean?What differentiates a “Highly Recommended” candidate from a gutter‐swimming filth‐suckerwhohas only been “Recommended”? Literally, aswewrite this sentence,noneofyourauthorsknow,either.We’regoingtoGoogleitrightnowandtellyouwhatwefind.Attheveryleast,youcan’tsaywe’venotbeenhonest.So:

Highly Recommended:Thecandidatepossessesthehighestcombinationoflegalability,experience,integrityandtemperamentandwouldbecapableofoutstandingperformanceasajudgeorjusticeofthecourtforwhichhe/sheisacandidate.Recommended: Based on legal ability, experience, integrity and temperament,the candidatewould be able to perform satisfactorily as a judge or justice of thecourtforwhichhe/sheisacandidate.Not Recommended:Basedonlegalability,experience,integrityortemperament,oranycombinationthereof,atthepresenttime,thecandidateisinadequatetoper‐formsatisfactorilyasajudgeorjusticeofthecourtforwhichhe/sheisacandidate.

Apparently,theseratingsarebasedonmembersofthePennsylvaniaBarAssociationinves‐tigating, and then interviewing, the candidates.There’s aquestionnaire involvedat somepoint,too.Likeyou,wearenotreassured.Werecommendthatyoueitherspendmoretimethanwe’rewillingtoinvestigatingthecandidatesandtheirrecordsyourself,oradoptwhateveryournormalpracticeforjudicialvotingis(evenifit’s“skipthispart”).Alternatively,trackdownasampleballot(by“trackdown”wemean“don’tthrowawaytheonegiventoyoubyyourlocalWardCommittee,yourunion,orsomemembershiporganizationyou’repartof”),andjustvoteforwhoever’sonthere.Incaseyou’veforgotten:votingforjudgesreallyisaterribleidea.


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BALLOT QUESTIONS!

TherearealsoanumberofBallotQuestionsyou’llbeexpectedtoanswerthisMay;again,formoreinformationcheckouttheCommitteeofSeventy’swebsite,www.seventy.org.Allwe’llsayaboutrecentBallotQuestionsisthatitseemslikeit’sgettingprettyclosetotimetoreevaluatethePhiladelphiaHomeRuleCharter,sothatwedon’twindupwithquitesomanyof these.Onprinciple,yourauthorsareall inclinedtoagree thatPhillycouldusea“Commission for Women” and “an independent Commission on Universal Pre‐Kindergarten,” and that every office in City government should make it easier for non‐nativeEnglishspeakerstoreceiveservicesandparticipateinCitygovernment.Butfrankly,we’renotsurewhyweneedtobeconsultedbeforetheMayorandCouncilgoaboutmakingthosearrangementsontheirown.Asforthefourthandfinalquestion(localcontrolofPhillypublicschools[they’retechnical‐lyHarrisburg‐controlledrightnow])…someyourauthorssigned thepetition toget itontheballot in the firstplace,butyou shouldhavea thinkabout it andmakeupyourownmind.Voting“yes”doesn’tmeanwe’llactuallygetlocalcontrol,mindyou,butifyouwantlocalcontrol,alargepositiveresponsetothisquestionmakesitalittleeasierforourelect‐edrepresentativestoputthecasetoHarrisburg.

fin

APPENDIX I: This is not a sample ballot. Incaseyou’venotrealizeditasyet,theteamofwritersbehindthisdocumentaren’tinperfectagreementonalloftheseselections–butintheinterestsoftransparency,here’swhoweare(orwouldconsider)votingfor,andwhowe’reprettydefinitelynot.This[X]meansat leastonewriter’sconsideringacandidate;This[]meanswe’renot,butofcourseyou’restillwel‐cometodoso. Mayor (D) – pick one:Abraham[],Diaz[X],Kenney[X],Oliver[],Street[],Williams[]Council At-Large (D) – pick five:Alexander[],Aument‐Loughrey[],Ayers[],Cain[],Cohen[X],Domb[],Goode[],Green[X],Greenlee[X],Gym[X],Neilson[],Reynolds‐Brown[X],Rizzo[],Steinke[X],Thomas[X],Wyatt[]City Commissioner (D) – pick three:Clark[],Deeley[],Gordon[…maybe],Jenkins[X],Mega[X],Sabir[X],writinginStephSinger’sname[X]### Mayor (R) – pick one:MelissaMurrayBailey[],Rememberyoucancastawrite‐invoteforsomebodywhohasn’talreadycommittedtoguttingtheCulturalFund[X]Council At-Large (R) – pick five:O’Brien [X],Oh [X], Taubenberger [ ],Tinney [X],Tracy[X],Williams[X],Wolfe[]### Remember:Theprimary’sTuesday,May19th;allpollsopenat7:00AMandcloseat8:00PM.Learnmoreaboutallofthecandidates(includingthoseinunopposedraces,whomwehaven’t bothered with) at www.seventy.org, and/or track down your polling place atwww.philadelphiavotes.com.


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APPENDIX II: An Irreverent (but Honest!) Briefing on the 4/22 #ArtsParksForum

OnApril22nd,2015,abunchofpeoplewhocareaboutartsandculture,andabunchofpeo‐plewhocareaboutparksandrecreation,andabunchofpeoplewholikeallofthosethings,attempted toassembleall seven2015PhiladelphiaMayoral candidates inone room toaskthemquestionsabout“theroleparksandartsplay in theCityofPhiladelphiaandhowoursectorsenhancetheeconomy,environmentandthequalityoflifeofourresidents.”Thiswasaslightlysillyideatobeginwith(itwascalledthe#ArtsParksForum,forheaven’ssake),anditdidn’tquitecomeoff(MiltonStreet,wherewereyouat?),butall‐in‐allitwasnicethatsome‐bodythoughttodoitinthefirstplaceandgetthesixcandidateswhowereinattendanceontherecord(atleast,sortofontherecord)onthesesometimes‐too‐easily‐swept‐under‐the‐rugtopics.Loadsofpeople(notreally)areprobablygoingtogoonandonaboutThingsTheCandidatesSaidAboutParks, because those things (as it turned out) are a bit easier to quantify (no,LynneAbraham,theCitycannotaffordtopatrolFairmountParkinplanesequippedwithin‐fraredcameras;thiswasavery,verysillyideaandweallknowyoudidn’treallymeanit,butstill…whybringitup?);otherpeoplearegoingtotalkabouthowdeeplydevotedallthecan‐didates are tomaking the arts, sports, and other extracurricular activitiesavailable to allPhiladelphia’schildren(fortherecord,yes,thiswouldbeagoodthing);ontheotherhand,notmanypeopleare likelytodissectthe forum fromtheperspectiveofarelativelyyoung, inde‐pendentworkingartist.This seems likeaprettyworthwhile venture toundertake, so yourwriterisgoingtogiveitago,despitenotactuallybeingayoung,independentworkingartist(butbeingmarriedtoonesortofcounts,right?That’skindofclose).Thisapproachmeansthatmostoftheparks,or#Parks,questionsaren’tgoingtobecoveredherein;questionsabouttheintersectionbetweenarts,cultureandparks‐and‐recaregoingtobecovered, ifanyofthosequestionsactuallyexist(yourwriterhasn’treviewedthemeetingnotesasyet, so…).Andwhilehonest, this isn’tgoing tobeanobjectiverecapof thecandi‐dates’performances–it’sgoingtoincludesomeassumptionsanddeductionsandsuppositionsthatcancertainlybecontested,butsincethecandidatesthemselvesdidn’tdirectlyaddressthequestion“Whatwillyouradministrationmeanforrelativelyyoung,independentworkingart‐ists?”it’sthebestwecando.So,withoutfurtherhesitation…Logistics: The #ArtsParksForumwasmoderated by, I think, Steve Highsmith – he’s thedudewhoanchorstheMummers’ParadeforPHL17,right?That’stheguywhomoderated,theMummersanchor.Ididn’thaveagoodview;hewasonextremestageright,flankedbyDougOliver(eventually;“DO2015”waslikehalfanhourlateorso),JimKenney(ontime),AnthonyHardyWilliams (on time, left early), LynneAbraham (on time),MelissaMurrayBailey(didyouknowtherewasaRepublicancandidate?She’stheone…andalso,ontime),andeventuallyNelsonDiaz(late,bylike20minutes).TheQ&Aformatwasabitweird,withresponseslimitedtothirtyseconds,sixtyseconds,ninetyseconds,andoccasionally(albeit


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somewhat unsuccessfully…) oneword; somequestions had beenprepared in advance (Idefinitelydon’tthinkthecandidateswerebriefed,oriftheywere…yikes,theyneedbetterstaff),whileothersweresubmittedbyaudiencemembers.Intheinterestoffulldisclosure–yourwriterisvotingforJimKenney;yourwriter’sunionhas endorsed JimKenney, and yourwriter allows the union tomake payroll deductionsfromeveryweek’schecktohelpfundapoliticalactioncommitteethatissupportingKen‐ney’scandidacy;yourwriter,inshort,iscompletelyinthetankforKenney.Hopefullythisisnot reflected inwhat follows, but if you feel it is…well, youwere forewarned, and fore‐warned is forearmed, or however that saying goes – feel free to read summaries ofKenney’sresponseslesscharitablythanyoudotheothers’.QUESTION: If you were to produce art in any medium, which one? Answer in one word. JimKenney(JK):“Oils.”AnthonyHardyWilliams(AHW):“Messy.”LynneAbraham(LA):“Opera.”MelissaMurrayBailey(MMB):“Abstract.”NelsonDiaz(ND):“Singer.”THE VERDICT:DougOliver(DO)wasn’taroundforthisquestion,andNDwanderedinpart‐waythrough.Thiswasavery,verysillyquestion,soAHW’sanswerisabsurd.C’mon,atleasttrytocomeupwithalegitanswer.JK’sanswerisoddlyspecific,LA’sisinterestingbecauseherloveforvisualartiswell‐established,MMB’sis…whatever,andND’sis,well,hewanderedinpartwaythroughandhadtothinkonhisfeet.Heexpressedalovefordancelaterintheforum,soperhapshe’d’verespondeddifferentlygivensometimetothink.QUESTION: Mayor Nutter’s proposed FY2016 budget includes a significant cut the Philadelphia Cultural Fund’s budget – will you commit to maintaining the Cultural Fund’s budget at its current level? MMB:Heradministrationwouldprioritizeeducation,notthearts.She’sseenwhatphilan‐thropistsgivemoneyto–theygiveittothearts.Artistsshouldbefundraising,notlookingtothegovernmentforfundingwiththeeducationbudgetinthestatethatit’sin.ND:HelovestheArtMuseum,andfeelsitwouldbeshortsightedtocuttheCulturalFund’sbudgetallocation–itdoessomuchforneighborhoodartsgroups!Theproblemisthatartsprogramminghasbeencutfromschools.DO:There’saperceptionthatartsareonlyfortheelite,sothat’swhyartsfundingisfirstonthe choppingblock inhard times.Arts and culture shouldbe connected to education, sothatartsfundingisactuallypartofthecashflowintoschoolbudgets.Ticketsalesaredownbecausewhenyoutaketheartsoutofschools,peopledon’tlearntovaluethearts.He’dcuttheCulturalFund’sbudget,unless itwas flowing intoschools,andreinvest themoney inschools. It’s unclear whether there’s any Cultural Fund allocation that isn’t directed to‐


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wardsartseducationorin‐schoolartsprogramminginaDougOliveradministration.JK: Hewas an inauguralmember of the Cultural Fund’s Board, and understands its im‐portance –particularly to small andneighborhood‐based arts groups that are constantlyteeteringon the edgeof financial solvency, towhichCultural Fund support is a valuablelifeline.Wouldnotcut theCulturalFund’sbudgetallocation,waspartof theCityCouncilthatvotedforafull$3.14Mallocation.AHW:WouldnotcuttheCulturalFund’sbudgetallocation(hewasbrief,tosaytheleast).LA:SheabsolutelywouldnotcuttheCulturalFund’sbudgetallocation.Philadelphiahasarichheritageandcanbeamagnetforculturaltourism–artsandcultureareat“theepicen‐terofeverythingthat’sgood.”They’repartofwhatmakesushuman.THE VERDICT:TosaythatLAispassionateabouttheimportanceofartsandcultureisabitofanunderstatement;whateverelseyouhavetosayabouthercampaignandherideas(andeven in thisarea, they’renotnecessarily thebestonoffer…),shedefinitelycares,andcaresdeeply.Thatcan’tbesaidforalloftheothercandidates:DOandMMBarebothnowontherecord as committed to cutting arts funding inPhiladelphia. It’s certainlynotwithout therealmofreasonandcommon sense toargue thateducation funding iswhatreallymattersrightnow,but…well, fromthat“relativelyyoung, independentworkingartist’sperspective”fromwhichthisissupposedtobewritten:DOandMMBarereadytocutartsfundingdramat‐ically. QUESTION: What financial incentives would you use to support the growth of the creative economy in Philadelphia? ND:He’d try toemphasizeneighborhood‐basedartsdevelopment,andattach it toneigh‐borhoodeconomicdevelopment initiatives.This ishappening in theLatino community–every community should have neighborhood arts centers! You can take kids there onschoolfieldtrips!DO:Helearnedtobecreativethroughtrumpetlessonsasachild,sowhenhethinks“arts,”hethinks“investinschools.”Also,whatabouthowartistsarealwaysmovingintocommu‐nitieswellbeforethey’regentrifying,takingvacantandrun‐downpropertiesandsprucingthemup?That’sagoodthing,whichshouldbeencouraged…CityCouncilshouldworkwiththeMayortofigureouthowtogiveartistsaccesstovacantland.Oh,andalso,thereshouldbeanequitablefundingformula–it’snotjustthePMAandOperaPhiladelphiaandPABal‐letthatdeservemoney,smallgroupsdo,too!JK:LikesomanyPhillypoliticians,JKlovestheMuralArtsprogram.They’regreatatinte‐gratingthemselvesintoneighborhoods,intoprisons,andwhentheytouchneighborhoodsandpeople they leave thembetteroffandwitha real feelingofparticipationand invest‐mentinthearts.MuralArtsis“inexpensiveandexpansive,”whatevertheprecisemeaningofthatformulationhappenstobe.AHW:It’simportanttohaveaplan–toinvestinneighborhoods,andtoinvestinneighbor‐hood arts groups operating on a shoestring. If you invest in neighborhoods and inneighborhoodcommercialcorridors,smallbusinessownerswillreinvestintheircommu‐nitiesandincommunityartsprogramming.Also,somethingaboutvolunteerism.LA:Cityplannersshouldworkwith“artscollaboratives”aspartoftheirdevelopmentplan‐


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ning,andreservelow‐rentspacesforartistsoncommercialcorridorsthatarebeingrein‐vigorated–perhapsit’spossibletoleveragephilanthropicdollarstofund“residencies”invacantcommercialpropertiesontheseneighborhoodcorridors?Letcommunitybasedor‐ganizations fix the spaces up, and rent them out to artists at belowmarket rents. Also,artistsshouldselltheirworkatfarmers’marketsandoutdoorfestivalsandwhatnot.MMB:Therearewhat,300artsandculturalorganizationsinPhilly?That’smorethanthecommunitycansupport(though,FYI, laterintheforumthisnumberwasagreatstrengthforourcity).Thatsaid,she’dworkwiththeCulturalAlliancetomakesuretheywerereallydoingtheirbesttomarketallofPhiladelphia’sartsandculturalorganizationstothebestoftheir ability. Andwhat about shared servicesmodels for small nonprofits?Maybe therecouldbea“hub”whereartistscouldrentsubsidizedofficespace…THE VERDICT:Let’sgetthisoutthererightaway–noneofthedudessaidanythingaboutfi‐nancial incentives to support the growth of Philadelphia’s creative economy. They juststraight‐updidn’tanswerthisquestion.As forthe ladies–LA’sanswerwasn’thalfbad(notsureifitwashalf‐goodeither,butitwasn’thalfbad),whereasMMB’swasstraight‐upcrazy(she’sguttingtheCulturalFundonesecond,thenusingpublicmoneytosetartistsup inco‐workingspaces).ND,forwhatit’sworth,probablyhadthemostexcitedanswerhere.QUESTION: How do the arts and parks contribute to Philadelphia’s growth? JK: Look at East Passyunk, then look at all the other neighborhood business districts inPhillythathavethesamepotential.Thinkaboutyoungartistsinstorefrontsaswebuilduptheseneighborhoodshoppingdistricts,thinkaboutsharedpublicspacesandwhatallthiswilldoforpropertyvalues…AHW: Buzzwords, buzzwords, buzzwords – he literally just listed “small business devel‐opment, technology,Philadelphiaasanenergyhub,business friendly taxpolicies”atonepoint.ArtsandparksencouragemorepeopletoliveinPhiladelphia,whichresultsinmoretaxrevenuefortheCity.LA:They’rekeytoboostingeducationalachievement.AsMayor,she’dhavea“firstquality”educationplan, andshe’d fully supportSchoolDistrict SuperintendentWilliamHite’sAc‐tionPlan3.0 (not surehowmuch arts stuff there is in theActionPlan3.0, but it’s quitepossiblethattheartsmakeitinthereandcouldbeworthalook…).Theartsandourparkscontributetotourismrevenue,soshe’dmakesurewehadasimplified,rationaltaxplan.MMB: Shehates stripmalls andparking lots, andwould leverageourparks to revitalizeneighborhoods.Nomentionofthearts.ND:Thiscityhas40,000vacantlots,andwedon’tneedtoputhomesorbuildingsonallofthem.Voila,they’reinstantgreenspace!Let’sjustcleanthemupfirst,youknow?DO:He’sgotthreepriorities–one,investinschools;two,createjobsforeveryone;three,fairness,whichheadmitsdoesn’treallygowiththeothertwobutismoreofanapproach.Fumble,fumble,fumble,howdoesthisrelatetothearts,umm,hmm,ohyeah,he’ll“replaceartandculturalappreciatebackintoschools.”Thensomethingaboutsmallbusiness,com‐mercialcorridors,affordablehousing,andopenspace,anda“full,fairfundingformulaforartsandculture,”underwhichneighborhoodartsget theirshareof funding, just like thebiginstitutionsdo.


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THE VERDICT:Everyartist’sfavoritesectioninAristotle’sPoeticshasalwaysbeenwherehemakesthecasethatthehighestpurposeanyworkofartcanserveistoenhancelocaltourismandhospitalityrevenues.Ormaybethat’sinoneofPlato’sDialogues,whoknows.Atanyrate,ifyouwerewonderingwhatthecandidatesthoughttheartsweregoodfor–that’sit(infair‐ness,atearlierand laterpoints in the forumLAdidnote that theartsalsomakeusmorehumananduniteusanddoall sortsofothergood stuff, though shewasprobably theonlycandidate to explicitly state such).Thebiggest issuewith the candidates’ responses to thisquestion,though,washowclearlyitillustratedtheirbigmissonthelastone–everyonewasgoingonaboutsmallbusinesstaxpolicy,butnobodythoughttomaketheclearandobviouslinkbetweensmallbusinesses,thetaxespaidbysmallbusinessowners,andthehugenumberofartistswhomaketheirlivingasindependentcontractors(essentially,smallbusiness).Onesuspectsthatthecandidatesmaynotnumbertoomanystrugglingyoungartistsamongtheirclosestfriends…Anyway,communityartsorganizationscameoutofthisforumlookingprettygood;they’rewell‐likedbythecandidates,andallthemoresoifthey’reworkinginschoolsaswell.Smallartsorganizationsorindividualsinitfor,youknow,theart?Lessso.

INTERLUDE: A Series of Yes-or-No Questions QUESTION: Do you support a Home Rule Charter change to establish a perma-nent Office of Arts, Culture & the Creative Economy in Philadelphia? AHW:Yes.LA:Yes.MMB:No.ND:Yes.DO:Yes.JK:Yes.THE VERDICT: Inher closing remarks,MMB – close to tears – explained that shewas re‐sponding soharshlybecause she’d seenhomelesspeoplequeuing for foodoutsideonLoganCircle(orpossiblybecauseherGPSwassettoprovidedirectionsinSpanish,whichwasinex‐plicably included in the same story; she speaks Spanish, by the way, so she can still getaround). She shouldbe commended for caring,and certainly the currentMayorhas some‐times left himself open to perceptions (right or wrong) that he’s not a great friend toPhiladelphia’shomelesspopulation,buttheargumentthatwecan’thaveanythingniceuntilallhumanity’sproblemshavebeensolvedfirstdoesn’tholdwater.Itis,infact,possibletosup‐portpoliciestoreduceoramelioratehomelessnessandothersocialills,whilealsoprovidingsignificantpublicsupportforthearts.This,infact,happensrightnowinmanyactualcoun‐triespopulatedbyhumanbeings;yourwriterhasvisitedacoupleofthesecountries,andcanconfirmthattheyarenotsoullesshell‐holes.QUESTION: Should non-profit arts organizations make payments in lieu of taxes (PILOTs) to the City the support e.g. education funding?


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AHW:Yes,someofthem.LA:No.MMB:Yes.ND:Yes.DO:Yes.JK:Hemmingandhawinghere,asisappropriate–maybesomeshould,butnotallofthem.This is a terrible yes‐or‐no question. Large universities and small non‐profits shouldn’thavetobeaddressedtogetherinaone‐wordanswer.THE VERDICT:JKwascorrecttoidentifythisasaterriblequestion.PaymentsInLieuOfTaxesorPILOTs,bytheway,areabig issuerightnowbecausee.g.theUniversityofPennsylvaniaandChildren’sHospitalofPhiladelphiaareexempt fromproperty tax liabilities thatwouldotherwiseprovideasignificantamountoffundingtotheSchoolDistrictofPhiladelphia.Need‐lesstosay,this isarathercomplicated legalandethical issue,andaskingthecandidatestorespondinonewordwasprobablythepoorestmoderatingdecisionofthenight.QUESTION: Should the Pennsylvania sales tax be expanded to apply to e.g. tickets to performances and other cultural events, as Governor Wolf has pro-posed? AHW:No.LA:No.MMB:No.ND:No.DO:Umm…Iwouldtalkaboutit?JK:That’sabadidea,here. THE VERDICT:There’snotmuchtosay,really;everyone’sonboardwithwhat isthe“right”positionfromthatworking‐artist’s‐perspective,unlessyou’reintoturningasking‐your‐friend‐to‐sell‐tickets‐at‐the‐doorintoanadminnightmare. QUESTION: In Philadelphia’s poorest neighborhoods, are the arts just as im-portant to boosting inspiration and self-respect and reducing crime as education is? LA:Yes–artsprogrammingcankeepkidsinschool,raisetheirperformanceinclass,boosttheirself‐respect…allofthisiswell‐documented.Theartsareimportant.MMB:Theartschallengethewaypeoplething,butlet’sbehonest,sheworksforaconsult‐ingfirm,andSTEM(science,technology,engineering,math)ismoreimportant.Yeah,thereshouldbemoreartsprogramminginschools–butit’snotasimportantasSTEM.ND:Deprivingkidsoftheartsisdeprivingthemoftheircivilrighttoaqualityeducation.Art is important,culture is important, sportsare important, “thewholegamutofSTEMs”areimportant.


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DO:Appreciatingtheartsis“partandparcel”ofwhatmakesawell‐roundedchildoradult.JK:Yes,justasimportant.AHW:Yes,justasimportant.THE VERDICT:Thiswasanothercrazyquestion–itwaspackedwithlotsofinformationandloadsofmodifiersandhardtogetdowncorrectly,andmighthavebeenaboutartseducationspecifically(atleast,that’showalotofthecandidatestookit)–andanotherquestionwhichshouldconvinceyouthatMMBisnotparticularlyreceptivetoargumentsthattheartsreallydomatter. QUESTION: Something about getting the arts back into schools, and the hu-manities, and music; also something about government/schools/non-profits collaborating. Doesn’t particularly matter, the candidates all did their own thing. MMB:Shewillprioritizeschoolsas#1inthebudget,andfeelsthatschoolsportsare“es‐sential to creating a well‐rounded student” (the arts didn’t get nearly that much creditwhenshewasdissingtheminfavorofSTEMsubjects).Wedo“aterriblejob”asacitylev‐eraging all of our resources, and should be facilitating the involvement ofmore culturalorganizationsintheSchoolDistrictwithoutneedingtocommitanyextrafunding.ND:StressedtheunacceptablerateofchildpovertyinPhiladelphia,andnotedhowdifficultitisforthesechildrentobenefitsfromalotofartsprogramming.ButfreeSundaysattheArtMuseumareagreatopportunity,andonethatallofPhiladelphia’skidsshouldbeableto take advantageof –whateveryourbackground is, you can find an artistwhoseback‐groundreflects it,youcanreflecton thatartist’spersonalandprofessionaldevelopment,youcanlooktothemasarolemodel…it’sashamesomanypoorchildren“neverseeit,”andweshouldmakeeveryeffortasacitytoensurethattheydo.Whatabouttravelingartopportunitiesforkidsaroundthecity,particularlyinpoorneighborhoods?DO:Weneed to “zoomout”whenwe talk about thebudget, and lookat theoverallCitybudgetandeverydepartment’sbudgetthroughthelensofeducatingchildrenandcoordi‐nating all of our resources to do so. Oh, and that PILOTs question – it’d be OK for artsnonprofitstoprovide“servicesinlieuoftaxes”ratherthanpayments.Governmentshouldbepushingwhatever itcan intotheneighborhoods,arts‐wise.Butwhat’smore,he’ssurethatanauditoftheSchoolDistrict’sbudgetwillrevealthattherereallyaresomeextrare‐sourceslyingaroundthere,maybesomeofthosecouldgotowardsartsprogramming…JK:DidyouknowtheMayorgetstheseluxurysuitesforalltheprosportsteams’games?Like,everygame.Hedoesn’tneedaluxurysuite–useitasaschoolfundraiser,leaseitoutandplow theproceeds into a “nonprofit fund” (more on that in a sec). Expert estimatesbasedonalltheteams’currentperformance,i.e.assumingthatthatPhilsandSixersremainterrible, the Flyers mediocre, and the Eagles head‐scratchingly‐strange, are proceeds ofroughly$3million.Sowhatyoudo,see,isyoucreatethisnon‐profitfund,youputthemon‐ey there, youput five to sevenpublic schoolprincipalson theBoard, and theyvetotherprincipals’ grant applications to disburse the money for in‐school and after‐school pro‐gramming.TheSchoolReformCommissiondoesn’ttouchit.It’llbegreat.AHW: The Office of Arts, Culture & the Creative Economy is effective, but not well‐resourced.He’llcreateafull‐fledgeddepartment–aprofessional,staffeddepartment–to


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directmoneytoareasofhighneedandhighimpactforyoungpeople.LA: She’ll restore thepositionofDeputyCityRepresentative forArts andCulture,whichwassoeffectiveduringEdRendell’sadministration,tocoordinatetheCity’seffortstopro‐mote arts and culture. Also, maybe the percent‐for‐art requirement, maybe all of thatshouldgo to schools?Hard to tellwhatexactly she’sproposing.Butkids reallywant thearts–that’swhyshetalksaboutSTEAMinsteadofSTEM(takethat,MMB).Weshouldletourkids’imaginationsfly,that’san“essentialqualityofafirst‐classeducationsystem.”THE VERDICT:NDandLAarebothpassionateaboutthistopic,andiftheyoccasionallygetabit confusing,well,at least it’sbecause they care. JK’s suggestionwasvery specificandde‐tailed,thoughno“relativelyyoung,independentworkingartist”islikelyinanythingclosetoafinancialpositionthatwouldenablethemtoassesshisclaimthattheCitycouldmake$50KrentingtheirsuiteoutduringanEagles‐Cowboysgame.MMBwasMMB–she’sjustnotthatintothiswholething(shelivenedupalotonthequestionsaboutparks,forwhatit’sworth).WhichbringsustoAHW,whodecidedhe’dre‐answerapreviousquestion(“Wouldyousup‐port a charter change to make the Office of Arts, Culture & the Creative Economypermanent?”)andpretenditwasanoriginalideathatbelongedtohimratherthanonethateverycandidateexceptMMBhadalreadyannouncedtheywereonboardwith;andtoLA,whoforsomereasonreallylikesthetitlethatEdRendellusedforthepersonwhousedtodowhattheCity’s“ChiefCulturalOfficer”nowseemstodo.LAmakesthesameproposalonhercam‐paignwebsite, but isn’t any clearer there aboutwhether or not this is supposed to be inadditiontoorinplaceofthecurrentposition(itisn’t,infact,allthatclearwhatLAthinksoftheOfficecurrently,orifshe’sfullyawarethatitwasre‐establishedbytheNutteradministra‐tion). QUESTION: Given what you want to provide on the #ArtsParks front, do you think these areas need a dedicated funding stream or should this money just be allocated along with everything else in the annual budget process? DO:Canthetourismindustrygeneratemoneyforthisstuffthroughsomeset‐asideportionofthehoteltax?JK:Thestateshouldsetasidededicatedregionalfundingstreams–andtheseshouldabso‐lutely be regional, partly because it’s easier to build a regional coalition in the statelegislatureandpartlybecausetheartsandtourismhaveregionalconstituenciesandyou’vegotpeoplecominginfromthesuburbstoattendperformancesandsuch.LA:She’dsupportthestatelegislature’screationofadedicatedfundingsource–asamat‐teroffact,shethinksit’dshowamassivereturn‐on‐investmentandreallydriveeconomicdevelopment.MMB:She“wouldbesupportive”atthestatelevel,butlocallyshe’dfindthemoneyinthebudgetasperusual(exceptaswe’vealreadyestablished,sheprobablywouldn’tlookforallthatmuchmoney).ND:Residentsshouldgetspecialdiscountprivilegesatartsandculturalinstitutions.Theydefinitelyshouldn’tbetaxedwhenthey’repurchasingadmission.THE VERDICT:NDends thisonewithanice throwback to the sales tax issue thatwas like


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threequestionsago,afterannouncingadiscountpolicy that…whatever,hewaspassionateagain,andhe’srightthatit’simportanttotryandmakesurethateveryoneisexposedtothearts.As for theactualquestion, though – this is really insidebaseball.Basically, therearesomebillsinthestatelegislaturethatmayormaynotgoanywhere,whichdirectfundsfromeithertherealtytransfertaxorthehoteloccupancysalestaxintoadedicatedfundingstreamforthearts(or,fortheartsand“tourism”).Unsurprisingly,basicallyallthecandidatesareonboardwiththeStatedoingthis,butaremuchmorehesitantwhenitcomestoproposingany‐thing locally.Oh,exceptAHW.He juststraight‐up left.Hesaidhehadanother forum thing,whichLAclaimedtheywereallgoingto,andnobodyelsewasleavingearly;AHWrespondedthatat leasthe’darrivedon time(sickburnonNDandDO).Everyone in theaudiencewhohadn’talready left themselvesgotkindofannoyedat thepettiness,but in fairness,LAdidhaveapoint,andAHWwastheonlyonewhocutoutearly.QUESTION: Will you create a Cultural Plan as Mayor? DO:Yes,long‐termplanninghasrealbenefits…andthensomethingaboutcityplanningandzoningandcoordinatingresources?Maybehethoughtthiswasaboutparks?JK:Yes.But theplanningprocess shouldbe coordinatedwithTourism&HospitalityandtheConventionCenter,sothateveryonecanbecross‐marketing.LA: She’dget theCityPlanningCommission,propertydevelopers,and thebusinesscom‐munity on board with her arts plan, because cultural tourism has a huge return‐on‐investment andmakes Philadelphia a showcase city, makes us the next great Americancity…heranswerstartedoutalotlikeDO’s,butwasclearlyaboutartsandculture,so,thatwassortofweird.MMB: “Weneedplans in thiscity!”Butnot justplans–plans,goals,andaroadmap,andwaystomeasureprogressasweharnessall theenergyofour300culturalorganizations(earlierinthenight,therewere“toomany”ofthem!)towardscommongoals.ND:PhiladelphiaissecondonlytoParisasanartsdestination–atleast,we’recertainly“ahellofalotbetterthanNewYork.”Weneedtodecidehowtopromoteourbigculturalin‐stitutions, and also our movie theaters and restaurants and dance clubs, so that we’re“vibrantinallofthearts,notjustoneofthearts.”THE VERDICT:Thoughhe’sclearlypronetohyperbole,youkindofhavetoloveNDhere,andhisvery‐excitedanswerwasthebestandmostoptimisticonefromtoptobottom.Thatsaid,everycandidate save theabsentAHWandMiltonStreet isnowon the recordpromising tocreateaCulturalPlanforthecityoncethey’reelected–so,holdthemtoit!Overall Verdict:

With lessthanamonthtogobeforetheelection,this isprobably it forthe2015Mayoralcandidatessayinganythingusefulabouttheirposition(s)onarts‐relatedissues–thisjustisn’tabigthingformostofthem,withLynneAbrahamtheonlyonethusfartopublishan(admit‐tedlysortofwacky)artsplatform.So…


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Doug Oliver:Ifyouwouldliketotalkabouteducation,DougOliverwouldliketotalktoyou.Thisputhimatadecideddisadvantageinaforumthatwasintendedtoaddresssomealternativetopics,aself‐imposedsetbackfromwhichheneverquitemanagedtorecover.Inmanyways,DougOliver is not a serious candidate –his platform canbe abitwacky,evenintheareashe’sputalotofthoughtinto,andhesometimesseemstobeabitatseawhenrespondingtoquestionsforwhichhe’snotallthatwell‐prepared–buthe’sbuildingareputationasagoodcandidatenonetheless,soperhapshe’sgotafutureinPhiladelphiapolitics.Ifthat’sthecase,bendinghisearaboutwhat’simportanttoactualartistsoverthenext four‐to‐eight yearsor sowouldn’tnecessarilybe abad idea.Remember:heused toplaythetrumpetinschool.Thiscomesupalot.Jim Kenney:JimKenneywasn’tathismostcharismatic,and#ArtsParksdoesn’tappeartobeatopicthatexciteshimthewayitdoesLynneAbraham.Thatsaid–mostofKenney’sresponsesasoutlinedabovecanbeconsideredbroadly“good”or“correct”fromthat“rela‐tivelyyoung,independentworkingartist’sperspective.”Butunremarkable,it’sfairtosay.Thiscouldbeagoodsign(There’splentyofroomtoshapeProspectiveMayorKenney’spo‐sitionsonartsissues!)orabadone(ArtsissuesarenotgoingtobeaveryhighpriorityinProspectiveMayorKenney’sadministration!)orsomethinginbetweenthosetwopoles;it’shardtotell.Itseemsprettysafetosay,though,thataKenneyadministrationwouldn’tbeatallhostiletothearts(comparehisanswerstoMelissaMurrayBailey’s,forinstance).Anthony Hardy Williams:TherewerefewdifferencesbetweentheanswersprovidedbyAnthonyHardyWilliamsandJimKenney(accordingtorecentpolls,thetwofront‐runners,with Lynne Abraham possibly contesting their position, maybe, sort of) during the#ArtsParksForum,exceptthatWilliamsleftearlyandneitherKenneynoranyoneelsedid(despitetheirall,accordingtoAbraham,beingheadedtothesameplace).Williamswasal‐sobasicallyunabletoidentifyafavoritemedium(remember,hewasjust“messy”–basedonaclaimthathe’dratherappreciatetheworksofothers,whichcompletelyignoredboththespiritandtheratherprecisewordingofthequestion).AllthereistosayaboutKenneyis thathewas solidbutunspectacular;he at leastdidn’tactivelyscrewup,whereasWil‐liamsdid.Lynne Abraham:OfallthecurrentcandidatesforMayor,LynneAbrahamisprobablythemostpassionateaboutPhiladelphia’sartsandculturebyalongshot;thatsaid,atonepointtonight Lynne Abraham proposed buying airplanes with infrared cameras to patrol thenightskiesoverFairmountPark.She’sapassionatepublicservant,whohasdedicatedmostofheradultlifetotheCityofPhiladelphia,andwhoisrunningforMayoronthebackofalegacythat’svery1990s(“America’sDeadliestDA”)andsomeloonyideasandwholelotofpassion.Buttheloonyideas…hercampaignwebsitedoesn’tsuggestincreasingartsfund‐ing,butdoessuggestputtingonmassivefestivalsforthePope’svisitandHillaryClinton’scoronationceremony,whichisfinebut–well,expensive,andnotlikelytobenefityoureve‐ryday(herewegoagain…)relativelyyoung, independentworkingartistsomuchasyourmoreinstitutionalartsorganizations.Andyet;shelovesthearts,shelovesourartsandourculture.Shecares,shereallydoes.She’salittlebitcrazy.She’dbeouroldestMayorinfor‐everorsomethinglikethat.She’sgotbaggagelikenobody’sbusiness.Shecanbearacially


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polarizingfigure.But…shedoescareaboutthisstuff,genuinelyandpassionately,andthat’sworthatleastalittlebit.Melissa Murray Bailey:MelissaMurrayBaileyisnotgoingtobethenextMayoroftheCityofPhiladelphia,soherpro‐artscutsstanceprobablyshouldn’tbotheryoutoomuch.Nelson Diaz:NelsonDiazisverypassionateaboutopeningupPhiladelphia’sartsandcul‐turalinstitutionstopeoplefromallcommunitiesandbackgrounds,andthisisanexcellentandadmirablesentiment.NelsonDiazisalsoverypassionateaboutpubliceducation,andrestoringlocalcontroloverPhiladelphiaschools.NelsonDiazhasalotofgoodideas,andalot of energy, butNelsonDiaz is not going tobe thenextMayorof Philadelphia, barringsomedramaticshiftineveryone’sfortunes;onehopesthatallthoseideasandallthatener‐gygetsplowedintosomethinguseful.Oh,andartists?YoushouldaskNelsonDiaztojointhe Board of your organization, if you’ve got one. He probably won’t – he’s on a lot ofBoardsandispresumablyaprettybusyguy–buthe’sverymuchthesortofpersonwhocoulddoyoualotofgoodwerehetosay“yes.”Thatsaid,dudealsohasalotofwackyideas,so…justkeepthatinmind.T. Milton Street:Thecrowdatthe#ArtsParksForumisnotthecrowdMiltonStreet’scam‐paign is targeting. Laughing at Milton Street, as so many local political journalists andbloggersandwhatnotarewonttodo,isn’ttherightthingtodo–OKfulldisclosurehereaswell, your writer voted for Milton Street in the last Mayoral primary, and did so un‐ironically–ashereallyisquitefrequentlytheonlyoneouttheretryingtospeakforandintheinterestofhisblackworkingclassconstituency.Hisrelationshipwithmainstreampoli‐ticsandpolitical commentaryand traditional campaigning inPhiladelphia canatbestbedescribedas“ratherfraught,”andhisabsencefromthisforumshouldbeviewedthroughthatprism,notasanexpressionofhostilitytowardstheartsandartists.Despitewhatyou’lllikelyhearand readelsewhere, therearevery real reasons tovote forMiltonStreet thisMay–butno,he’sprobablynotlikelytospendtoomuchtimedirectlyaddressingthecon‐cernsofthe“relativelyyoung,independentworkingartists”forwhomthisissupposedtobewritten.

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