What Change Feels Like

Mar. 01, 2019

Nosotros're all Phil Connors, y'all and I. You remember Phil. The TV weatherman who rises each day to Sonny & Cher's "I've Got You, Babe" and finds himself in an endless time loop, living the same mean solar day, day after day? Well, when it comes to Philly politics, everyday is Groundhog Twenty-four hour period: The perp walks . The indictments. The shady development deals. Our shrugging acceptance.

I felt it well-nigh acutely after the Dougherty and Henon indictments, as I've written, er, ranted . Reading the indictment's charges that a City Councilman had been weaponized in service of the interests of 1 powerful homo, I wondered: Where'southward the outrage? And, more to the point: How do we put public corruption on the ballot three months from now, in the Democratic primary for mayor and city council?

Well, lately, I've started to wonder if the outrage is already there. Maybe—just maybe—the establishment, so long ensconced hither, is on the run. This may be nothing more than a pollyannish pep talk to myself, merely, given contempo events, I notice myself entertaining the possibility that this moment in Philadelphia is actually what change feels like.

Let'south walk through the exhibits that have me newly (naively?) hopeful:

Change Is In The Air . During the 2022 campaign, The Denizen hosted a debate for City Controller between then-incumbent Alan Butkovitz and then-challenger Rebecca Rhynhart. In the dorsum of the room, a public official leaned over and whispered in my ear:

"Alan's a good public servant. Simply you know what I see on that stage? New versus old ." So, ultimately, did the electorate, voting for Rhynhart by a large margin. In the aforementioned election, Larry Krasner swept to power on a radical platform of change.

Last year'south mid-terms followed a similar script. Might the electoral stage exist set to face the two local offices that have historically been the most allergic to alter, Council and the Mayor?

New Blood . Information technology may seem counterintuitive, but, owing to the corrosive ability of Councilmanic Prerogative, district quango members wield significantly more power than those elected At-Large. Which is why they usually run unopposed; you accept them on at your peril.

But something different is happening this time effectually. At present, every district council member is facing primary opposition. And we're not talking token opposition. Existent candidates with real resumes and actual ideas  have stepped up, folks like Jamie Gauthier, the one-time Executive Director of the Fairmount Park Conservatory, who is taking on Councilwoman Jannie Blackwell in the 3rd District—which has been represented by someone with the Blackwell surname for no less than 45 years.

Perchance—just maybe—the establishment, and so long ensconced hither, is on the run. This may be null more than a pollyannish pep talk to myself, but, I discover myself entertaining the possibility that this moment in Philadelphia is actually what change feels like.

Then there'south Lauren Vidas in the 2nd District, a erstwhile Council staffer and Nutter administration policy geek, who has her sights set on Councilman Kenyatta Johnson, who reportedly steered metropolis land to a friend and campaign contributor in a sweetheart deal. And let's not forget Omar Woodard, the 35-year-quondam North Philly native and former adjutant to State Senator Tony Williams who nigh recently ran the Philadelphia office of the Greenlight Foundation, a nonprofit venture capital firm that invests in anti-poverty programs. Last week, he filed to set his sights on none other than Quango President Darrell Clarke in the 5th Commune.

There are others, too—at that place hasn't been a better class of challengers in contempo memory. Alter tin be viral, and it appears that we may be coming down with a case. But it seldom just happens. There are also carriers of the bug, which gets united states to…

The Philly 3.0 Effect . In the last two months, I've had numerous conversations with local politicos and Urban center Hall insiders who were all nervously fretting over what Philly 3.0 would be doing in this year'due south ballot. "I heard they're going after every incumbent," one local politico worriedly observed.

3.0 is the 501(c)(4) Political Action group run past Ali Perelman, a rising star in her own correct, that is committed to infusing Council with new blood. (Total disclosure: We publish insightful dispatches from the grouping's engagement managing director, Jon Geeting.) 3.0 holds its cards close, but, judging by how many pols have been talking about the group, I suspect the PAC has had a lot to do with fielding this year'southward lineup of challengers.

That's given some progressive practiced-government types pause, since we don't know where iii.0's funding comes from. But those concerns really amount to an unwitting endorsement of the status quo past cartoon a fake moral equivalency between a reform group and a political machine desperate to hold on to power for power's sake. The truth is, in a corrupt, i-party boondocks, the ends justify the means when it's for a skilful cause.

Mayors in Philadelphia tend to become hands reelected. As with our Council races, wherein, over the last 35 years, only 13 incumbent Council members who had served a full four-year term accept lost their seats to a challenger. Nosotros don't have elections. We accept coronations.

Yep, in an platonic world and a functional democracy, those who work to influence government for the better ought to do so in the low-cal of day. Merely that ain't united states of america. Why don't those who contribute to 3.0 do so publicly? Because they saw what happened to those who did. When three.0 first attracted attending a few years agone, it was reported that it was the doing of Joe and Rob Zuritsky, the parking magnates. After the group endorsed a slate of reform-minded challengers to Council incumbents and publicly made the case for term limits, the jobs-for-life political class reacted as if a political fatwa had been issued. Lo and behold, sending a message, Council raised parking taxes.

The Zuritskys are no longer a part of the group, I'k told. But good for 3.0 for not folding back when Darrell Clarke et al tried to flex their muscles. Clarke has still not announced that he'll be seeking reelection. Now that he and others on Quango have credible challengers, it will be interesting to see how many incumbents turn out to accept been paper tigers all along.

The Institution…In Deprival . The great erstwhile heavyweight boxer Randall "Tex" Cobb, he of the granite chin, in one case explained to me that knockouts tend to only happen when you don't see the punch coming.

Well, the same can be said of sweeping political change: It's only seen as inevitable in retrospect. In existent time, those in power rarely can envision themselves being thrown out of it. That'southward why the local Autonomous party endorsed Chaka Fattah later on he'd been indicted and why, afterwards the Dougherty and Henon indictments, nosotros heard not a give-and-take of moral condemnation from any party leader or public officeholder—until yesterday, when State Rep. Jared Solomon held a press conference at City Hall calling for the Councilman to resign. "Nobody has asked me to footstep down," Henon said final month, in a line that should become a bumper sticker slogan: Philly, Where No Ane Asks You To Step Downwards.

Ah, the airs of power. Last week, when a serial of violent threats and an alleged assault broke out between activists and staffers of Councilwoman Blackwell's at her reelection outset result, in omnipresence were State Senators Tony Williams and Vince Hughes, every bit well as Bob Brady, Democratic party chair. Lo and behold, an oldie merely goodie made a render appearance. Michael Youngblood, the former Blackwell aide who was bedevilled of 34 counts of extortion, depository financial institution fraud, tax evasion, and failure to file tax returns back in the 90s, was reported to directly rape threats at the activists. Was there a statement later released by whatsoever of the elected officials in attendance, condemning such beliefs and hitting a note for civility? What do yous think?

A Competitive Mayoral Re-Election? Here ? Dorsum in 2011, Michael Nutter cruised to reelection with 75 percent of the vote against the ever-entertaining Milton Street. That was with all of 20 percent of registered voters showing up at the polls. Sadly, this lack of contest was no outlier. Mayors in Philadelphia tend to get easily reelected. As with our Quango races, wherein, over the last 35 years, only 13 incumbent Quango members who had served a full iv-year term have lost their seats to a challenger. We don't have elections. We have coronations.

But this year, Mayor Kenney already has i official challenger—the aforementioned Butkovitz—and Tony Williams is gearing up a challenge and has former Mayor John Street in his corner. As I wrote last week, at that place'south some speculation that City Councilman Allan Domb might throw his hat in the ring , too.

The Domb scenario is significant, because the Condo King has the wherewithal to be a self-funder, at a time when Williams is already trying to shame Mayor Kenney into forsaking any Local 98 entrada contributions. The whispers about Domb was given new life this week when an ad debuted on local TV.

The Domb scenario is pregnant, because the Condo Rex has the wherewithal to be a self-funder, at a fourth dimension when Williams is already trying to shame Mayor Kenney into forsaking any Local 98 entrada contributions.

Granted, it's an "Allan Domb for City Council" ad. But doesn't it experience a scrap, I don't know, mayoral ? And no one else running for Council is on the air all the same—we're withal three months out. Could Domb be testing the waters, trying to heighten his name ID, specially among African-American voters?

Domb has struck a nerve. After he introduced a term limits bill in Council, I heard some rumblings criticizing him for having been opposed to term limits when he ran four years ago. Flip-bomb, or evolution?

From the perspective of borough wellness, I wonder if it matters. What does matter is that we have a hazard to have a campaign for Mayor in Philadelphia that might exist characterized by, similar, debates and ideas. Tragically, a mayoral campaign in which an incumbent is challenged to defend a record and lay out a vision—beyond the pavlovian phrase "soda tax"—would be quite novel for Philadelphia.

Await to Chicago. Is it possible that there could exist an anti-institution bump at the polls courtesy of the Dougherty indictment? There may be a precedent for that.

Just weeks before the Dougherty and Henon indictments rocked Philly, the feds indicted Chicago Alderman Edward Burke on fraud charges. Tell me if this sounds Philly-like: Powerbroker Burke was charged with extorting legal work for his police business firm and a campaign contribution for Melt County Lath President and mayoral candidate Toni Preckwinkle from the owners of a Burger Rex franchise who needed permits for their planned renovation.

Nosotros have a chance to have a campaign for Mayor in Philadelphia that might exist characterized by, like, debates and ideas. Tragically, a mayoral campaign in which an incumbent is challenged to defend a record and lay out a vision would be quite novel for Philadelphia.

Well, fast-forward to last calendar week, when the mayoral primary resulted in a stunning upset of William M. Daley, a brother of the city'southward longest-serving mayor and a son of the 2nd-longest-serving mayor. Qualifying for the runoff, instead, were two African-American women: the same Preckwinkle, conspicuously a role of the political institution—and the intriguing Lori Lightfoot, a former federal prosecutor who ran against machine politics and Burke'south type of insider cronyism. No i expected her to do so well. "Then what do you call up of us now?" she called out to her supporters on ballot dark. "This, my friends, is what modify looks like."

What Next? Let'south say this is what change feels similar, and Philly, like Chicago, undergoes an interesting realignment come ballot day. Job done?

Hardly. Nosotros don't merely need new role holders. We also need structural modify in the style we practice our politics. Which is why any new Councilperson or Mayor will take to be held to account on issues like term limits and other reforms.

In Philadelphia, after all, fresh and young has a way of becoming old and incarcerated. We don't want to end upwardly repeating past failed narratives. Call up, Chaka Fattah and Seth Williams were both one time widely praised every bit refreshing reformers. Today, both article of clothing orangish jumpsuits on involuntary vacations. One election won't change that story. But it could be a start.

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Source: https://thephiladelphiacitizen.org/what-change-feels-like/

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