Jeff Brown of ShopRite. Everyone else running has already held a city office position and they’ve really all done nothing in their current positions. It’s time to elect someone from outside the machine.

I do wanna see some new blood since corruption seems like a big problem. What are his main priorities and attributes besides business experience and outsider appeal?

IMHO the city is backsliding into a leadership crisis where in any given process, the number of vetos has proliferated and the (career) cost to anyone who tries to push a project through is too high. That's a perfectly natural thing to happen in a bureaucracy, but it needs to be countered by strong leaders who can articulate a vision that motivates the rest of the people in the process to come along.

So far as I've seen, none of the declared candidates have identified this problem by name. I'm worried that many of the candidates who have spent time on city council are too comfortable with the current power-sharing arrangements to upset the cart, so I am generally counting council experience against them.

There are a number of candidates running more or less as "reformers," including Allan Domb (who's business acumen is countered by his years of support for councilmanic prerogative while on council), Rebecca Rhynhart (who's reformer credentials look great, but as the city Controller that's also literally her job), and Jeff Brown (who would make a stronger case if not for his nakedly self-interested opposition to the soda tax).

As of right now, I'm leaning towards Rhynhart. But there's a number of major issues the candidates have been silent on (is anyone going to say anything about the state legislature trying to unilaterally remove democratically-elected Philly officials, for example?). So I'm keeping open ears.

I don't think that's a fair assessment. Gym (assuming she runs) and Rhynhart, in particular, have real accomplishments from their positions. And neither of them are machine.

Philadelphia is the result of people just pulling the D lever due to State and National politics and ending up with "whoever is next on our list of Councilpeople"

I would never advocate a trumper Mayor this but it would be nice if we had an actual two party system in Philadelphia.

Do we know whether there are any socialists, champagne or otherwise, running for mayor?

Not saying there is, I was just characterizing what my beliefs are

> Jeff Brown (who would make a stronger case if not for his nakedly self-interested opposition to the soda tax).

Jeff is my least favorite of the three but I don't blame the guy for opposing the tax even if it is personal.

The tax itself was personal for Johnny Doc get back at teamsters.

I'm a Rhynhart fan but she's going to have to get some alliance with one of the other two as to not split the vote against the machine.

I’ve heard of Sam Katz in passing, isn’t he like a moderate Republican? Maybe he would run a 4th time, but granted idk if he’s any good or not

I think this is what I’m most likely characterizing myself as, open to different candidates but leaning towards either Rhynhart or Brown

I'm undecided on Brown and on the soda tax, but it's also not nakedly self-interested. He's known for opening grocery stores in food deserts despite it being more profitable to operate stores in more affluent areas, and on the basis of that specific business experience he says the soda tax creates even more obstacles for people who want to open grocery stores in Philly food deserts.

Any of these candidates will be an upgrade over the corpse we have now.

The Great Giant Meteor, it is the only one that can save us.

So far I have these candidates below on the radar for mayor. There is yet to be a single candidate strongly outshining the rest, but I have heard a decent amount of community support for Rebecca Rhynhart, Helen Gym, and Maria Quinones-Sanchez and I'd personally be glad to have any of the three because they have been very vocal and active in the underserved neighborhoods. Jeff Brown has the already mentioned personal interest in dismantling the soda tax. I don't really know that much about many of the rest, search them up yourselves.

Amen Brown (State Rep.)
Jeff Brown (Grocery store owner)
James ‘Jimmy’ DeLeon (Former judge)
Allan Domb (City Council)
Derek Green (City Council)
Helen Gym (City Council)
Cherelle Parker (City Council)
Maria Quinones-Sanchez (City Council)
Rebecca Rheinhart (City Controller)

anyone except Gym

City has been controlled by democrats since forever. Not much has changed. Not saying we need a republican in office but something has to change eventually, right?

Most people can’t put a face to a name on 90% of the ballot. They just press D because it’s what their parents told them to do when they were younger.

He's now 72; he first ran for Mayor in 1991. If he's still the best that the Philly GOP can offer, yikes.

Re: Brown, I don't blame someone for opposing a policy that hurts their bottom line, and it's totally fair to run against it. But I hold a grudge against businesses that can't take the L and move on, esp once it's already been litigated through multiple election cycles (Williams got a big part of his support from anti-soda tax PACs). At some point businesses have to respect democratic will. This whole concept that corporations should have a voice in democratic processes is toxic to our society.

As a principle, I think it's unseemly for business owners to run for office to pursue policies that will profit them. If Brown wants to run he should sell off his stores (of course we'll never get that norm back now that Trump shattered it). Same issue with Domb, tbf. It pains me that some of the most compelling candidates are so fundamentally compromised.

I agree about Rhynhart, she's a longshot but interesting. My sense is that we shouldn't count out Gym, Sanchez, or Parker. Green has like no path, right?

Gym hasn't announced yet, but she will. Prob closest you'll get unless someone runs under WFP in the general?

Lol I didn't know Amen Brown declared. That clown called for Gov. wolf to deploy the National Guard the other day... to respond to the crime problem. 🫠

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Give some more time. Research

I like Rhynhart on paper but that print interview she did recently left me a little underwhelmed. Have to see what she’s like when speaking.

Ooh, link?

Here it is:

https://montco.today/2022/10/rebecca-rhynhart-controller-philadelphia/

Let me explain what I meant. She seems to have the intellect, tenacity and integrity for the job. But as you noted, mayors by necessity have to be coalition builders. Her talent for that aspect of the position didn’t jump off the page. But print can obscure a person’s charm. So I’d like to hear her speak.

republicans have done so much good for the state, can't wait to see what they'd do for philly!

and so of course your counter argument will be "well the democrats have done nothing and they're all out of ideas" ask yourself, is it really the party that matters here? sloth and personal enrichment aren't unique to one or the other side. the only way you get it out of here is by electing someone who isn't beholden to business as usual

Thanks!

I agree - she didn't explain her approach very well. But I also thought that interview was very awkward and poorly paced. They could have spent less time on background and more time on how she plans to accomplish her goals.

Why would any single republican ever waste time running in Philly, when they could simply run for the state house or senate, or in a suburban county, where they stand a good shot at being elected?

They're not winning for state legislature in the city other than the one rep seat in the NE they already have. So carpetbagging to the exurbs and suburbs, I guess.

I don't think he should have to sell off his businesses.

There are plenty of conflicts of interest elsewhere. Soda tax is a great example given Johnny Doc's influence and subsequent corruption conviction.

My point was if only one party is the only one producing candidates then they're just going to pick a king or queen every time.

Yeah I mean that's kind of my point. I would love if our politics were about running the city and not various hyperlocal industry groups fighting over the scraps.

Philly's local government hasn't even been captured by growth industries - real estate and construction (two local industries you can't kill) are the main sources of local political power. Groceries are likewise not a growth industry.

Re: Brown, I know other people are corrupt, but it's uncompelling to claim to be a reformer while embracing a baseline level of overt corruption. I think that hurts the case for reform more than even an ideal reformer could advance it.

My point is that you seem more focused on potential corruption by Brown than actual corruption by the people that developed the tax.

Demanding divestment is an unfair expectation and doesn't address the main drivers of corruption in the city, labor connections and council prerogative.

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What are you talking about? Montco Dot Today is the hardest of hard-hitting journalism.

Well, at least they're trying their hardest!

I wish