Pols On The Street: Voters Making Up Minds in Philly

by Joe Shaheeli

QUEEN OF SHEBA host Manny Emmanuel, left, treated mayoral candidate Jim Kenney to an on-the-go campaign lunch of fried chicken and Ethiopian injera at his popular bar as Kenney’s crew worked W. Phila. for votes, conceding no ground, as he met with Ethiopian community leader for economic-development roundtable.

BLACK CLERGY President Terrence D. Griffith announces religious group’s endorsement for State Sen. Anthony Williams, left.

The race for Mayor of this City, no matter the polls, is in a dead heat, the winner being who can deliver the best “get out the vote” organization on primary day May 19.

A poll commissioned by the American Federation of State, County & Municipal Employees supports our contention this is anybody’s race. Another poll commissioned by Kenney supporters showed him with a two-point lead.

Jim Kenney, Anthony Hardy Williams and Lynne Abraham are still locked in a tight three-way race.

These polls report Philadelphia voters express significant economic concerns and want a Mayor who will take aggressive action to increase wages, stand up for workers while also strengthening public schools and tackling crime and drug problems.

Abraham has slipped to third place in the mayoral race despite still enjoying the highest name identification (84% name ID: 43% favorable, 26% unfavorable) among all candidates. Kenney (64% name ID: 40% favorable, 13% unfavorable) and Williams (74% name ID: 40% favorable, 17% unfavorable).

Disclaimers by candidates racially guided voters will not have an effect in this primary could hold true simply because voters are being offered commendable choices.

Doug Oliver is making inroads among young Black voters. Judge Nelson Díaz has picked up substantial support among Latino voters thanks to appearances on local Spanish media. To his credit, Milton Street is calling voter concerns as he sees them, forcing the other candidates to sharpen their proposals.

Grid magazine Philadelphia’s sustainability publication, announced its endorsement of Díaz, stressing the importance of his “aspirational, articulate and uncompromising” environmental-policy platform and “compelling vision” for the future of Philadelphia.

Grid publisher Alex Mulcahy wrote, “We’re going to keep telling readers that Phil Rinaldi, the man responsible for 72% of the air pollution in Philadelphia, would like to increase that percentage. And that he sits on the Economic Development Board for candidate Jim Kenney.”

University of Pennsylvania Democrats endorsed Kenney as the Mayor who will handle the impact of the Pope’s visit, the 2016 Democratic National Convention, the continuing funding crisis for its public schools and the mission to reduce the highest poverty rate of any major US city.

Lynne Abraham, still called the “DA” by those she meets campaigning, has started to focus on her achievements in that role and what needs to be done to fight the drug and crime epidemic impacting on the city’s future and its schools. Lynne is the only candidate to bring to the table a career in criminal justice and law enforcement.  She is now on television telling voters, “As your DA for nearly 19 years, I was present in every neighborhood to help keep our kids safe and protect all our neighborhoods. I cracked down on those who preyed on our children, regardless of their power or position, and I helped pass a constitutional amendment protecting our kids from having to face eye-to-eye with their perpetrators in court.”

AUTISM is burning concern for at-large council candidate Derek Green, whose son is afflicted. Green kicked off awareness program at Houston ES in Mt. Airy with Terri Matthews, founder of Jaden’s Voice, a program that advocates for underserved autistic people and their families.

Anyone of them can catch the fancy of the majority of voters up until the last week. But it would take some doing, since we see most voters are locked into their voting preference.

Leaders in the polls need to be careful they don’t commit a remark or make a statement that will turn off any of those voters they now have.

Williams is aware of this. Though handicapped on the election trail by the fact he has had to attend to Senate duties and lose precious campaign time, he is still attending his Senate chores in Harrisburg every day the Senate is in session. This is truly an edge for his competition, since the Republican leadership dominating both Chambers of the General Assembly is not motivated, or in any rush, to make life easy for Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf or the Democratic caucus. This week is a breather for him since the Senate is out.

Endorsements continue to flow to the top runners. Black Ward Leaders endorsed Williams by a reported 14-5 margin. “He’s got a proven record of delivering for constituents in this city,” BWL’s Edgar Campbell said of Williams. “And he’s got the ability, from his history in Harrisburg, to negotiate for a lot of things the City is going to need from the State.”

Northeast and South Philadelphia Democratic ward leaders followed the lead of John Dougherty in endorsing Jim Kenney. So, earlier, did Northwest African American elected and ward leaders.

The Black Clergy endorsement reported pictorially in this issue, though contested within its ranks, solidifies clergy support from among the majority of African American clerics in associations.

LABORERS District Council Business Mgr. Ryan N. Boyer and Betty Huntlee congratulate Sheriff Jewell Williams and City Commission candidate Omar Sabir on receiving endorsements of powerful Laborers’ Union.

Every announcement by any group with some merit simply adds to the solidification of the camps of the three front runners.

This was indicated Tuesday by the Guardian Civic League’s endorsement of Williams for Mayor. This organization represents Black police and firefighters.

Williams has said he would end stop and frisk, add body cameras for police officers, install cameras at crime hotspots and increase diversity in the public-safety agencies.  The Senator’s public-safety platform seeks to adopt the President’s Task Force on 21st Century Policing with an additional amendment addressing zero tolerance for hate speech by police.

In the battle of the opinion surveys, Jim Kenney’s campaign has scored three early punches on Tony Williams, whom many regard as Kenney’s greatest rival in the six-way mayoral race in the May 19 primary.

In Kenney’s case, three polls conducted by his campaign – by a PAC associated with his campaign; and by AFSCME, one of his major union backers – all show him with a lead over Williams ranging from slim to meaningful. All three firms – GBA Strategies, Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research and Hart Research Associates – are reputable national shops strong in urban Northeastern markets.

Williams’ campaign, which is flush with cash, presumably is conducting its own internal polling but it has not released any numbers yet.

Al Butler, Williams’ communications director, commented, “These polls don’t reflect what we’re seeing, hearing, and feeling on the ground all over the city, which is not surprising because they’re both Jim Kenney polls.  People don’t want a Mayor influenced by Vince Fumo and beholden to Johnny Doc.  They want someone with a vision for One Philadelphia and that’s what Tony Williams brings to the table.”

No independent poll has been released yet. When this happens, observers will take it more seriously than internal polls.

With 19 days to go until election day, expect a barrage of TV commercials from both camps. Lynne Abraham, who has also been polling respectably, has launched her own ad buy. With perhaps as many as 25% of primary voters still up for grabs, the home-stretch ad blitz can move today’s numbers in many different directions as commercial messages sink home.

At Large Council Incumbents In Action

GATHERING at City Commission candidate Lisa Deeley’s successful fundraiser at Cuba Libre were Ward Leader Matt Myers, Sheriff Jewell Williams, Retired Sheriff Barbara Deeley, guest of honor Lisa Deeley, lobbyist Charlie Breslin and council candidate Frank Rizzo.

City Councilman Ed Neilson‎ has called upon Mayor Michael Nutter to immediately issue an executive order allowing city municipal workers time off on election days in order to cast their votes in Local, State or National elections, and ensure that they’d be paid for their absent time.

If approved, such legislation would be a boon to the city’s ‎first responders – police officers, firefighters and paramedics – whose intense work days and long hours on duty often prevent them from taking part in the electoral process.

“When people think about disenfranchised voters, their first thought is usually the elderly shut-ins, or physically challenged citizens of Philadelphia,” said Neilson. “Rarely do people think about our municipal workforce being disenfranchised in the voting process, but the nature of their work often prohibits their ability to get to the voting polls on time.”

District Council members will have the easiest time in this primary, though the 5^th Dist. could prove contentious for incumbent Councilwoman Maria Quiñones Sánchez, who is being challenged by Manny Morales.

Charges hurled by her against Morales served to give him higher recognition. Though neither is party-endorsed, three Latino ward leaders united behind Morales give him the strongest chance over the previous primary opponents she has faced.

This week the Councilwoman picked up more endorsements from City Controller Alan Butkovitz, Danny Savage and State Rep. Jason Dawkins.

At-large council challengers may succeed in breaking the edge given by the Democratic Party endorsements for four Democratic incumbents and Sherrie Cohen.

Picking up labor and some ward endorsements has been Isaiah Thomas, who has been campaigning for four years. He is a definite contender. He released a plan to strengthen educational and after school resources, stating, “As a former coordinator of afterschool programs, I know the most-dangerous time of day for at-risk youth is right after school, prior to parents’ arrival home from work. I want to provide youth and young adults with access to computer literacy and programming classes, which will better equip them for the workforce.”

Cooking up steak sandwiches at Pat’s, King of Steaks, and pledging to use alternate transportation for a week — a bike, bus, subway and walking — was Tom Wyatt who is drawing attention to his campaign to better life in the city.

Last week, Wyatt was endorsed by the Philadelphia Inquirer. He unveiled his Bringing Jobs Back plan to reform the city’s tax code to encourage business growth inside Philadelphia city limits and reinvesting that revenue in our schools.

Realtor Alan Domb sparked interest with his TV blitz. But who is going to remind the voters his commercial could interest their selections on primary day?

Like all the other candidates spending good money on glitzy mailers, he could be an also-ran without sufficient support by committee people at the polls.

Terry Tracy, Republican candidate for City Council At-Large has received the endorsements of labor unions, Transportation Workers Union Local 234 and AFSCME District Council 47.
Tracy views a strong relationship and open dialogue with TWU Local 234 as an integral part of providing efficient and accessible mass transit for Philadelphians.

Tracy is also pleased to add AFSCME DC47 to his list of supporters, viewing the relationship as an important step towards good governance.

United Voices Forum Reflects Diversity

The recent United Voices for Philadelphia Mayoral Forum at the German Society attracted over 200 participants from diverse ethnic and immigrant backgrounds. The United Voices for Philadelphia represents diverse ethnic and cultural groups who are often under- represented in mainstream Philadelphia. United Voices includes Latino, Asian, African, Caribbean, Arab, Muslim, many immigrant organizations and diverse individuals.

PICKING up support of Chinatown Business Association was at-large council candidate Marnie Aument Loughrey, center seated, at banquet hosted by Ocean City restaurateur Ken Fei, standing right.

Terry Tracy Adds Labor

Loraine Ballard-Morrill was the moderator. The organizers provided instantaneous translation in three languages using wireless equipment.

Questions ranged from language access to fostering business growth on neighborhood commercial corridors to youth safety to deferred-action programs for undocumented youth and parents. The event was broadcast live by radio station El Zol in Philadelphia.

Involved in the group are Andy Toy, Maarwan Kreidie and Adan Mairena. Around 50 organizations were represented.

If you are interested and come from any of the communities represented above, call Andy Toy at (267) 978-7355 to learn more about the group’s upcoming steps.

In the Next Big Election..

 US Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida wins the support of 15% of Republican primary voters and runs best against Democrat Hillary Clinton, according to a Quinnipiac University national poll.

Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton tops the Democratic field with 60% and leads top Republican contenders, except Rubio, in head-to-head matchups, the Quinnipiac poll finds. The Republican primary field shows former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush with 13% and Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker with 11%.  Bush tops the “no way” list as 17% of Republican voters say they would definitely not support him. New Jersey Gov. Christopher Christie is next with 16% who give him a definite thumbs down, with 10% against US Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky.

Sen. Bob Casey (D-Pa.) this past weekend declared his support for Clinton. He had been for President Barack Obama in the previous primary fight for President. He said e had been f, “Hillary has dedicated her life to public service and the fight for everyday Americans. Having served with her in the Senate, I know she has always been a strong advocate for the middle class and I’m confident she will work tirelessly to ensure that Pennsylvania families have the chance to get ahead and stay ahead.”

For the Democratic nod, Clinton is distantly followed by VP Joseph Biden with 10% and US Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont with 8%.

Pawlowski Eyes US Senate Seat

Union leaders offered endorsements in front of numerous supporters as Allentown Mayor Ed Pawlowski, who is running to be the next US Senator from Pennsylvania, held a campaign kickoff event at a union hall in suburban Philadelphia last Friday afternoon.

“We all know Washington is broken,” Pawlowski said. “I believe we need someone who has real-world experience in solving problems — to reach across the aisle and make things happen, to get things done.

“That’s what I have been doing for the past 10 years in Allentown.”

Under Pawlowski’s leadership, Allentown has brought more than $1 billion of private investment to the city and added more than 1,000 jobs to the city’s core.

“Mayor Ed Pawlowski has a record of getting things done for Allentown and its hard-working people,” said Robert Heenan, business manager of the International Union of Operating Engineers Local 542, which hosted the event at its union hall in Fort Washington. “The Mayor shares our values. He understands that in order to make our economy work, we need to invest in rebuilding our infrastructure. Only by doing that can we be more globally competitive and deliver good jobs to hardworking families.”

Other unions supporting him include Metropolitan Regional Council of Carpenters, Lehigh Valley Building Trades, IronworkersLocal420 and Insulators Local 23.

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