The Greater Northeast Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce Mayoral Breakfast Series will continue on Friday, April 10, at Wesley Enhanced Living Pennypack Park, 8401 Roosevelt Blvd.
The six Democratic candidates for mayor have been invited to address the group.
Anthony Williams will will speak at 8:30 a.m., followed by Doug Oliver at 9:15 a.m. .
On Friday, April 24, Jim Kenney will speak at 8:30 a.m. Milton Street has been invited to speak at 9:15.
Tickets cost $10 to each event.
Nelson Diaz and Lynne Abraham have already spoken to the group.
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Philadelphia Parent Support Groups will hold a mayoral forum on Friday, April 10, from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at Vision for Equality Inc., 718 Arch St.
Topics will include individuals with intellectual disabilities and the autism service system.
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Candidates who want to attend next week’s Bakers Bay Civic Association meeting are invited to register by calling Ernie Black at 215–941–8381.
The meeting will take place on Thursday, April 16, at 8 p.m. in the clubhouse of the condominium complex, located at 5100 Convent Lane (at State Road), just south of Grant Avenue.
Ruth Horwitz will be the moderator.
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Mayoral candidate Jim Kenney, a former at-large city councilman, last week released an education policy paper.
The plan calls for instituting early childhood education for every 3 and 4-year-old Philadelphian in need, and increasing career training and college readiness for high school students.
Members of Kenney’s policy committee, including public, charter and parochial school representatives, contributed to the plan.
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Meanwhile, Kenney on Monday was endorsed by state Reps. Dwight Evans, Cherelle Parker and Stephen Kinsey and City Councilwomen Marian Tasco and Cindy Bass.
The candidate also has the backing of the Democratic leaders of the 10th,11th, 12th, 22nd, 23rd, 29th, 33rd, 42nd and 50th wards.
“Over the last 23 years, I have watched Councliman Kenney become a man who fights for everyone,” Tasco said. “He is passionate about the need to improve our public schools and ending policies like predatory lending practices. I know he’ll continue to fight the injustices that stand in the way of working Philadelphians as mayor.”
Evans said, “The diversity of people standing here today and supporting Jim for mayor is an extremely unique coalition, and it speaks highly of the work Jim did as a city councilman. He was never afraid to take on politically unpopular issues if he knew it was the right thing to do. Over the years, he fought for marijuana decriminalization and to end divisive practices like stop and frisk. As mayor, he will focus and invest in neighborhoods like these, so our small businesses can create jobs, our kids can go to a good school, and we can all feel safe and respected on our streets. Jim knows that there is much more to Philadelphia than Center City, and he wants to help make these communities all that they can be.”
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In other news, Unite Here announced its endorsement of Kenney.
Unite Here represents people in Philadelphia’s airport, food service, gaming, hotels, transportation, textile, manufacturing and distribution industries.
“Jim Kenney has always stood up for Philadelphia’s working families even when it was politically unpopular,” said Rosslyn Wuchinich, a member of Unite Here. “Whether it was supporting higher wages for our airport workers or fighting against tip theft, Kenney always put everyday people ahead of corporations and campaign contributions. With his leadership, we will create a Philadelphia where every working person is treated with the dignity they deserve.”
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Williams last week released a policy paper on government and campaign ethics.
As mayor, he would ban all executive and administrative branch employees from outside employment with firms that conduct business with the city. He will also advocate for legislation in City Council that would prohibit elected officials from outside employment with firms that do business with the city.
“I will lead a city where the term ‘conflict of interest’ is a thing of the past,” he said. “I want the people of Philadelphia to trust and know that all business conducted in the city is on the level and in our collective best interest, not benefiting a few at the cost of the many.”
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After a review of candidate questionnaires and in-person interviews, Philadelphia 3.0 endorsed City Councilwoman Maria Quinones Sanchez (D-7th dist.) and the following at-large candidates: Democrats Derek Green, Paul Steinke, Isaiah Thomas and Tom Wyatt and Republican Terry Tracy.
Philadelphia 3.0 is an organization dedicated to bringing new voices into the city’s political discussions.
“I believe our team’s energy on the ground combined with my background in job creation and commitment to reform helps to separate this campaign from the field,” Tracy said. “I was impressed by 3.0’s leadership team and substantive interview process. When you are asking for the opportunity to serve all Philadelphians, earning broad and diverse support is essential. We are on the right path.”
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Sherrie Cohen, a Democratic candidate for an at-large City Council seat, has written letters to Mayor Michael Nutter and Gov. Tom Wolf, calling on them to sign executive orders barring government travel to Indiana.
Indians has a new law, the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, that has been condemned by Democrats, the media and celebrities as having the potential of allowing businesses to deny services to gay people.
The mayors of Seattle and San Francisco and the governors of Washington and Connecticut have issued orders banning state-funded travel to Indiana.
“Philadelphia should be on the right side of history,” Cohen wrote to Nutter.
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Helen Gym, an education advocate and Democratic candidate for an at-large Council seat, has been endorsed by the Pennsylvania Working Families Party.
“[Helen Gym] will bring much-needed energy and a fresh perspective to the Philadelphia City Council,” said Kati Sipp, director of Pennsylvania Working Families.
Meanwhile, Gym joined a march to mark the anniversary of the assassination of Martin Luther King.
“As a mother of three children in Philadelphia’s public schools and a former teacher, I’ve seen first hand how issues of poverty and injustice in the workplace are harming our citizens of this great city. We need to work together to address these tough issues, and when I am elected to City Council, I will continue to lend a voice to this struggle each and every day,” she said.
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U.S. Rep. Brendan Boyle has endorsed Isaiah Thomas, a Democratic City Council at-large candidate.
Thomas formerly worked on Boyle’s congressional campaign.
“Isaiah Thomas is the type of candidate who will work hard for Philadelphia. We have spent time together speaking about the issues and fighting for working families. I know that he will be an excellent addition to Philadelphia City Council. He has my endorsement and full support,” Boyle said.
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Firearm Owners Against Crime has recommended Anne Covey for election to the Pennsylvania Supreme Court.
“I firmly support all of our individual rights in our Constitution and pledge to protect those rights,” Covey said. “I am grateful to earn the support of FOAC and many other groups throughout Pennsylvania who are working to protect individual rights.”
Covey was elected to Commonwealth Court in 2011. She is one of six Republicans running for three Supreme Court openings. She lives in Bucks County with her husband and two children.
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Joe Sestak, a Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate, said he supports a nuclear weapons agreement with Iran.
Iran would curb its nuclear program in exchange for lifting international sanctions.
“As I have said since these negotiations began, I support this approach because my experience has shown that while the military can stop a problem, it cannot fix it,” Sestak said. ••
