![Gym says Asian Americans United sparked her involvement: "People [at those groups] pushed my thinking every day. They . . . reminded me that power is the collective enterprise of people who build communities."](http://media.philly.com/images/600*450/20140331_inq_sgym31-b.JPG)
While the city's legislators have to work together, Philadelphia City Council is overpopulated by members who reflexively follow Council President Darrell Clarke. Emblematic of this was Council's refusal to hold a public hearing on a $1.87 billion offer for the Philadelphia Gas Works.
Council needs an upheaval to return it to its mission of representing the public. Fortunately, the crowd of candidates seeking five Democratic at-large Council seats includes political newcomers with impressive civic experience and potential.
Though Helen Gym is best known as a fierce advocate for Philadelphia's public schools, she has been an effective activist on a range of issues. Gym, 47, of Logan Square, cofounded the Public School Notebook, which informs and mobilizes parents, and its companion advocacy group, Parents United for Public Education. She is appropriately impatient with the status quo and, provided she maintains some daylight between herself and her union supporters, capable of being an independent Council member in the tradition of David Cohen, Michael Nutter, and John Street.
Trained as an economist, Paul Steinke, 51, of West Philadelphia, would bring an analytical background to Council that could inform legislation on budgets, taxes, and development. Steinke has served as executive director of the University City District, finance director of the Center City District, and manager of the Reading Terminal Market, experience pertinent to a leading role in an evolving Philadelphia. An advocate of shifting the tax burden away from business and wage taxes and toward real estate, Steinke understands the effect of government policies on growth and communities.
Tom Wyatt, 43, told the Editorial Board he wouldn't be a "representative of City Council, but a representative in City Council." A partner at Dilworth Paxson who once taught school in Mississippi, he has been a civic activist in his neighborhood, Passyunk Square. His experience as an executive at American Water Works offers needed insight on utilities in light of Council's notorious PGW flub.
Isaiah Thomas, 30, of East Oak Lane, a charter school dean and basketball coach, returns undaunted from an unsuccessful Council run four years ago. He is a thoughtful and energetic proponent of community causes such as making neighborhoods safer and addressing abusive police tactics.
Four-term Councilman W. Wilson Goode Jr., 49, of West Philadelphia, rises above his fellow incumbents thanks to his steady advocacy for low-income Philadelphians. Last year, voters approved a measure he initiated requiring city subcontractors to pay a living wage. This year, Council passed his bill to give tax credits to companies that create jobs in the city. He has also called for payments in lieu of taxes from large nonprofits and argued forcefully for a reconsideration of tax abatements.
The three other incumbents seeking reelection haven't earned it. Despite her efforts to make amends, Councilwoman Blondell Reynolds Brown's misuse of campaign funds, which brought a record ethics fine, overshadows her legislative achievements. Councilman William Greenlee has been an advocate of progressive causes but seems too comfortable with the worst habits of Council and the Democratic machine. And Councilman Ed Neilson has served without distinction since his electricians' union backers eased him into a Council seat in a special election last year.
The city would be better served by the most promising newcomers in this field. The Inquirer endorses HELEN GYM, PAUL STEINKE, TOM WYATT, ISAIAH THOMAS, and W. WILSON GOODE Jr. for City Council's Democratic at-large seats.
Who is Helen Gym: Why you should know - Democracy For America
Democracy For America - Friends of Helen Gym:
FRIENDS OF HELEN GYM
Friends of Helen Gym
Endorsement Applicant
Philadelphia City Council At-Large in PA
http://www.helengym.com
Endorsement Applicant
Philadelphia City Council At-Large in PA
http://www.helengym.com
P.O. Box 11766
Philadelphia, PA
19101
Philadelphia, PA
19101
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HelenGym2015
Twitter: @HelenGym2015
Public Phone Number: 267-223-7769
Public Email: friendsofhelengym@gmail.com
Twitter: @HelenGym2015
Public Phone Number: 267-223-7769
Public Email: friendsofhelengym@gmail.com
Primary Election Date: 2015-05-19
General Election Date: 2015-11-03
General Election Date: 2015-11-03
Who am I?
My parents didn’t have much when I was growing up, so I depended on the public spaces of my community. I learned to read at the public library, swam and did sports at my public recreation center, rode my bike through the public parks, and of course, attended public school. These spaces gave me the kind of opportunities I would have never had otherwise and instilled in me a lasting commitment to the common good and the importance of caring for one another, especially our most vulnerable, through the public spaces of our communities and neighborhoods.
I came to Philadelphia almost 30 years ago, stayed, raised a family and started my teaching career at Lowell Elementary School in Olney. Since then, I have helped build institutions and organizations that empower people and families across the city whose voices need to be heard: I am a founder of a citywide education newspaper, a charter school serving immigrant students and families, and a parents organization that has raised up parent voices and won millions of dollars in new revenue for Philadelphia schools. I’ve helped transform a troubled school culture and climate at South Philadelphia High School, and I’ve won million of dollars in new school funding from the Philadelphia Parking Authority.
I’m a mother, a passionate supporter of our city, and a believer that quality schools can transform our neighborhoods and strengthen our communities.
Why am I running?
I am running because in 2013 when 26 public schools in Philadelphia were shut down, it was a wake up call that we needed stronger voices in our city government advocating for our children's education and the best interests of working families throughout our city.
A lot of candidates will talk to you about education, but few can match my record or experience. I’ve worked for over two decades alongside parents and students and workers to keep the fight alive for our schools and communities. I will address poverty in this city with compassion and attention to equity and results. I understand the connection between democratic governance, ethics and good decision-making. I’m an outsider but one with the skills and experience to secure policy wins that benefit all, not a privileged few. I connect the energy and creativity of newer residents with the lived realities and struggles of the majority of residents, and I am working for a city that is inclusive, interconnected, and seeks racial and economic justice. I’m not afraid to ruffle a few feathers along the way. When it comes to the people and families of this city, Philadelphia needs a champion in their corner.
That’s why I’m running for City Council at-large. I am Philadelphia’s fighter for parents and working families, a vibrant and sustainable public school system and quality neighborhoods for all.
My Goals
Education: I have spent my life fighting to ensure that every child can go to a safe, quality, nurturing school and that public education stays truly public in a city which has become a symbol of the failures of privatization and disinvestment in schools. I have focused on improved funding, multiracial parent organizing and strengthening ethics and transparency in governance. My efforts include: co-founding the Philadelphia Public School Notebook, a nationally recognized independent newspaper that is a go-to source for education news; co-founding Parents United for Public Education as a voice for parents to re-envision the conversation about our schools; helping lead a coalition that stopped the privatization of the Philadelphia School District in 2001 and continuous efforts through today to limit privatization; pressuring a state-controlled Parking Authority to pay millions of dollars in new and recurring revenue owed to our schools; standing beside teachers and school staff for the right to collective bargaining; and filing hundreds of complaints against the Pennsylvania State Department of Education about the condition of schools which helped release $15 million in state funds for schools.
These accomplishments have won national recognition in the battle for public education. I have achieved these victories outside traditional political centers of power. With a seat on City Council, I will use the power of my office to continue this fight. Among my specific goals: increase city funding of schools through smart targeting and use of taxes; improve City oversight of the School District; and use data and the powers of my office to drive a serious public conversation about privatization in public education.
Empowering Communities: I have worked to empower communities, to grow new leaders, and to organize diverse communities to stand up for what is right. When Asian American youth at a local high school were targets of racial harassment and violence, I helped students organize and lead a boycott of their school resulting in a federal civil rights settlement. Five years later, many of those students are leaders in their communities, including one who was named Commissioner of the city’s Human Relations Commission. I’ve helped neighborhood groups in Chinatown organize against massive development projects such as a casino and sports stadium. From educators and youth to immigrants and underserved communities, I intend to use my office to bring those struggles, and those communities, into City Hall.
Increasing Transparency and Accountability: It’s wrong when public business is conducted behind closed doors. As a City Council member I will propose bills to modernize Philadelphia’s campaign finance laws, including requiring strict disclosure of dark money electioneering and ending incumbent-friendly loopholes that allow donation double dipping. Moreover, municipal transparency and accountability will be achieved through “open data.” Philadelphia has made strides in this domain, and I will work to expand our open data efforts. Open data should not be susceptible to the whims of changing administrations. I will support our Board of Ethics to enforce campaign finance and ethics rules, and ensure it has the resources it needs for oversight.
My DFA Values
From Franklin Roosevelt’s call to combat Freedom of Want, to Dr. King’s stand with sanitation workers in Memphis and Cesar Chavez’s organizing of farm workers, to today’s fast food workers organizing for humane wages and benefits, generations of progressives have long understood that security and liberty means more than protection from violence. It means the security to be free from hunger and want, and the liberty to pursue a meaningful and impactful life in our neighborhoods and communities. Municipal government may not have the resources to end poverty and defeat all injustice, but all those with a voice must stand in our long lineage of ancestors demanding dignity, security and equality for all our citizens. These are the values I have stood for all my life, and as an elected official I will continue that fight for true security and equality for all Philadelphia citizens. I’ll work to pass legislation that advances economic justice, and will actively use my bully pulpit to advance causes that have national impact as well as local. There are a number of improvements that we must make as a city and that I will advocate for as a City Councilwoman, including ending the systematic use of stop and frisk and pressuring the District Attorney to end the widespread and abusive use of civil forfeiture. I will also work to rebuild trust of our immigrant communities in the police, which has been damaged by a past history of local collaboration in immigration enforcement.
My Campaign is People Powered!
My path to victory lies in activating the grassroots activists with whom I’ve shared almost two decades of struggle. I am proud to be endorsed by both the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers and the Commonwealth Association of School Administrators (our schools principals’ union), and supported by the American Federation of Teachers at the state and national level. The struggle in Philadelphia is very much centered on schools and education. A broadening network of organizations has come together around the battleground of public education. Many of us helped lead grassroots efforts that ultimately led to the defeat of Republican Governor Tom Corbett, who was the first sitting governor in modern times not to be re-elected to a second term in office. With my strong ties to community organizations citywide, I will continue the momentum from November into May, activating parent, civic and educator entities that recognize the fragility and importance of our schools. Second, I continue to seek the endorsement and assistance of progressive networks like Action United, Philly for Change and Neighborhood Networks as well as activate progressive labor unions.
I come out of the progressive community here in Philadelphia and am one of its many leaders. If I win, it will be from the power of that multi-racial, multi-ethnic community, which crosses neighborhood boundaries and scales economic barriers. With a well-recognized history of activism I am uniquely qualified to not only represent that community, but to win while doing so.Democracy For America - Friends of Helen Gym:
