*Hope Always Wins the Day*
City-councilor-to-be Helen Gym talks about the movement behind her win—and a clear defeat for the education reform vision…
EduShyster: That sound you just heard was me uncorking a box of champagne. But you still have to win the general election in November. Did I start celebrating too soon?Helen Gym: No—you didn’t celebrate too early. I’m not worried about the race but I definitely want to make sure that in the final tally in November that I move up in votes and send a clear message about voters prioritizing public education and communities. And just to put things in perspective, Democrats outnumber Republicans in Philly by more than 7 to 1.
EduShyster: I’m going to ask the question that’s on a lot of readers’ minds, which is *why am I so obsessed with a city council race in a city where I don’t even live?*
Gym: This wasn’t about just one race. In November, we helped to topple the first sitting governor in Pennsylvania history, since the two-term system was implemented. It was one of the few bright spots in otherwise depressing national mid-term races. We were then able to roll that energy into the municipal elections this spring and not only elect a mayor and a city council candidate who touted a pro-public schools agenda but in the process, delivered a resounding rejection to a pro-privatization, corporate education reform movement that had consolidated behind other candidates. It was remarkable on so many levels, but for me, it was an uplifting, exhilarating campaign built on years of collaboration, partnership and base building. EduShyster: Enough with the inspirational talk—let’s go back to the voters’ *resounding rejection* of a pro-privatization, corporate education reform movement. I’m just going to have a tiny bit more champagne.
Gym: Philadelphia is a place where corporate education reform has done so much damage. No one is a bigger symbol of that damage than the hedge fund billionaires behind the Susquehanna Group. They poured nearly $7 million into a municipal *Hope Always Wins the Day* | EduShyster:
