Helen Gym
Helen Gym “doesn’t play nice in the sandbox.” -- Progressive former Councilwoman Maria Quiñones Sánchez. ---- And Sanchez is a friend of Gym’s (but she endorsed Cherelle Parker for mayor). Helen Gym with her favorite fashion accessory (Photo: Philadelphia Inquirer) Another progressive admirer is Larry Platt, headman at
Politics
Well, wasn’t that anti-climatic? I mean Friday’s Committee of 70 poll that seemed to show a five-way tie for mayor, with the three women candidates in the lead. (Unlike some, I can define “woman.” And each of the three is a mother, not a “birthing parent.”) Anyway. . . The
Political Correctness
It’s Friday morning, and I can guarantee you that most of the chattering class is hitting refresh, waiting for the release today of the independent mayoral poll commissioned by the Committee of Seventy. Why the intense interest in the poll? Because out of the nine Democratic candidates hoping to
Politics
Tuesday night’s 90-minute Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce mayoral forum saved the best for last, if you hung in until the last 15 minutes. The event was streamed on 6ABC, and at the end solo moderator Matt O’Donnell gave the six participants a chance to ask questions of
Politics
The conventional wisdom, among Left-leaning journalists, was that Jeff Brown committed an unforced error in a response to a question about Philly’s use of a trash-to-energy plant in Chester, an armpit along the Delaware. The chattering class had their say, followed by an op-ed Monday in the Philadelphia Inquirer
Politics
Over at Cherelle Parker’s headquarters, they started playing “Oh Happy Day” as soon as they heard Derek Green had dropped out, unable to compete with the flood of money and deep-pocket endorsements captured by the front runners. Green told me he had no regrets, and he had not made
Politics
The highlight of Tuesday night’s mayoral debate carried by Fox 29, came around the mid-point when the bon homme slipped and candidates slapped at each other. By my count, supermarket CEO Jeff Brown took four shots, uber progressive Helen Gym got slapped twice, Allan Domb once, not counting reporter
Politics
There’s a truism around City Hall, that Allan Domb was the only member of City Council with experience at running a business. Like many other political truisms, it is false. Well, it was false until Derek Green resigned from Council to run for mayor. Before running for Council, Green
Politics
Jeff Brown is a hugger. He got that from his father, along with the family business. Like his father, he is a grocer, an unapologetic businessman, straight up. Like his father, he sees business as a way to make money, sure, but also to help people. The help his ShopRite
Crime
Pardon me while I chuckle about the amazing, sudden, unexpected proliferation of pro-cop Democrats. Here’s me chuckling. ☺️ Most of these Democrats happen to be candidates and their awakening (not Awokening) intersects with their attempts to be elected or re-elected, most especially in big cities that have been under the
Politics
Yes, even before Philadelphians have selected our next governor and U.S. senator, I’m going to look over the horizon and take a stab at figuring out who our next mayor will be. In the words of one of my anonymous political gurus, that election will be strange. Why?
Police
I like to give credit for good ideas, when possible, so I sent an email to City Councilwoman member Cherelle Parker for her idea to hire retired cops to help fill the decimated ranks of men and women in blue. It was explained in this inquirer story. There’s one