Philly mayoral candidates took questions on crime, education, and public trust from a tough crowd: Teens

Philadelphia mayoral candidate Derek Green was pitching a room of potential voters on how the city can better leverage an influx of state and federal dollars when he was cut off by a loud beep.

This wasn’t a debate, and his time wasn’t up. It was just time for third period.

Green was on a stage at Paul Robeson High School in West Philadelphia on Wednesday morning, one of four Democratic mayoral candidates who individually took questions from a crowd of about 75 high school seniors — some of whom are on the cusp of voting age and plan to cast their first ballot on May 16 in the city’s mayoral primary election.

The students asked pointed questions, with former Councilmember Allan Domb at one point quipping that they were better than some of the questions he receives at events moderated by older folks.

One student asked Green — whose public-safety plan is geared toward bolstering the Police Department and circumventing the city’s progressive district attorney — whether police “help or hurt Philadelphia’s youth.”

Another asked former City Controller Rebecca Rhynhart about her priorities, telling her: “You are not exactly a household name.”

And one student asked former Councilmember Helen Gym: “What makes you different? You give me hope, but I’ve heard it all before.”

The forum was one of the more unique opportunities for some of the city’s youngest voters to hear from the field of candidates, who will spend the next three months criss-crossing the city and appearing at a variety of neighborhood events and civic organization meetings.

» READ MORE: Paul Robeson High School, nearly closed in 2013, now hailed as a 'model'

Much of the dialogue during Green’s time on stage was about policing and public safety, with several students asking the former Council member what more police presence in communities might mean for them. Green emphasized that his plan includes diversifying the force and providing enhanced training “to make sure they understand the nature of the city of Philadelphia.”

Green, who is Black, said that while he is a former prosecutor, he’s also been racially profiled, “so I deal with these issues every single day.”

“I may have a suit on right now, but on Saturdays, I may be wearing a sweatsuit around the house, and they don’t know this is Derek Green running for mayor,” he said. “They see an African American man, and my concern is: How will I be interacted with?”

Alyssa Perren, a senior who was one of three student moderators, was initially skeptical of the candidates, telling Rhynhart that politicians “all say that they will win the election and change the city, but to me, that’s lies, because I think you guys just make promises you can’t keep.”

She asked: “How can we trust that you will really do something to benefit our community?”

“Trust between people and leaders is really broken,” Rhynhart said, saying it’s one of the reasons she first ran for city controller in 2017 against an establishment-backed Democrat. “I truly believe that we need to change, and that we need to disrupt the status quo and make government truly work for people in our city.”

By the end of the forum, Perren said she was most impressed by Rhynhart — the city’s former budget director — saying the city needs a leader who understands the city budget and can ensure “money is going where it’s most needed.”

Two other student moderators, Keyanna Nurse and Nabria Jackson, said they liked hearing from Gym, whom they protested alongside last year when Robeson parents, students, and staff organized for better school conditions. Following their outcry, the district committed to upgrading the school’s electrical and air-conditioning systems.

Jackson said Gym “has been doing things since before she came in to govern.”

Gym told the students of her time as an education activist, saying her work was in part spurred by Robeson, which in 2013 was nearly closed by the school district as it grappled with crushing state budget cuts. After community members organized, the school was spared, and the district brought in current principal Richard Gordon IV, who is in many ways credited with the school’s turnaround.

“I watched as schools got closed down while I saw other communities right next door to us building state-of-the-art public schools,” Gym said. “And I told myself that if I got into elected office, I would never let that happen.”

Toward the end of Gym’s time with students, one girl took the microphone and asked Gym about identity. She said all of the past 99 mayors have been men.

“Is it time for a female mayor?” she asked.

“The answer is yes,” Gym said. “And may the best woman win.”