Philly mayoral candidates want to refund the police | 100th Mayor newsletter

Everyone knows the top issue on Philly voters’ minds this year is public safety, and all of the candidates have a lot to say about it.

This week, we’ll take you through how they’re approaching that issue, talk to a pastor who has interviewed almost all of the mayoral candidates, and answer an interesting question from a 100th Mayor newsletter reader.

There are 63 days 🗓 until the election.

— Anna Orso and Sean Collins Walsh

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Pull up a chair, it’s story time.

A lifetime ago — in 2020 — mass racial justice protests shook the nation right when Philadelphia leaders were planning to increase the police budget. That didn’t go so well for them!

Amid outcry, City Council canceled a proposed $19 million increase to the police budget, meaning the department got the same amount of money in 2020 as it did the year prior. Five of the people who voted for that plan are now running for mayor.

Fast forward to today and times sure have changed. After three years of a persistent gun-violence crisis 🔑 and as the Police Department has hundreds of vacancies, some of the ex-Council members have tried to distance themselves from the movement to “defund the police” (which by the way, is not what they did in 2020.)

Cherelle Parker is calling for 300 more cops. Allan Domb wants to triple the department’s recruitment budget. Helen Gym last week told AL DÍA News: “I’m not going to dismantle departments I’m tasked to run.”

Apparently they heard the news: Most people are really concerned about public safety. We’re talking about 90% of Philadelphians saying crime should be a top priority for the next mayor, according to a Lenfest Institute/SSRS poll released today. Other key takeaways from the survey include:

💥 Two-thirds of people said the city doesn’t have enough police officers.

💥 A smaller amount — about half of the respondents — think increasing police funding should be a top priority.

💥 Many said police are ineffective, and attitudes were tied closely to age. People older than 45 were way more likely to say the department is doing a good job combating crime.

We have a lot more to share with you about how Philadelphians are feeling about the state of the city. Dive into the charts with us.

“With all that’s gone wrong in Philadelphia, it’s still a great place. There are still great people who are the majority. The bad stuff gets in the press. But I still believe in Philly. And it’s worth fighting for.”

That’s what the Rev. Alyn E. Waller said about Philadelphia and the stakes of the upcoming mayor’s race. And Waller would know. The longtime pastor at Enon Tabernacle Baptist Church in Northwest Philly has conducted interviews with nearly all the candidates live on Facebook as a way to get voters more engaged in the political process.

Clergy members can play an influential role in local elections, especially someone like Waller, who leads a 15,000-member church with a largely Black congregation.

We chatted last week with Waller about why his listeners trust him, his impression of the mayoral candidates, and why he says anyone trying who was on City Council has “got some explaining to do.”

📮 Do you know other community leaders facilitating interesting conversations about the mayor’s race who we should feature? Email us their name and digits if you got ‘em.

You think taxing soda 🔑 sparked some Philly outrage? Try telling Philadelphians they can’t drink liquor. Kendrick, a Republican who served from 1924-1928, is perhaps best known for his attempts to keep the city dry.

He appointed Marine Corps Brigadier General Smedley Butler, a two-time Medal of Honor winner, to serve as director of public safety and enforce Prohibition and vice laws. Butler was also known as “the Fighting Quaker” and “Old Gimlet Eye” (amazing…). He got right down to work raiding more than 900 speakeasies in the city within 48 hours of taking over the police department.

But things didn’t last long. After Butler cracked down on the Union League, the Bellevue Stratford, and other favorite hangs of Philly’s socialites, he got knocked for being too militarized, and Kendrick later fired him. You can find a plaque dedicated to Butler near the north portal of City Hall.

Other things to know about Kendrick:

Thanks to Phil Goldsmith for suggesting Kendrick. Let us know who you’d like to see featured next.

— Julia Terruso

A newsletter reader recently sent in an interesting question about Domb, an independently wealthy real estate broker who has had no problem self-funding campaigns. They asked: Is there any reason why he couldn’t/wouldn’t run as an independent in November if he doesn’t prevail in the primary?

Whether Domb would or not is probably irrelevant. He can’t do it! Pennsylvania has what’s often called a “sore loser” law, meaning a candidate who runs in a primary election can’t then also file paperwork to run as an independent later on in the same cycle.

📮 Have a question for or about a mayoral candidate? Let us know, and you may see an answer in an upcoming newsletter. Email us here.

🗓 Do you want to see the candidates in person? We’re keeping track of events you can attend. You’re gonna want to bookmark this.

Question: Mayoral candidates Allan Domb and Jeff Brown have been spending big on TV ads all year, thanks in part to their ability to fund their own campaigns. A third candidate just made the leap onto the small screen last week, kicking off the final phase of the mayor’s race. Which candidate was that?

A) Former City Councilmember Derek Green

B) State Rep. Amen Brown

C) Former City Controller Rebecca Rhynhart

D) Former Council Majority Leader Cherelle Parker

Find out if you know the answer.

Looks like mayoral candidate Jeff Brown is hoping to get some luck of the Irish for his campaign.

Thanks for joining us this week, and good luck with your March Madness brackets. We’re sad that no Big 5 team made the tournament this year. But then again, that saves us all from having to listen to the mayoral candidates try to out-pander each other to college basketball fans.

— Anna and Sean