Who should be Philly’s next mayor? Here’s what prominent supporters say.

On May 16, Philadelphia voters will go to the polls and cast their primary election ballots. Given that the city’s electorate is overwhelmingly Democratic, whichever candidate emerges the winner will likely become Philadelphia’s 100th mayor in November. While months of campaigning have winnowed the race down to five top contenders, polling shows that with only a few days left, all five — Jeff Brown, Allan Domb, Helen Gym, Cherelle Parker, and Rebecca Rhynhart — remain competitive.

In the closing arguments that follow, prominent supporters of each campaign make the case for why their candidate is the best choice to lead Philadelphia.

By Ernest Garrett

As a city employee, I worked for almost six years without a raise and no increase to my health-care benefits under the Michael Nutter administration. I promised that if I were ever in union leadership, I would ensure my members were educated, engaged, and represented in the political process.

In 2016, when I represented 1,400 men and women, I contacted City Council members to help them understand the challenges we face as city workers. We talked about the city’s broken payroll system, and how it cheated our workers of pay and time off. I shared how the city’s failure to fill job vacancies created a huge hardship for workers. Some of them listened, but none of them helped us. None of them did anything about it.

I had the same conversation with Jeff Brown, and he listened.

We discussed ways to fix the payroll system for the city, and how workers should get paid without error or exception. But, equally as important, we talked about what he would do to help people.

Too many politicians sat on Zoom in the safety of their living rooms during the pandemic while my members were out in the streets providing essential services to Philadelphians. At the same time, Brown was in his stores every day, making sure our residents had access to the food and other products they needed to survive.

He told me about how he provided loans and grants to small businesses. In a crisis, Brown delivered. That’s why I believe he is the only person who is qualified to be mayor of this city.

» READ MORE: Jeff Brown could be Philly’s first outsider mayor in a century. Can a grocer run the city? | Meet the candidates

Brown has a proven track record. While people in City Hall were yelling through bullhorns, running Council offices with no Black staffers, writing reports, and cosigning on every major decision the current mayor made, Brown created 60,000 union jobs, trained and hired returning citizens, and helped grow small, diverse businesses.

He is not a politician, and that comes across when he speaks. Brown has been delivering for neighborhoods and communities across the city. He listens to Philadelphians and then gets to work. He’s the mayor we need in a crisis — and this city is definitely in a crisis.

Brown is the only candidate with a history of managing a large union workforce. It says a lot that the unions he works with every day in his stores were among the first to endorse him.

Before my union decided to support him, I spoke to Wendell W. Young IV of United Food and Commercial Workers Local 1776, who was the first to endorse the campaign.

We had a real conversation, and he reinforced everything I thought: that Brown is a man of integrity who cares more about people than he does about political ambition. The political establishment is working hard to make him look bad. They know with him as mayor, the people will always come first.

I’m proud to support Jeff Brown and look forward to working with him as mayor.

Ernest Garrett is president of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees District Council 33.

By Jerry Jordan

I am a lifelong Philadelphian, a graduate of our public schools, a teacher, a union leader, and someone who cares deeply about the future of our great city. There’s no candidate I trust more to be our next mayor than Helen Gym. Gym’s leadership as a teacher, a mother, an activist, and a City Council member has led to tangible change and charted the course for a monumental shift in our city’s approach to politics.

In the decades I’ve known Gym, she’s stood with educators, students, families, community leaders, and unions to define what it means to fight for a system of public education that our students and educators deserve. She’s made real gains when naysayers said it was impossible.

Gym’s life’s work has been centered around developing a collective vision for a better future.

In 2013, things were devastatingly bleak. The city faced school closures, layoffs of more than 3,000 school staff, and the tragic death of 12-year-old Laporshia Massey, a sixth-grade student who died after suffering an asthma attack at her school with no nurse on duty. The consequences of disinvestment could not have been clearer. Since the day I met Gym, I have seen her lead with compassion and conviction, and during this tragic time, Gym helped secure nursing and counselor positions for every public school.

» READ MORE: Helen Gym wants to finish the fight she started 30 years ago. Would she be Philadelphia’s activist-mayor? | Meet the candidates

When schools were facing an urgent crisis of lead in the drinking water last year, Gym was unwilling to accept that there was no immediate solution to this pressing need. She organized around identifying — and achieving — a solution. Now, because of Gym’s leadership, every school in this city has hydration stations, effectively eliminating a serious health hazard for students and staff.

For too long, status quo politicians and leaders have accepted that our young people — a majority of whom are Black and brown and experiencing poverty — can eke by with less than the bare minimum. Gym approaches policy from the fundamental belief — no, knowledge — that it is our obligation as a society to meet the needs of our students and our communities. And we cannot do that without bold vision and sustainable investment. I know I want a leader who will be relentless in not only her fight for every resource for our young people but also a leader who will forge ahead with actual plans to implement her vision. That leader is Helen Gym.

Gym acts with the bold urgency that this moment requires. From a “Green New Deal for Schools” to a community safety plan rooted in investment and a culture of care, she has outlined meticulously thoughtful plans that are as aspirational as they are pragmatic.

It’s no surprise that members of the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers voted unequivocally to endorse Gym for mayor. They know Gym has a fundamental understanding of the work they do and the resources they need to do it. And they know Gym believes — as they do — in the incredible promise of our young people, of public education, and of our city.

Our children, our educators, and our entire city need and deserve a mayor who will lead with the tenacity, fortitude, and pursuit of justice that has driven Helen Gym for her entire life.

Jerry Jordan is the president of the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers.

By Derek S. Green

When Philadelphians cast their ballots May 16, we will elect a new mayor and have the most direct say in the future of our city — a city at a crossroads. The person who we elect will need to lead Philadelphia through crises of public safety, poverty, a struggling education system, and the declining sense of the Philly pride that makes our city great.

After suspending my campaign for mayor, I carefully considered which candidate I believe will be the best equipped to lead our city through the next decade and beyond. Like many Philadelphians, I was undecided. I began a process where I evaluated the backgrounds, careers, policies, and campaigns of the most qualified candidates. I personally interviewed each of them.

After this process, one name kept rising to the top of the list: Cherelle Parker. I am voting for — and fully supporting — her to be our next mayor.

Let me explain a little more about why I chose Parker.

Parker is the balanced, tough-on-crime candidate this city needs. Gun violence is the number one issue facing Philadelphians. The solution needs to be a holistic approach that brings back real consequences for owning illegal weapons and adds more crisis-trained police to neighborhood patrols. Parker is the first candidate who put out a neighborhood safety and community policing plan, and the only candidate with a truly comprehensive approach to tackling public safety.

» READ MORE: Cherelle Parker is proud of her West Oak Lane roots. As mayor, could she save Philly’s ‘middle neighborhoods’? | Meet the candidates

Parker won’t shy away from hard truths: 74% of the victims of gun violence and the shooters look just like me, my son Julian, and her son Langston. We need a mayor who not only understands the fear of parenting a Black child in America but who will speak those fears out loud for every parent — to protect every child. Parker says the things that need to be said, and will not tolerate any misuse or abuse by police.

Parker has a real plan to address our education system. Her plan includes year-round education, schools that open at 7:30 a.m. and close at 6 p.m., so children can learn and parents can afford to work. It includes bringing in the business community and skilled instructors from the building trades to train our kids who aren’t going to college so that they can build rewarding careers. And she has a plan to rebuild our unsafe school buildings.

Parker is a convener: She knows how to bring people from all walks of life, geographies, and political ideologies to the table to hammer out solutions. This is critical if we are going to address the issues facing our city.

The stakes could not be higher. As a city, we need to bring back that Philly pride — and we will — when we make our city the safest, cleanest, and greenest big city in America, with opportunities for everyone.

As our very first Madam Mayor, Cherelle Parker is the only candidate who can bring hope and pride back to our city.

Derek S. Green is a lawyer and former councilmember at-large.

By Jay McCalla

With a life that includes childhood poverty, working as a janitor, and washing dishes, Allan Domb knows about the struggles that working people face. He came to Philadelphia in 1977, got an education, became an entrepreneur, and raised his family. The local economy was healthy back then, and public education was good.

Domb prospered along with the rest of us.

Amidst the good times, Domb started his real estate business on the thinnest of shoestrings. He could not afford to make a mistake — every decision mattered. His success hinged on hard work and sound judgment.

That kind of high-stakes challenge was superb training for becoming the mayor of a city in crisis. Domb did not rise through the quid pro quo world of ward politics; he didn’t have powerful mentors or inherited wealth.

While he was literally minding his own business, he couldn’t ignore the deterioration of the city he loved — nobody could. He successfully ran for City Council, where he organized a powerful coalition to reduce taxes on our working poor.

He won Council approval, but Mayor Jim Kenney vetoed the bill. Normally, a mayoral veto is the legislative version of “the fat lady singing,” but not for Domb.

He expanded his already robust coalition and overrode Kenney’s veto. He beat the mayor, and as a result, 60,000 households received wage tax refunds. At-large councilmembers are often ornamental, but Domb was not.

» READ MORE: Allan Domb grew a real estate empire from nothing. Can one of the city’s biggest landlords be its mayor? | Meet the candidates

Growing up poor helped him appreciate the enormous benefit that the earned income tax credit could be to folks who work hard but still struggle to meet their needs. Because of Domb, all employers are now required to notify employees of their eligibility, and more workers are benefiting than ever before.

Domb is animated by his concern for the working poor, and my support for his campaign is animated by that.

His business acumen and sense of outrage collided when he learned the city of Philadelphia bought and sold property without an independent appraisal. He understood this could give rise to wasted tax dollars and corruption. He drafted and passed a law requiring independent appraisals. Millions of dollars have been saved.

Each mayoral candidate very well knows we’ve got a crisis of official corruption, but Domb is the only one to create a formal plan to combat that corruption. He collaborated with a nationally recognized ethics expert based at the University of Pennsylvania.

For moms and dads, Domb promises to open libraries and recreation centers seven days a week. We’re thrilled he’ll make sure all 70 public swimming pools will be open and safe. For too many neighbors, the only time their streets were cleaned was when it rained. Domb has promised to clean every street in the city and shorten 911 response time.

Domb is respected by the other mayoral contenders. During the seemingly endless number of debates and months of the hardest of hardball politics, no other candidate has attacked Domb. That speaks volumes.

Jay McCalla is a former deputy managing director under two mayors and former chief of staff to Council President Joe Coleman.

By Ed Rendell

In less than two weeks, the citizens of Philadelphia have a very important decision to make. We are electing a new mayor.

Our city has been hit by extraordinary circumstances which could not have been foreseen and which have forced it to the edge of a precipice. Based on her experience, her record as an elected official, and her personal character, I believe Rebecca Rhynhart is the best candidate to lead Philadelphia.

In 2008, Rhynhart left a well-paid private sector job to work in public service. Her decision to take a substantial pay cut to work in the public sector demonstrated a strong commitment to the people of Philadelphia.

She went to work in Mayor Michael Nutter’s administration, first as city treasurer and then as budget director. Nutter said of her work: “Rebecca Rhynhart crafted a budget plan that guided Philadelphia through the worst recession since the Great Depression. She was relentless in trying to find the choices that would serve our citizens well and protect the city from fiscal danger.”

After Nutter’s term ended, Rebecca went to work for Mayor Jim Kenney as his chief administrative officer. In early 2017, she decided to run for city controller, taking on a popular three-term incumbent, Alan Butkovitz, who was strongly supported by the Democratic machine.

» READ MORE: Rebecca Rhynhart is promising to make government work. Does Philadelphia want a technocrat in a time of crisis? | Meet the candidates

When I first heard she was running for controller, I thought she did not have a chance. But she was indefatigable and grew as a candidate every week of the campaign. She often did four or five small meetings in private homes in a single night, and she convinced many Philadelphians of her ability to provide new leadership and vision for the city.

She won a substantial victory, garnering 58% of the vote. In 2021, her record as controller was so good that she had no opponent in either the primary or general election. She was aggressive in seeking change and applied an analytical approach driven by data to the many good suggestions she made for reforming municipal government.

She displayed strong positive executive leadership, in both her ability and the courage she showed in taking on dug-in bureaucracies. In my long career in public life, I have found that a good leader must be willing to take prudent risks in putting forward solutions that may not be immediately popular. Rhynhart has demonstrated the willingness to propose such solutions when she is convinced that it is the best way to deal with the problem.

She is willing to take political risks for the public good. It is one of the reasons I believe she is a proven leader. Her experience as city treasurer, budget director, and chief administrative officer, combined with her excellent record as controller, make her the clear choice in a very strong field. Rhynhart has the greatest depth and broadest experience in the government’s executive branch.

Rebecca Rhynhart is the best choice to lead us on the long road it will take to overcome our challenges.

Ed Rendell served as the 96th mayor of Philadelphia (1992-2000) and the 45th governor of Pennsylvania (2003-2011).

» READ MORE: The Inquirer’s 2023 Endorsement Guide | The Editorial Board vetted candidates in key races to help you decide.