Issues

Too many people's solution to crime and public safety issues are to simply lock more people up. Instead, I propose we address the root cause of the social, economic, and systemic issues driving crime and try to stop them at their source. I also support a massive restructuring of the city public safety system, including adding social and mental health workers to every police precinct, hospital, & fire station and requiring a Criminal Justice Degree & Social Work Minor for all public safety officers. 

No teacher should have to buy their own classroom supplies . Ever. Furthermore, we should be filling our classrooms with the latest technology, teaching our children about the latest in science, introducing classes on financial literacy, civics, home economics, the trades, and giving every child in the city the option to start their education early with free universal preschool.  

I promise to strengthen our city's protections for marginalized groups to the maximum extent.  Protecting the rights of POC, LGBTQ+ individuals, older adults, religious minorities, immigrants, and our multicultural communities will be a top priority.  I will also work to increase Equity and Inclusion across various sectors of Philadelphia: from employment and education; to food security and better access to transportation; I will work to make sure all Philadelphians can have equal outcomes.

The reality of the world we live in is that a high school diploma is no longer enough of a credential to obtain a job to support oneself on. We need to set our young people on the path to success and provide them with the minimum credentials today's world requires. I propose funding an associates degree for every young Philadelphian who maintains a 2.0 GPA or higher. Alternatively, we should give our young people the opportunity to join a union apprenticeship program to develop a skilled trade.

SEPTA in its current form cannot handle the needs of our rapidly growing city. Worse, its paratransit service cannot handle growing ridership using 3rd party labor and vehicles alone. I'm proposing a massive expansion of public transit, including new subway lines, more connections to NJ, regional rail expansion, ferry & water taxi services, new trolley & light rail services, and improved paratransit/senior services. All this will culminate in what will be Philadelphia's largest public transit overhaul & expansion in nearly a century, building towards a greener, better tomorrow.

The economy should work for the people and not the other way around. I will make the establishment of a community bank where people can get home, business, and personal loans, as well as open high interest accounts a top priority.  I also believe in the creation of a municipal-owned stock exchange that will offer a more financially attractive place to trade then a commercial exchange and will generate massive amounts of revenue for the city coffers. 

I will commit our city to the principals of the Paris Climate Accords and the Green New Deal. Furthermore, we will work to add services like composting, urban farming, green storm water infrastructure, and native plant species landscaping into our city services. Restoration of many of Philadelphia's long paved over creeks, when and where possible, will also be a priority. One of my goals is to set the nations highest air and water quality standards for any urbanized area in the United States, and to set a new standard for environmental protection.

Philadelphia is losing many of it's historic buildings and neighborhoods to rapid gentrification. I promise to launch a major effort to save, preserve, and repurpose historic structures, rater then let them meet the wrecking ball for the sake of "progress". I will also designate many neighborhoods historic or cultural districts in order to preserve their architecture & character and to stave off mass displacement due to gentrification. 

Our city animal shelters are overflowing with animals in need of homes, particularly "bully-breed" dogs.  As an animal lover, I refuse to sit by as countless innocent dogs are euthanized daily, simply because they are labeled as "bully-breeds", or other types of large breed dogs. I will work to expand our shelter facilities, increase adoption rates, and work with animal rescue groups to make sure our city's homeless pets find a forever home. I will also work prevent animal cruelty in the City of Philadelphia by placing higher penalties for committing such acts.