Delscia Gray

This page was current at the end of the individual's last campaign covered by Ballotpedia. Please contact us with any updates.

Delscia Gray

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Democratic Party

Elections and appointments

Last election

May 16, 2023

Education

Associate

ITT-Technical Institute, 2015

Personal

Birthplace

Philadelphia, Pa.

Religion

Islam

Profession

Security Officer

Contact

Personal Instagram

Personal LinkedIn

Delscia Gray (Democratic Party) ran for election for Mayor of Philadelphia in Pennsylvania. She lost in the Democratic primary on May 16, 2023.

Gray completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2023. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Delscia Gray was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She earned an associate degree from the ITT-Technical Institute in 2015. Her career experience includes working as a security officer, in health behavior research and public health, in homeland security, in active shooter training, and medical management.

Elections

2023

See also: Mayoral election in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (2023)

General election

General election for Mayor of Philadelphia

Cherelle Parker defeated David Oh in the general election for Mayor of Philadelphia on November 7, 2023.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Cherelle Parker (D)	74.7	232,075
		David Oh (R)	24.4	75,677
		Other/Write-in votes	0.9	2,849

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 310,601
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Mayor of Philadelphia

The following candidates ran in the Democratic primary for Mayor of Philadelphia on May 16, 2023.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Cherelle Parker	32.6	81,080
		Rebecca Rhynhart	22.8	56,581
		Helen Gym	22.0	54,705
		Allan Domb	11.3	28,051
		Jeff Brown	8.8	21,868
		Amen Brown	1.3	3,321
	Submit photo	James DeLeon III	0.6	1,488
	Submit photo	Delscia Gray	0.2	582
	Submit photo	Warren Bloom	0.2	499
		Other/Write-in votes	0.1	163

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 248,338
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Derek Green (D)
• Maria Quinones-Sanchez (D)
• John Wood (D)

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Mayor of Philadelphia

David Oh advanced from the Republican primary for Mayor of Philadelphia on May 16, 2023.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		David Oh	95.5	15,355
		Other/Write-in votes	4.5	730

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 16,085
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Campaign themes

2023

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Delscia Gray completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2023. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Gray's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

Protective Service Officer with Einstein East Norriton, Former Health Behavior Researcher with Public Health Department at Temple University. Former Medical Secretary at CHOP

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

• Public Safety
• Public Health
• Protective Services

Community Question Featured local question

Did the COVID-19 pandemic change your approach to local policy issues? If so, please give us an example. If not, why?

The vulnerability of leadership appears to influence population behavior. Public health departments likely need more resources to effectively and persuasively communicate critically
safety messages related to COVID-19 transmission.

Community Question Featured local question

Do you believe crime rates are changing? Where do you get your crime rate data from? Would you make any changes to existing public safety policy?

Homicide rates have increased according to the police department data sites. I would place more foot patrol on the streets of Philadelphia with mobile stations in the highest crime rates of the city,

Community Question Featured local question

Do you think the downtown area is healthy? What is your definition of a healthy downtown? What changes, if any, would you like to make?

To reopen Calder Gardens

Community Question Featured local question

How important is it to involve residents in the government’s decision-making process? What plans do you have regarding resident involvement in this process?

Engaging the public in policy-making helps democratic governance by promoting inclusivity and effective decision-making. When individual citizens participate in policy-making they become more informed about policy issues, develop civic skills, improve political efficacy, increase tolerance toward other community members, and have greater trust in the government's motives and decisions.

Community Question Featured local question

How should record requests from the public be handled? Do you have any policies around transparency and accountability you want to enact?

Record requests should be made in person with the proper identification

Community Question Featured local question

How would you address crime and public safety? Do you have a different stance than current city council policy?

Intensive foot patrol efforts in violent hotspots to achieve deference at a micro spatial level primarily by increasing certainty of disruption, apprehension, and arrest

Community Question Featured local question

How would you balance the needs and desires of existing business and housing communities with new development? Would you take gentrification and displacement into consideration when planning neighborhood development?

Gentrification can be triggered by an increase in public-sector investment in transit, pedestrian,

bicycle, and green infrastructure; in the upgrading of utilities and facilities that have fallen into
disrepair; in the sale of public land to private developers; and in increased police presence to “protect”
new residents from real or perceived crime. Although such investments can be positive for the neighborhood
residents and businesses, they can also lead to a lack of rootedness and sense of belonging for long-time
residents, significant rent increases and tenant evictions, a loss of available affordable housing stock,

and, ultimately, displacement of some of the least well-off

Community Question Featured local question

How would you set priorities and develop plans in a way that will reflect community values and goals?

Organize political action to ensure just and effective public policies.

Community Question Featured local question

What do you think about the city's current approach to public safety? Would you take any different positions?

Develop a quantitative public health risk assessment

Community Question Featured local question

What do you think about the city's environmental health? Would you make any changes to current policy?

Develop social change and environmental sustainability

Community Question Featured local question

What plans do you have regarding infrastructure?

Continue to support Philadelphia's vision of evolving its emergency communications networking technology and facilities to deliver the highest level of service to the city's first responders and the public.

Community Question Featured local question

What plans do you have regarding the police department? Would you make any changes from current policy?

Increase the funding level of the pension system

Community Question Featured local question

What policies would you have implemented in reaction to the COVID-19 pandemic? Why did you select those policies?

Bring in the top epidemiologist to educate the City of Philadelphia as to where we are with COVID-19

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Juvenile Crime Prevention - Play by the Rules - Law-Related Education

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

Tracy Betty Davis "Where do we do that at?"

Is there a book, essay, film, or something else you would recommend to someone who wants to understand your political philosophy?

How it Works Post-War Philadelphia

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

Integrity

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

Care about the people and what they want to make this city better.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

Keeping this City safe, funding the police.

What legacy would you like to leave?

That I did a great job bringing this city back to a safe place to live.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

The first historical event was when I filed my petition for Mayor of Philadelphia. I was 56 years old

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

Mayor Summer Youth Employment and Training Program - City of Philadelphia - 8 weeks

What is your favorite book? Why?

The Taoism of Pooh

If you could be any fictional character, who would you want to be?

Amelia Bedelia

What was the last song that got stuck in your head?

What's going on by Marvin Gaye

What is something that has been a struggle in your life?

Making ends meet.

A mayor is a leader in his or her city. What does that mean to you?

Listen to the people. Get the budget under control.

If the mayor in your city is a member of the city council and there's a city manager appointed to handle the day-to-day administration of the city government, what do you believe should be the mayor's top priority in office?

The Public's Health

If the mayor in your city is not a member of the city council and oversees the day-to-day administration of the city government, what do you believe is the ideal relationship between the mayor and city council?

Work together on issues and come to a common ground.

What do you love most about your city?

The new shopping district in downtown Philadelphia

What do you perceive to be your city's greatest challenges over the next decade?

Keeping Older Adults safe and protecting them from harm. The health and welfare of children and adults.

What do you believe is the ideal relationship between your city and the state government?

In the end they come to a mutual agreement.

What do you believe is the ideal relationship between your city and the federal government?

They both come to a mutual agreement on issues.

Tell us your favorite joke.

can not think of a joke right now.

What do you believe is the ideal relationship between the mayor's office and law enforcement?

They are working together to keep this city safe.

What organizations or individuals have endorsed your campaign?

None

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

Note: Community Questions were submitted by the public and chosen for inclusion by a volunteer advisory board. The chosen questions were modified by staff to adhere to Ballotpedia’s neutrality standards. To learn more about Ballotpedia’s Candidate Connection Expansion Project, click here.

See also

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