Joe Cox
From Ballotpedia
This page was current at the end of the individual's last campaign covered by Ballotpedia. Please contact us with any updates.
Joe Cox (independent) ran for election for an at-large seat of the Philadelphia City Council in Pennsylvania. Cox lost in the general election on November 5, 2019.
Cox completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2019. Click here to read the survey answers.
Biography
Cox's career experience includes working includes working as a bike messenger. He is also the founder and operator of the nonprofit PMA Bike Ride.[1]
Elections
2019
See also: City council elections in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (2019)
General election
General election for Philadelphia City Council At-large (7 seats)
The following candidates ran in the general election for Philadelphia City Council At-large on November 5, 2019.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Helen Gym (D) | 15.4 | 205,661 |
| ✔ |  | Isaiah Thomas (D) | 14.7 | 196,733 |
| ✔ |  | Derek Green (D) | 14.2 | 189,819 |
| ✔ |  | Katherine Richardson (D) | 14.2 | 189,813 |
| ✔ |  | Allan Domb (D)  | 13.9 | 186,665 |
| ✔ |  | Kendra Brooks (Working Families Party) | 4.5 | 60,256 |
| ✔ |  | David Oh (R) | 4.0 | 53,742 |
 | Al Taubenberger (R) | 3.6 | 47,547 | |
 | Nicolas O'Rourke (Working Families Party) | 3.5 | 46,560 | |
 | Daniel Tinney (R) | 3.5 | 46,270 | |
 | Bill Heeney (R) | 3.2 | 43,249 | |
 | Matt Wolfe (R) | 3.1 | 41,341 | |
 | Sherrie Cohen (A Better Council Party) | 0.7 | 9,116 | |
 | Joe Cox (Independent) | 0.7 | 8,880 | |
 | Maj Toure (L) | 0.5 | 6,179 | |
 | Steve Cherniavsky (Term Limits Philadelphia Party) | 0.3 | 3,480 | |
| Clarc King (Independent) | 0.2 | 2,959 | ||
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.1 | 745 | ||
| Total votes: 1,339,015 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Philadelphia City Council At-large (7 seats)
The following candidates ran in the Democratic primary for Philadelphia City Council At-large on May 21, 2019.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Helen Gym | 15.6 | 107,153 |
| ✔ | | Allan Domb | 9.8 | 67,193 |
| ✔ | | Isaiah Thomas | 9.2 | 63,295 |
| ✔ | | Derek Green | 8.9 | 61,070 |
| ✔ | | Katherine Richardson | 6.6 | 45,470 |
| Justin DiBerardinis | 6.2 | 42,643 | ||
| Adrian Reyes | 5.2 | 35,565 | ||
| Eryn Santamoor | 5.1 | 35,026 | ||
| Erika Almiron | 5.0 | 34,329 | ||
 | Deja Alvarez | 3.9 | 26,617 | |
| Sandra Glenn | 2.6 | 18,105 | ||
 | Willie Singletary | 2.6 | 17,858 | |
| Ethelind Baylor | 2.1 | 14,259 | ||
 | Beth Finn | 2.0 | 14,015 | |
 | Ogbonna Hagins | 1.8 | 12,570 | |
| Fernando Trevino | 1.7 | 11,400 | ||
 | Fareed Abdullah | 1.6 | 10,676 | |
| Asa Khalif | 1.4 | 9,779 | ||
| Billy Thompson | 1.3 | 8,976 | ||
 | Latrice Bryant | 1.3 | 8,966 | |
| Joseph Diorio | 1.1 | 7,803 | ||
 | Hena Veit | 0.8 | 5,405 | |
| Edwin Santana | 0.8 | 5,154 | ||
| Wayne Allen | 0.7 | 4,941 | ||
| Vinny Blackwell | 0.7 | 4,516 | ||
| Mark Ross | 0.6 | 4,255 | ||
| Bobbie Curry | 0.6 | 3,920 | ||
 | Devon Cade | 0.4 | 2,854 | |
| Wayne Dorsey | 0.4 | 2,780 | ||
| Sherrie Cohen | 0.0 | 44 | |
| Total votes: 686,637 | |||
| = 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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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Melissa Robbins (D)
- Mike Stack (D)
- Janice Tangradi (D)
- David Conroy (D)
Republican primary election
Republican primary for Philadelphia City Council At-large (7 seats)
The following candidates ran in the Republican primary for Philadelphia City Council At-large on May 21, 2019.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Daniel Tinney | 21.0 | 13,611 |
| ✔ | | Al Taubenberger | 19.4 | 12,542 |
| ✔ | | Matt Wolfe | 19.1 | 12,362 |
| ✔ | | Bill Heeney | 18.5 | 11,976 |
| ✔ | | David Oh | 10.0 | 6,477 |
 | Drew Murray | 6.1 | 3,935 | |
 | Irina Goldstein | 5.9 | 3,790 | |
| Total votes: 64,693 | |||
| = 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
2019
Video for Ballotpedia
| Video submitted to Ballotpedia Released October 21, 2019 |
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Joe Cox completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2019. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Cox's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
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As a bike messenger, for over 7 and a half years in Philadelphia, I have seen first hand that we are not treating our street citizens and workers equitable. I see daily that our roads are dangerous, unclean, inaccessible, and that we have a hit and run rate of over 40-a-day. Over 3 years ago I started a nonprofit, PMA Bike Ride we feed those in food-insecure areas all over the city while offering a connection on a human level. Thus far we have delivered over 4,000 pizzas and counting. Running for public office was a natural evolution of being an activist for a more equitable Philadelphia. As a Progressive Independent candidate, I am only beholden to the people and willing to hold BOTH major parties accountable. This Tuesday, November 5th, Let's Put People First.
- Clean, Safe, Accessible Streets
- End Stop and Frisk and the 10-year Tax Abatement
- Legalize Recreational Marijuana - Reinvest Revenue into our Communities
Quality of Life issues: such as lowering our 40 a day hit and run rate by investing more into Vision Zero PHL, that is why I am championing for more trash cans, recycling programs that net revenue back to our city, and pilot clean streets programs that are both well managed but also employ our street citizens allowing them more options and resources. We need to clean our streets and not add significantly to our poor air quality by investing in nonenvironmentally sound gas-powered leaf blowers, instead of using clean, green, people-power. I am also passionate about accessible public restrooms. We can recreate programs that have worked in D.C. and other major cities. The gritty and unglamorous part of public policy that has a direct impact on everyone from street citizens, to property owners, to potential business investors, and established business corridors, is our lack of clean, safe, and accessible streets and we can do something. Philadelphia has the largest commuter cycling communities, the largest disabled community, and more than 26% of the population living below the poverty line. Addressing our problems head-on in City Council, instead of forever investigating, is a first step in making our streets clean, safe, and accessible for all. Nearly 15,000 residents are hit every year with devastating impacts, such as loss of wages, medical bills, or even death. Together - "Let's Put People First."
Local elections impact your life more than who is our President. We elect our judges and our city governing body this November 2019. While Philadelphia and Pittsburg carry the Democratic vote in Pennsylvania, we Independents are often forgotten, only to be targeted to sway to one major party or another to help flip the state blue or red for Presidential races. However, Independents are the quickest growing and registering Political Party in Philadelphia. We can make Independent history, on Tuesday, November 5th, by voting for an established and growing Independent Party candidate. By electing a true Independent to City Council we can finally hold both major parties accountable.
I look up to Vermont Senator and Presidential candidate, Bernie Sanders. It was during the 2016 Presidential election that I learned about the progressive candidate and his platform. I was inspired to become political and to make my voice heard. Up until then, I was a bike messenger and a community activist, after helping promote and attend 8 Bernie marches, including helping organize people to attend the DNC which was held in Philadelphia, I was inspired to have a greater impact. It was shortly after that I began my nonprofit PMA Bike Ride. Seeing the number of street citizens rise drastically in the last 5 years I am honored to be able to do my small part to lower the rate of those dying starving on our streets, but I also feel like we the people have the power to do so much more to represent our most vulnerable citizens. Bernie's determination and unwavering belief in the working class inspired me to run for public office.
My political philosophy in essay form is the "Second Treatise of Government" by John Locke, in book form of my political philosophy is the resonating message in the "Lorax" by Dr. Seuss -- "Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot. Nothing is going to get better. It's not.", and in film, the biographical movie "MILK."
Grit and determination are characteristics that are most important for an elected official. Bureaucracies are notorious for taking forever to get anything done, and Philadelphia's government is one of the last dinosaurs left from a backroom deals era. The ability to stand up to corruption and special interest groups with strong resolve while also negotiating to pass legislation that benefits the people of Philadelphia are the most important principles to me for an elected official to posses.
Passion, determination, a strong work ethic and being genuine.
Core responsibilities for someone elected to this office are to represent the most vulnerable and marginalized in the city of Philadelphia. 26% of the city's population lives below the poverty line, over 300 street citizens die every year on the street, rents keep increasing as do property taxes yet our quality of life is suffering. We need to aggressively address our 40 a day hit and run rate that impacts the lives of all motorists, cyclists, and pedestrians. We need to make our streets, clean, safe, and accessible for all.
Having fewer people hungry in Philadelphia and having safer, cleaner, and more accessible city streets.
My first historical event that happened in my life which was significant was 911. I was in high school, in my French class, when the school went into lockdown. We all watched huddled around TVs looking as the two towers fell. In that one moment, I learned about the resiliency of not only New Yorkers but our nation as a whole.
My very first job, I was 14 cutting grass in my neighborhood. My first job with a paycheck was when I was 16, as a summer helper with Pepsi, which included unloading, loading trucks, and merchandising the store. I worked for 4 summers in a row with Pepsi in Salisbury, Maryland.
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, by Douglas Adams. As a young adult, there have been many times in my life where I have felt like Arthur Dent, both in the sheer confusion of bureaucratic choices being made and in the uncertainty of how life all fits together.
Pragmatist's Guide to Revolution - Guante and Big Cats
Naturally being an introvert and having a fear of public speaking has been a struggle in my life. Being a kid who was bullied in middle school, it was through the punk music scene in the late 90s early 2000s that helped me gain self-acceptance and belief in my own worth. Having the outlet of being a drummer and being surrounded by others who did not "go with the grain" all helped shape me as a person and helped me overcome a fear of putting myself out there. If only my middle school self could see me now, still an introvert but with more resolve to speak his mind.
There is a lack of transparency in the Philadelphia City Council. Many voters and residents do not understand how bills are created, debated, and voted on. When going to vote many do not understand the charter questions, and even fewer residents are able to attend open city council meetings held at 11 AM on Thursdays. With the lack of term limits we also have the often caricature version of the career politician. Philadelphia is the 5th most corrupt City in the nation. We currently have multiple Councilpersons under federal investigation. It is time we have new visions and urgency on the city council.
For certain positions in our government, absolutely. To be a representative of the people on the local level, however, I do not feel that previous experience in government or politics is required. Rather it should require someone who has sheer determination, vision, and the desire to make an impact on the ground level.
The ability to create coalitions with varied stakeholders, and the willingness to listen to the general public.
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.
See also
2019 Elections
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on October 21, 2019
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