Mayoral election in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (May 21, 2019 Democratic primary)

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Philadelphia elections, 2019

Mayor

Democratic primary

City council

Other races

City commission, county sheriff, register of wills, trial court judges, and municipal judges

Primary election: May 21, 2019

General election: November 5, 2019

Last election: 2017

Next election: 2021

Incumbent James Kenney (D) defeated former City Controller Alan Butkovitz (D) and state Sen. Anthony Williams (D) in the May 21, 2019, Democratic primary for mayor of Philadelphia. Kenney received 66.9% of the vote to Williams' 24.4% and Butkovitz's 8.7%.

At the time of the 2019 election, no incumbent mayor seeking re-election had been defeated since the city's charter was adopted in 1951.

Kenney said he raised the minimum wage for city employees to $15 per hour, ended municipal agencies' cooperation with Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and ensured the city's compliance with the Paris Climate Agreement. On education and infrastructure, he said he expanded access to pre-K, regained control of city schools from the state, and launched Philadelphia's largest-ever infrastructure program.

His opponents criticized Kenney's introduction of a 1.5 cent per ounce tax on soda, which Philadelphia Magazine suggested could lead to a successful challenge in 2019. All three challengers said they would repeal the tax.

Butkovitz said Kenney had not done enough to address allegations the city's police force treated racial minorities differently. Butkovitz also emphasized job creation, saying he would expand the Port of Philadelphia. He served 12 years as city controller before losing the 2017 Democratic primary to former Kenney administration official Rebecca Rhynhart (D) in what City & State PA described as "a stunning upset that underscored just how tenuous ward support can be in Philadelphia."

Williams was the runner-up to Kenney in the 2015 Democratic mayoral primary. Williams criticized demographic disparities between neighborhoods, saying "we can do better and move beyond our 'tale of two cities.'" As he did in 2015, Williams called for charter schools in every neighborhood.

Philadelphia has a strong mayor-council system. In this form of municipal government, an elected mayor serves as the city's chief executive officer while an elected city council serves as the municipal legislature. The mayor's powers include the ability to veto council approved bills and to submit the city's initial budget proposal. The mayor is elected to a four-year term and may serve no more than two consecutive terms.

For more information about the November 5 general election, click here.
For more information about Philadelphia's other municipal elections in 2019, click here.

Philadelphia voter? Dates you need to know.
General Election	November 5, 2019
Candidate Filing Deadline	August 1, 2019
Registration Deadline	October 7, 2019
Absentee Application Deadline	October 29, 2019
General Election	November 5, 2019
Voting information
Polling place hours	7 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Polling locations: Go to this page to find your assigned precinct for election day.

This election was a battleground race. Other 2019 battlegrounds included:

Louisiana gubernatorial election, 2019 Mayoral election in Houston, Texas (November 5, 2019 general election) Mayoral election in Jacksonville, Florida (2019)

Candidates and results

See also: Mayoral election in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (2019)

General election

General election for Mayor of Philadelphia

Incumbent James Kenney defeated William Ciancaglini in the general election for Mayor of Philadelphia on November 5, 2019.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		James Kenney (D)	80.0	213,390
		William Ciancaglini (R)	19.7	52,537
		Other/Write-in votes	0.3	724

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 266,651
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Mayor of Philadelphia

Incumbent James Kenney defeated Anthony Williams and Alan Butkovitz in the Democratic primary for Mayor of Philadelphia on May 21, 2019.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		James Kenney	66.9	133,966
		Anthony Williams	24.3	48,672
		Alan Butkovitz	8.8	17,517

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 200,155
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Republican primary election

Republican primary for Mayor of Philadelphia

William Ciancaglini advanced from the Republican primary for Mayor of Philadelphia on May 21, 2019.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		William Ciancaglini	99.6	17,291
		Other/Write-in votes	0.4	68

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 17,359
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Candidate profiles

See also: Editorial approach to writing about key campaign messages

James Kenney, Mayor of Philadelphia

Party: Democratic

Incumbent: Yes

Political office: Mayor of Philadelphia (Assumed office: 2016), Philadelphia City Council (1992-2015)

Biography: Kenney graduated from La Salle University in 1980. He was first elected to the city council in 1991 and served until he resigned in 2015 to run for mayor. While on the city council, Kenney chaired the Labor & Civil Service, Law & Government, and Environment committees.

Key messages

• Kenney emphasized his education policy, saying that in his first term the city expanded access to pre-K, regained control of city schools from the state, and raised teacher pay.

• Kenney said that he launched several infrastructure programs during his first term, including spending on affordable housing and Rebuild, which Kenney described as "the most ambitious infrastructure program in Philadelphia’s history."

• Kenney emphasized what he described as his progressive policies, including an increase in the minimum wage for city employees and contractors to $15 per hour, the city's status as a sanctuary city, and a declaration that Philadelphia would abide by the terms of the Paris Climate Agreement.

Alan Butkovitz, former city controller

Party: Democratic

Incumbent: No

Political office: Philadelphia City Controller (2006-2018), Pennsylvania House of Representatives (1991-2005)

Biography: Butkovitz attended Temple University, earning his undergraduate degree in 1973 and his law degree in 1976. He ran unsuccessfully for state house in 1976 and 1982 before winning election in 1990. Butkovitz served in the legislature until being elected city controller in 2005. He was re-elected in 2009 and 2013 but was unseated in the 2017 Democratic primary by Rebecca Rhynhart (D), who served as the city's chief administrative officer during Kenney's first term. As of the March 2019 filing deadline, Butkovitz was the Democratic ward leader for Ward 54.

Key messages

• Butkovitz accused the Kenney administration of failing to respond to the city's high rates of poverty and violent crime.

• Butkovitz was critical of a 1.5 cent per ounce tax on soda which the Kenney administration had introduced. In an op-ed printed in the Philadelphia Inquirer, Butkovitz said that the tax was intended to drive Teamsters out of work, saying, "To pretend that Kenney is innocent of the job-killing motivation for the soda tax is ludicrous."

• Butkovitz said that Kenney's administration had not held up the same standard of justice for all races, saying, "Every minority I talked to has a horror story about being stopped, being pulled out of a car, and treated like a criminal."

• Butkovitz said that the city's approach to job creation should take advantage of Philadelphia's existing resources rather than prioritize high-tech jobs. He proposed an expansion of the city's existing port facilities.

Anthony Williams, state senator

Party: Democratic

Incumbent: No

Political office: Pennsylvania State Senate (Assumed office: 1999), Pennsylvania House of Representatives (1989-1998)

Biography: After graduating from Franklin & Marshall College, Williams worked as a corporate analyst and an executive at PepsiCo before founding his own vending company. Williams first ran for political office in 1988 and, as of the 2019 election, has served in the state legislature since then. Williams ran for governor in 2010 and for mayor in 2015, but was defeated in both Democratic primaries.

Key messages

• Williams said that he was running to address disparities within the city, particularly those related to poverty and crime. Williams promised voters "that we can do better and move beyond our ‘tale of two cities.’”

• Williams promised to repeal the soda tax, saying that he would find alternative sources of funding for the education and infrastructure programs it had sustained.

• Williams said that if elected he would expand the presence of charter schools within the city with the aim of expanding access to charter schools to all city neighborhoods.

Campaign finance

The chart below contains data from financial reports submitted to the Philadelphia Board of Ethics covering all contributions and expenditures made from the beginning of 2018 through May 12, 2019. View the full reporting schedule for mayoral candidates here. In addition to the above figures, all four campaigns entered 2018 with funds already in their accounts from previous cycles.

• The Kenney campaign entered 2018 with $424,400.90 in its account.
• The Butkovitz campaign entered 2018 with $18,624.95 in its account.
• The Willliams campaign entered 2018 with $14,918.65 in its account.
• The Ciancaglini campaign entered 2018 with $625.55 in its account.

Satellite spending

Satellite spending, commonly referred to as outside spending, describes political spending not controlled by candidates or their campaigns; that is, any political expenditures made by groups or individuals that are not directly affiliated with a candidate. This includes spending by political party committees, super PACs, trade associations, and 501(c)(4) nonprofit groups.

This section lists satellite spending in this race reported by news outlets in alphabetical order. If you are aware of spending that should be included, please email us.

• The American Beverage Association reported spending $604,000 on an ad campaign opposing Kenney which launched on April 6, 2019.
• Forward Philadelphia Together booked over $500,000 of airtime between May 6 and May 13. The group announced that it planned to continue running ads in support of Kenney for the remainder of the campaign. The group received a $1,000,000 contribution from former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg (D) in the first week of May 2019.
• Philly 2019 reported spending $448,000 on an ad campaign in support of Kenney which launched on April 3, 2019.

Polls

See also: Ballotpedia's approach to covering polls

2019 Philadelphia mayoral election (Democratic primary)
Poll	Poll sponsor	Kenney	Butkovitz	Williams	Undecided/Other	Margin of error	Sample size
Global Strategy Group April 17-20, 2019	Philly 2019	52%	6%	19%	23%	+/-4.4	500
Note: The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org.

2019 Philadelphia mayoral election (Democratic primary -- no margin of error provided)
Poll	Poll sponsor	Kenney	Butkovitz	Williams	Undecided/Other	Sample Size
Global Strategy Group January 9-13, 2019	Building a Better Pennsylvania Fund	58%	8%	16%	18%	500
Note: A "0%" finding means the candidate was not a part of the poll. The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org.

Endorsements

See also: Ballotpedia: Our approach to covering endorsements

This section lists noteworthy endorsements issued in this election, including those made by high-profile individuals and organizations, cross-party endorsements, and endorsements made by newspaper editorial boards. It also includes a bulleted list of links to official lists of endorsements for any candidates who published that information on their campaign websites. Please note that this list is not exhaustive. If you are aware of endorsements that should be included, please click here.

Noteworthy Democratic primary endorsements
Endorsement	Kenney (D)	Butkovitz (D)	Williams (D)
Newspapers and editorials
Philadelphia Inquirer	✔
Philadelphia Magazine			✔
Elected officials
Gov. Tom Wolf (D)	✔
Sen. Bob Casey Jr. (D)	✔
Rep. Brendan Boyle (D)	✔
Rep. Dwight Evans (D)	✔
Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon (D)	✔
State Sen. Vincent Hughes (D)	✔
Lt.Gov. John Fetterman (D)	✔
Former Mayor John Street (D)			✔
District Attorney Lawrence Krasner (D)	✔
Organizations
Black Clergy of Philadelphia and Vicinity			✔
Philadelphia Council AFL-CIO	✔

Issues

Soda tax

On June 16, 2016, the Philadelphia City Council passed an ordinance levying a 1.5-cent-per-ounce tax on sugary drinks, becoming the second city in the nation to do so, after Berkeley, California. The measure had the support of Mayor Kenney, who had initially backed a three-cent-per-ounce tax instead. It called for the funds raised to be used for parks spending as part of the Rebuild Project and to expand pre-K, as well as to supplement the General Fund, which is the city's main operational account.

The tax came into effect on January 1, 2017. A Philadelphia Inquirer analysis of the tax's impact on prices published that week found that it added $2.16 to the price of a 12-pack of cans of Coca-Cola.

A December 2018 report issued by City Controller Rebecca Rhynhart (D) found that the tax had raised $137 million in revenue as of the end of the third quarter of 2018. Seventy-four percent of the funds raised had not been spent. The majority of the $36 million that had been spent ($31.7 million) was allocated towards pre-K programs, while most of the remainder went towards funding community schools. The city's full analysis of soda tax revenues and expenditures may be found here.

On March 22, 2019, the Philadelphia City Council passed a bill calling for a study into the tax's impact. The bill's sponsor, City Councillor Maria Quinones-Sanchez (D), had also introduced a bill which scheduled decreases in the soda tax rate through 2020 but did not spell out the size of each decrease, meaning that it could lead to either a decrease in the tax rate or the complete repeal of the tax.

Jim Kenney (D) said that the programs funded by the soda tax been successful. He said in an interview with KYW Newsradio that preschool programs the tax funded had made the program worth the criticism.

Alan Butkovitz (D) penned an opinion piece in the Philadelphia Inquirer asserting that the goal of the tax was to weaken the city's Teamsters and calling for its immediate repeal.

Anthony Williams (D) said in an interview with Philadelphia Magazine that he opposed the tax because it had a disproportionate effect on low-income families. He called for the tax's repeal and said he would seek other sources of funding for pre-K and the Rebuild program.

Campaign themes

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Alan Butkovitz

Butkovitz's campaign website stated the following:

“	Public Safety The homicide rate and occurrences of shootings are out of control. Alan will make public safety a top priority and will focus on addressing the root causes behind our homicide crisis and gun violence. Alan will finally put a stop to the practice of “stop & frisk” Alan will bring back neighborhood community policing similar to “Operation Sunrise” and create safe corridors where we can move safely around our neighborhoods Sufficient police presence to deter shootings Will advocate for Focused Deterrence strategies Diversity & Minority Contracting Kenney is taking our city backwards to a time when Minorities didn’t have a share in our city: Canceling minority contracts and delaying renewals Cancelled PRWT facilities contract for 1500 Arch Street, the Municipal Services Building, and the Criminal Justice Center Has reduced African American city contracts from 19.5% to 17.3% Has reduced the minority share of procurement department contracts from 67% to 17% Alan has a proven record of fighting for minority contractors: As City Controller, he and his office interviewed 1,500 contractors, identified problems such as lack of access to capital, and made specific recommendations to city government based on best practices in other cities. As Controller Alan is the first member of City Government to bring enforcement action against someone for cheating minority contractors out of their fair share, when he brought a fraudulent action against Bork Contracting Job Creation & Economic Development Philadelphia is experiencing a crisis of poverty – the poorest major city in the United States Alan will move our city forward: Prioritize new job creation and economic growth for everyone Focus on jobs with sustainable, living wages New jobs at the Port of Philadelphia will provide high-paying, family sustaining employment Tax Reform Right now, our system creates big tax increases every year - this is unacceptable Reassessments should be revenue neutral. It should be an automatic annual tax increase as it is now Will reform taxation and create policies that are progressive – meaning people are taxed according to what they can afford to pay Will cap property tax increases at 6% a year max Kenney’s Loop Program is flawed and doesn’t provide the relief that he claims it does. Alan Will Eliminate Corruption Kenney’s past and current campaigns for Mayor have been largely funded and completely controlled by John Dougherty, who is currently under federal indictment We must hold our elected leaders to a higher standard	”
—Friends of Alan Butkovitz

James Kenney

Kenney's campaign website stated the following:

“	Mayor Kenney's Progressive Record Created PHLpreK to provide access to free, quality pre-K for thousands of mostly low-income children. Took back control of Philadelphia’s public schools from the state so that for the first time in almost 20 years, the School District is led by a locally-appointed Board of Education. Increased funding for our public schools by over half a billion dollars. Gave public school teachers their first contract and pay raise in five years. Launched Rebuild, the most ambitious infrastructure program in Philadelphia’s history, to improve city parks, libraries and recreational centers. Created 12 Community Schools to provide essential resources and support services in the neighborhoods they serve. Safely decreased Philadelphia’s local jail population by over 40% – effectively depopulating the City’s House of Correction. Raised the minimum wage to $15/hr for all City employees and contractors. Increased the Fire Department’s budget by tens of millions to hire additional firefighters and replace the department’s aging vehicle fleet. Ended the City’s cooperation with ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) and defeated the Trump Administration’s attempt to deny federal funds to welcoming cities like Philadelphia that provide equal protection to all its citizens – regardless of their immigration status. Maintained Philadelphia’s commitment to the Paris Climate Agreement. Invested tens of millions in creating new affordable housing. Led the fight to decriminalize small amounts of marijuana. Initiated an emergency response to the opioid epidemic – utilizing a wide range of innovative services to close homeless encampments in Kensington and connect individuals to housing and treatment.	”
—Kenney for Philadelphia

Anthony Williams

Williams' campaign website stated the following:

“	The performance of our public schools is not acceptable. 80% of our 4th graders are not proficient in reading or math. We need more resources for all our schools: a funding formula that takes poverty into account, adequate public charter reimbursement, and increased local funding. We need universal pre-K for our youngest students. We can make college less expensive and get students a jumpstart on productive careers. High schools can partner with community and 4-year colleges, and career-training programs to enable thousands of students to enroll in college courses and training programs before they graduate. Philadelphia had more than 350 lives lost to murder in 2018; more than 2,300 people were shot—this is a state of emergency. Expand the use of “Focused Deterrence”, end “stop-and-frisk,” and use technology — police body cameras, cameras at crime hotspots, and big-data analytics — to be smart and accountable on crime. Be a national example for community policing. Our police force should look like Philadelphia not only on patrol but up through the ranks. Use city government as a model employer for returning citizens and increase educational and job training opportunities for inmates and returning citizens. Create strong incentives for private employers to hire returning citizens. Build a network of protected bike lanes and expand enforcement efforts for drivers and cyclists to keep bike lanes clear and keep pedestrians safe on sidewalks and intersections. Philadelphia is the nation’s poorest big city, 26 percent of city residents live in poverty; 200,000 people in poverty are African American—we just can’t tolerate this. We need Philadelphia to be a city that grows jobs to provide a living wage that stabilizes families. Raise the minimum wage for Philadelphia workers so people don’t need three jobs to make ends meet. Make sure low-income families get all the benefits and tax credits available to them. Don’t rely on regressive and unfair taxes that cut into take-home pay and stifle business growth. Make our real-estate tax fair and equitable to drive neighborhood-based economic growth. Use Philadelphia public spending to ensure that city projects are built by a workforce that includes more Philadelphians. Give Philadelphia business a boost with stronger local preference rules for city contracts. Support the small businesses that create most of the jobs in our city with new public banking tools and loan programs to even the playing field for neighborhood-based businesses. Clean & Livable Neighborhoods — Our streets are filthy; city services are harder to access—it’s not ok. We all deserve to be proud of where we live. Cleanliness is basic. Bring back citywide street sweeping for every neighborhood. Use drones and remote cameras to crack down on the illegal dumping. Fund city libraries and recreation centers to prevent staffing-shortage closings. Potholes are so deep and so commonplace that driving, biking, and even walking are dangerous; too many city properties are broken-down and look horrible—we are all disgusted with it. We should dramatically expand city street resurfacing to meet or exceed national standards. We can better connect our capital planning to yearly operating expenses so investments in new city construction, rebuilding, and renovations will be attractive, sustainable, and useful for many years into the future. We can improve the ability of the city’s Department of Licenses and Inspections to oversee construction and demolition throughout the city to protect Philadelphians and prevent construction disruptions from hampering mobility. Right now, Philadelphia continues to live down to its “corrupt and contented” legacy—it’s unacceptable. 21st-Century Philadelphia must move beyond the corruption that wastes scarce city resources and kills our faith in city government. We should implement a whistleblower policy that offers protections to city government employees who report wrongdoing. Make the Inspector General a permanent position in city government, and increase funding for the Board of Ethics so it can carry out its important work. We can elect a mayor who won’t wink at corruption and who will speak out forcefully against abuse of public power to benefit private agendas. Building a Better Philly If we are going to build a better Philadelphia, we need better government We can budget better. Our current budgeting procedures were established in 1951 and are in desperate need of revision with 21st-century budgeting practices. I will work with city council to establish an independent budget office to impartially and accurately establish a city revenue estimate, like the Congressional Budget Office. I support line-item budgeting to provide city council and tax payers with detailed online information about the $5 billion general fund budget. And I will require the city to publish a year-end budget report so we can match actual spending with the original budget estimates. The goal is to be more transparent so citizens compare exactly where their money is going and where we promised it would go. Better budgeting means better government. Given our surplus and tax revenues which are exceeding projections, we can end the regressive Soda Tax and establish universal Pre-K because ALL of our children need help, not just a handpicked, connected few. We afford to repave our streets and clean our neighborhoods. We can afford to fully staff our libraries and recreation centers so our communities can thrive. Funding schools We must give our schools more resources by demanding a state funding formula that takes poverty into account providing all of our schools with the support they deserve. The formula should also provides fair and adequate public-charter reimbursement, and includes increased local funding. Additionally, it is long past time for the state to assume its legal responsibility to fund city court costs and we should leverage the strong Democratic majority on the Pennsylvania Supreme Court to relieve the city of more than $100 million in expenditures that could be used to fund public education. We will declare a state of emergency on violence to best marshal and coordinate all city agencies. At the same time, we can convene and provide appropriate funds for a plan to integrate grassroots anti-violence activists to help stem the bloodshed. Fair taxes and assessment refunds All of this is predicated on a fair system of taxation to fund our needs without chasing families and firms out of the city. We need to more aggressively reduce the city Wage Tax and job-killing business taxes so Philadelphia can grow more like competitor cities to drive down our shameful poverty rate. We need to get our regressive and illegal city assessments right so real estate taxes are fair and reasonable. And we need to make sure that the city refunds money to taxpayers who have paid too much. I have spent a career in public service listening to people and building coalitions to get things done. I want to listen to Philadelphia and work with Philadelphians to make the change we need. We can move Philly forward — together. Better Budgeting For A Better Philadelphia Philadelphia deserves more information about city spending. We can budget better so we can make better decisions. Philadelphia’s financial systems were designed for the 1950s. We deserve modern, accountable, and transparent government budgetary systems. Establish an independent local budget office similar to the congressional budget office to estimate city budget revenues to avoid overly optimistic (or pessimistic) revenue estimates by the mayoral administration. Adopt line-item budgeting to detail proposed expenditures to give city council and the public real authority over city spending. Change the city charter to require five-year budgets and financial plans in detail that both citizens and council members can understand. Require the mayor to produce a programmatic expression of the city budget and issue a report card on city services to track outcomes and citizen satisfaction. Require a comprehensive year-end report to detail how much of each line item in the budget was actually spent and to articulate the progress our city has made toward achieving outcome goals set forth at the beginning of the yearly budget process. Utilize sunset provisions in contracts and programs to ensure that the city finds worth in its spending and does not continue initiatives past their effectiveness. Require comprehensive and real-time, line-item online budget and contract details with a goal toward making available all information the city is required to provide pursuant to a valid right-to-know law request. Publish a comprehensive economic-development plan that considers tax policy, infrastructure investments, arts and culture spending, and the leverage of city-owned utility and transportation assets to reach targeted employment goals. State Senator Anthony Hardy Williams - Testimony Before City Council FY 2020 Budget and FY 2020-24 Five-Year Plan - Monday, April 15, 2019. Council President Clarke and members of Philadelphia city council: thank you for the opportunity to present testimony on the city’s proposed budget and five-year financial plan. I am a three-decade member of the Pennsylvania General Assembly, having served five terms as a State Representative and more than five terms as State Senator. With me today, are former Mayor and Council President and Council Member John F. Street and the former City Controller’s Office Director of Financial and Policy Analysis, Brett Mandel. A hallmark of the best governments is the expertise of the people who surround the person chosen to lead. The men who accompany me here today have greater knowledge of the city budget and government spending practices than most of us will ever understand. It’s why the recommendations we make here today reflect many years of thoughtful planning for our city. I applaud the work that the members of this council perform reviewing budget documents and posing questions to administration officials. As our proposed spending nears $5 billion for the operating budget alone, it is a tremendous undertaking to review the city’s plan to spend our city’s scarce resources. But, I come before you today to say that this council and the public at large deserve more in terms of information about city spending. We can do better in terms of preparing and presenting systems and data so we can make better decisions about our budgetary assumptions and spending priorities. And just as important, we want to make it easy for our residents and taxpayers to know how we are spending their money. Philadelphia’s financial systems were once considered forward-thinking, but they were designed for the 1950s. Nearly three-quarters of a century later, the public and this city council deserve modern, accountable, and transparent government budgetary systems. Today, there is no reasonable way city council, much less the members of the general public, can determine what will actually happen in terms of spending by looking at the city administration’s budgetary testimony. Because it is the mayor who actually determines line-item spending, there is no way for the public or city council to hold the administration accountable for what is actually spent or not spent in a given fiscal year. Finally, because there is not enumeration and public scrutiny of actual public contracts before they are awarded, there is almost no ability for the public or city council to participate meaningfully in decisions about who actually gets city work. I very much look forward to working with you to make the changes in law and procedure to build a fiscal infrastructure for the 21st-century. The proposed FY20 budget projects FY19 revenues to be more than $26 million higher than originally budgeted. That money could have been programmed to fund badly needed investments in our neighborhoods. Today, Philadelphia’s mayor establishes the city’s annual revenue estimate, which establishes a ceiling for budgetary expenditures. But, by setting an unnecessarily low estimate or an unreasonably high estimate, the mayor is able to budget to spend more than we have or to shortchange necessary investments. I recommend we establish an independent local budget office similar to the congressional budget office to estimate city budget revenues to avoid overly optimistic (or pessimistic) revenue estimates by the mayoral administration. This office would be similar to the one proposed by Councilman Derek Green and will give council some confidence about the amount of money actually available to spend in the coming fiscal year. In FY18, the Police Department budget was set at $652 million, but the Mayor ended up over-spending that amount by more than $60 million before the year was over. In our dirty city, the mayor budgeted for a Streets Department of more than 1,900 employees this year but recent payroll records showed 154 fewer positions filled in the department. Today, city spending is authorized by agency and by class so city council and the public have no true say about a real spending plan beyond a vague idea that a certain amount will be devoted to each agency and that, within each agency, money will be allocated by category for such expenditures as salary and materials. I recommend the city change its approach to adopt line-item budgeting that clearly details proposed expenditures to give city council and the public true authority over city spending. Today, the city charter only mandates annual budgetary planning for operating expenditures, but best practices call for longer-term financial planning. As we can finally anticipate the end of Pennsylvania Intergovernmental Cooperation Authority oversight, we should be mindful to formally incorporate a more long-term view. I recommend the city charter should be amended to require five-year budgets and financial plans in detail that both citizens and council members can understand. Today, the proposed budget represents almost $1 Billion in increased spending from the last budget of the previous administration, exceeding the rate of inflation while, simultaneously, city services have deteriorated in many serious ways. Our streets have never been worse. Potholes are everywhere. And, we are living down to our Fithadelphia reputation. It is past time for our city to re-evaluate how public-resources — our tax money — connect to public-policy programs and services that are funded by those taxes. I recommend that, in the future, we require a program-based summary of the city budget and issue a report card on city services to track results and citizen satisfaction. Today, the end of the fiscal year occurs with little thought as to the accomplishments of the previous year’s spending. But, we would be better served by a process that incorporates a consideration of how our spending plans affected the state of the city. In the future, the mayor should be required to reconcile the budget every year, just like people at home reconcile their bank balance at the end of the month. How much did we spend and what did we spend it on? I recommend that the mayor produce a comprehensive year-end report to detail how much of each line item in the budget was actually spent and to articulate the progress our city has made toward achieving outcome goals set forth at the beginning of the yearly budget process. Today, initiatives routinely continue year after year with little consideration as to their effectiveness or any regular justification to continue that spending. I recommend we utilize sunset provisions in contracts and programs to ensure that the city finds worth in its spending and does not continue initiatives past their effectiveness. Today, it is possible to view personal credit-card spending data online instantly to track our household spending and monitor our personal transactions, but the city still does not make available real-time information about its expenditures. Despite promises of openness and transparency, the current budget is still a mystery to the public, nearly impossible to understand. I recommend the city follow the lead of other major cities that publish an online comprehensive and real-time line-item budget and contract details with a goal toward making available all information the city is required to provide pursuant to a valid right-to-know law request. Finally, the city’s most pressing and intractable problem is poverty. In the last three years, there has been no credible economic-development plan to create jobs and lift poor Philadelphians out of poverty. The commitment to be a sanctuary city is laudable and the creation of community schools is important, but those policies do not create jobs. As mayor, I will annually transmit to city council and publish an economic plan that considers tax policy, infrastructure investments, arts and culture spending, and the leverage of city-owned utility and transportation assets to reach targeted employment goals. Today, 21st-century Philadelphia faces challenges that 1950 Philadelphia could never have anticipated. But the passage of time has also seen the emergence of incredible advances of information technology and communication tools. The financial systems designed for the era of the Phillies Whiz Kids are insufficient for the modern Philadelphia of Bryce Harper’s team and it is time to rethink how we consider the city budget and the tools we use to communicate about city spending. I appreciate the opportunity to appear before you today and look forward to the chance to work with you in the future to ensure that we make best use of our city resources ­ and that we utilize the best-possible budgetary procedures to guide the decisions we make on behalf of our residents. Historic Preservation Philadelphia can be an exciting global city that takes care of its neighborhoods. Philadelphia can be a city that enjoys dynamic growth while preserving the heritage that is the fabric of our communities. It is time for Philadelphia, a World Heritage City, to have a worthy Historic Preservation and Cultural Resources Plan. As Mayor, I will declare a new day for preservation in Philadelphia. Today, Philadelphia endures unprecedented development pressure. Inadequate preservation planning and under-resourced city agencies are challenged to preserve Philadelphia’s historic buildings, neighborhoods, and character. The Philadelphia Historical Commission could do more in an advocacy capacity to preserve Philadelphia’s history and the character of its neighborhoods. Serious inadequacies with the administration of the existing preservation ordinance exacerbate the preservation crisis in the city. The routine misapplication of the concept of “economic hardship” leads to the loss of storied structures and the lack of code enforcement leads to demolition by neglect in too many cases. Enhance The City’s Preservation Efforts Philadelphia’s preservation efforts require additional resources and expertise. As mayor I will: Appoint a staff archaeologist on the Philadelphia Historical Commission staff and give the PHC an important say in construction matters in the city’s historic districts Appoint a staff archaeologist on the Philadelphia Historical Commission staff and give the PHC an important say in construction matters in the city’s historic districts Provide the Philadelphia Historical Commission with the jurisdiction to determine the mapping of the city’s historic districts. Appoint an official in the managing director’s office who understands current Philadelphia Historical Commission procedures and how they can be strengthened. Appoint a managerial-level preservation engineer in the Department of Licenses and Inspections to make an independent determination as to the status of a structure as “imminently dangerous” to encourage more properties to be repaired and reused and reduce demolition by neglect. Protect Philadelphia's Heritage Only a fraction of Philadelphia’s built heritage is actually protected and preserved for future generations. As mayor I will: Create a list of not-yet-designated (unprotected) historic properties that would be subject to an enhanced review process for demolition-permit applications. Expand the buildings on the Philadelphia Register of Historic Places to include buildings that are on the National Register of Historic Places and institute a citywide demolition review for buildings on the National Register of Historic Places and buildings more than a century old. End the 10-year abatement in its current form and implement an abatement to encourage reuse and repair of existing properties. A new mayor and a new day for preservation in Philadelphia can ensure that the city’s past is preserved for posterity even as the city adds new vitality and growth to make the modern city prosper Poverty and Jobs Philadelphia is the poorest big city in the nation with about 26% of residents living below the poverty line. It is unconscionable that about 400,000 Philadelphians – including about 200,000 African-American residents – live in need. For far too many, Philadelphia is not a city of opportunity. In too many ways, it costs more to be poor in Philadelphia. According to the 2019 “State of the City” report produced by The Pew Charitable Trusts, “The city’s poverty rate has been stuck in the 26 percent range for the past five years, a time when the rate has dropped in many other cities. Philadelphia has nearly 400,000 residents living below the poverty line, a fact that affects numerous aspects of city life.” Other cities are doing far better creating opportunities and supporting communities. Philadelphia cannot afford to continue to lag behind. Mayor Jim Kenney promised to reduce poverty in Philadelphia, but his administration has failed to make progress. To make Philadelphia a city of opportunity and to remove burdens that fall disproportionally upon our low-income residents, I offer A Better Way To Reduce Poverty And Grow Jobs For A Better Philadelphia. Make Poverty a Priority Philadelphia’s poverty problem will not go away unless we make reducing poverty a priority. As mayor I will: Target cutting Philadelphia’s poverty rate in half before I leave office as a goal toward which my administration will advance policy and budgetary plans and measure progress annually. Appoint a cabinet-level administration official to coordinate an integrated approach to reducing poverty in Philadelphia so all city agencies support our anti-poverty efforts. Follow the lead of Allegheny County and establish an integrated data system to link court, city, and school district data to best inform government’s ability to meet the needs of people struggling with the multiple challenges related to poverty. Publish a program-based summary of the city budget and issue a report card on city services to track results and citizen satisfaction. Work with city council to pass legislation to demand that an “anti-poverty financial footnote” be included on every bill introduced, to detail how each piece of legislation will contribute to reducing Philadelphia’s poverty rate. Cooperate with the City Controller’s Office on a performance audit to evaluate how the millions of dollars spent by the Office of Community Empowerment and Opportunity can be best prioritized. Transmit to city council and publish each year an economic plan that considers tax policy, infrastructure investments, arts and culture spending, and the leverage of city-owned utility and transportation assets to reach targeted employment goals. Grow Jobs in Philadelphia If Philadelphia grew jobs like other peer cities over the last decade, we would have added 35,000 more jobs. As Mayor I will: Reduce the city’s unique and job-killing business taxes to drive the economic growth that employs neighborhood Philadelphians. Use Philadelphia public spending to ensure that city projects are built by a workforce that looks like Philadelphia and give Philadelphia businesses a boost with stronger local preference rules for city contracts. Lower the barrier to entry for small business to win city contracts and grow local businesses by changing the city charter to increase Philadelphia’s comparatively low dollar amount that triggers the formal request-for-proposal process. Explore creating a public bank in Philadelphia to support the small, neighborhood businesses that create most of the jobs in our city. Work with city employers to expand summer jobs and internships for students to provide valuable experience and a pathway for post-graduation employment. Connect Philadelphians to work by exploring options to expand the Broad Street subway to the Philadelphia Navy Yard, incorporating mass-transit infrastructure along the Roosevelt Boulevard, and restructuring SEPTA bus service to link neighborhood residents to job centers. Unburden Low-Income Philadelphians We cannot reduce poverty if city actions and policies continue to help make Philadelphians poorer. As Mayor I will: Fix our regressive and illegal city assessments so real estate taxation can be fair and reasonable – and make sure that the city refunds money to taxpayers who have paid too much for too long. Reduce the city Wage Tax to 3% by the end of my mayoralty to allow more working Philadelphians to keep more of their hard-earned paychecks. Repeal the regressive Soda Tax that falls disproportionately on low-income Philadelphians. Support an increase in the Pennsylvania minimum wage to $15/hour to make work pay for Philadelphians. Increase funding to provide counsel for low-income tenants at risk of eviction — estimates show that spending $3.5 million could save the city $45 million each year, while keeping individuals in their homes and stabilizing neighborhoods and families. Expand outreach to make sure low-income families get all the federal, state, and local benefits and tax credits available to them – including Philadelphia’s homestead exemption, low-income senior-citizen tax freeze, loan program for low-income homeowners, and LOOP property-tax-discount program. Work to make SEPTA fare policies work for working families by eliminating the $1 penalty for those who need to transfer between buses, subways, and trolleys to travel to work or shop for groceries and by offering free SEPTA for kids under 12 to make mass transit more affordable for families. Support Communities It will take a city to reduce poverty and so many city agencies can support the efforts to grow opportunities and support our communities. As Mayor I will: Deliver universal Pre-K to reach all eligible Philadelphians because ALL of our families need help. Work with my former colleagues in Harrisburg for a school-funding formula that takes poverty into account provides adequate public charter reimbursement and increases funding for our schools. Expand support for the Office of Adult Education to expand literacy training in Philadelphia and reduce a fundamental barrier to employment for too many residents. Declare a state of emergency to best marshal and coordinate all city agencies as we simultaneously convene grassroots anti-violence activists to help stem the bloodshed in our communities. Serve our neighborhoods – we can repave our streets, implement weekly, citywide street cleaning, and fully staff our libraries and recreation centers so our communities can thrive. Budget better to provide city council and taxpayers detailed, online programmatic information about the $5 billion general fund budget to make it easy for our residents and taxpayers to know how we are spending their money. Philadelphia has been a city of opportunity for more than three centuries, but too many of today’s Philadelphians are not sharing in that prosperity. We can do better and, as mayor, I will work every day to reduce poverty and grow jobs for a better Philadelphia. Anti-Violence In 2018, the murder rate in Philadelphia was the highest among any large city in the nation – more than 20 murders per 100,000 residents. Philadelphia now has more murders each year than New York City even though New York has a much larger population. Last year, the homicide rate dropped in cities across the nation, but increased in Philadelphia. Murders decreased in the four Pennsylvania counties surrounding Philadelphia as a total, but increased in Philadelphia. We must stop the violence. Violence is the norm in too many Philadelphia communities and far too many Philadelphians live in their neighborhood in fear. Late in 2018, nearly three years after he took office, Mayor Kenney announced that the city did not have a comprehensive violence-prevention plan. Philadelphia endured more murders in 2018 than any year since 2007. Despite new pronouncements about city plans, more than 100 Philadelphians have been murdered in 2019 alone. After years of making progress reducing homicides, Philadelphia has taken a major step back during the Kenney Administration. If these killings occurred all at once, they would represent a mass murder that would shock the nation, but because they are added up each night, body by body, we somehow ignore the carnage. Reducing violence is no longer a top priority for our city and our elected leaders. We can do more to reduce the bloodshed. As Mayor, I will declare a state of emergency to address the violence that will not end until Philadelphians feel safe in their communities. According to the 2019 “State of the City” report produced by The Pew Charitable Trusts, “In 2018, Philadelphia had 351 homicides—the most since 2007—up 11 percent from the previous year and 43 percent above the historic low recorded in 2013. Similarly, there was a year-to-year increase of 17 percent in the total number of shooting incidents.” Mayor Jim Kenney promised to reduce violence in Philadelphia, but his administration has failed to make progress. To make Philadelphia a city of peace and security, I offer A Better Way To Reduce Violence For A Better Philadelphia. Address The Emergency Of Violence With A Coordinated Governmental Approach. Philadelphia’s violence problem is an ongoing emergency and I will treat it as such. As mayor I will: Declare a state of violence emergency on my first day in office to empower the police commissioner to coordinate an integrated approach to reducing violence in Philadelphia so all city agencies support our city’s anti-violence efforts and cooperate with the Police Department’s work. Target reducing Philadelphia’s murder rate each year I am in office as a goal toward which my administration will advance policy and budgetary plans and measure progress annually. Cooperate with the City Controller’s Office on a performance audit to evaluate how the city spends nearly $50 million annually on anti-violence programs to identify which ones are making a difference and deserve additional funding, and which ones are ineffective and need to be re-conceived before they receive additional funding. Engage the Human Relation Commission much more aggressively in the resolution of neighborhood disputes to stop them from leading to violence. Support Communities to Help Reduce Violence It will take a city to reduce murder and violence – so many city agencies can support the efforts to make a safer Philadelphia. As Mayor I will: Deliver universal Pre-K to reach all eligible Philadelphians because ALL of our families need help. Work with my former colleagues in Harrisburg for a school-funding formula that takes poverty into account, provides adequate public charter reimbursement and increases funding for our schools. Expand support for the Office of Adult Education to expand literacy training in Philadelphia and reduce a fundamental barrier to employment for too many residents. Serve our neighborhoods – we can repave our streets, implement weekly, citywide street cleaning, and fully staff our libraries and recreation centers so our communities can thrive. Budget better to provide city council and taxpayers detailed, online programmatic information about the $5 billion general fund budget to make it easy for our residents and taxpayers to know how we are spending their money. Philadelphia was founded to be a city of harmony and tranquillity but more than three centuries later, too many of today’s Philadelphians live in fear in our neighborhoods or travel with dread through our city. We can do better and, as mayor, I will work every day to reduce violence for a better Philadelphia. Police Smarter To Improve Neighborhood Security We cannot simply arrest our way to a safer city – we must engage our communities in the effort to reduce the violence. As Mayor I will: End “stop-and-frisk,” build a police force that looks like Philadelphia throughout the ranks, and provide much more support to police community-relations officers to best engage every community in the effort to improve public safety. Expand the use of “Focused Deterrence” and use technology — police body cameras, cameras at crime hotspots, and big-data analytics — to be smart and accountable on crime. Increase training for town-watch organizations to expand their capacity and increase their effectiveness. Make strategic use of electronic surveillance and drones in accordance with the law to improve neighborhood safety. Engage the help of the faith-based leaders and people who are in the streets working with the community every day for better crisis-intervention models – as I have done in creating the recent Citywide Peace Pledge – so anti-violence efforts are grassroots movements and not City Hall proclamations. Address Fundamental Causes of Violence A comprehensive approach to reducing violence must address prevention, intervention, enforcement, and re-entry. Poverty, family dysfunction, and lack of opportunity are intertwined with the violence that threatens too many Philadelphians – we must focus on issues like mental health, opportunity, and the availability of guns to address the fundamental causes of violence. As Mayor I will: Implement the Williams Better Way To Reduce Poverty And Grow Jobs For A Better Philadelphia plan to target cutting Philadelphia’s poverty rate in half before I leave office to grow opportunities and support our communities. Follow the lead of Allegheny County and establish an integrated data system to link court, city, and school district data to best inform government’s ability to reduce the violence. Work with my colleagues in Harrisburg to build on the work of the Philadelphia Illegal Gun Task Force I established as a state senator to curb gun violence. Utilize the resources of the city’s Health Department to treat violence prevention as a public-health and mental-health crisis. Reinforce violence-prevention programs with community-wide activities that engage schools, community organizations, and families. Use city government as a model employer for returning citizens and increase educational and job-training opportunities for inmates and returning citizens. Expand incentives for private employers to hire returning citizens. Continue to help returning citizens rebuild their lives with measures like Pennsylvania’s landmark Clean Slate legislation for which I was a prime sponsor as a state senator. Gentrification and Assessments After enduring a half-century of population and job loss – along with the challenges that face a city in decline – Philadelphia has enjoyed a decade of growth. But, new vitality brought new challenges to city neighborhoods and the people who call them home. While the city benefits in many ways from the economic development and energy of construction and commerce, we must work to ensure that a growing Philadelphia expands with equity and preserves communities as it prospers. Philadelphia needs a mayor who will listen to neighbors and fight for change if our city is to enjoy the benefits of growth without detriments of gentrification. 21st -century Philadelphia neighborhoods are changing in many ways. According to the 2016 “Philadelphia’s Changing Neighborhoods; Gentrification and other shifts since 2000” report produced by The Pew Charitable Trusts: Gentrification is a function of real estate cycles, according to many urban economists. Often, a neighborhood’s housing stock deteriorates over time and is occupied by people of lesser and lesser means. Home values, rents, and land prices fall. Gentrification is said to begin in such neighborhoods when the difference between the current real estate prices, which are low, and the potential prices, which are higher, becomes large enough to attract a wave of new investment and higher-income residents. According to this theory, what happened in some of the Philadelphia tracts that gentrified from 2000 to 2014 was the result of the revitalization of Center City in the 1990s, when luxury apartment towers and new restaurants replaced ageing office space and surface parking lots. By the 2000s, these developments had increased the appeal of some nearby neighborhoods, which looked like bargains compared with pricier Center City. As a result, higher-income people started moving in, housing prices rose, and gentrification occurred. The revitalization of neighborhoods that had declined may be desirable in some ways, but, as the Pew Report notes, “Gentrification…involves new arrivals who differ from longtime residents in notable ways. Although definitions of the term have varied since it was coined in the 1960s, the underlying meaning is the shift in a neighborhood’s population from predominantly low income or working class to predominantly middle or upper class.” Gentrification in select city neighborhoods affected Philadelphia’s social fabric and threatened its community infrastructure. Rising rents and home values have priced many long-term residents out of their neighborhoods and shifting demographics have created tensions between newcomers and families who lived on their blocks for generations. I live in the same house where I was raised in Cobbs Creek. As a state senator, I represent many areas that have changed dramatically after years of enduring hard times. I understand how a welcome feeling makes neighborhoods into communities and houses into homes. But, I also know how easy it is to feel unwelcome in a place that has been home for years. To ensure that all Philadelphians enjoy benefits of economic growth and neighborhood development in a place that they can call home, I offer A Better Way To Combat Gentrification For A Better Philadelphia. Fix Philadelphia's Assessment Mess Philadelphia real estate tax assessments are a fraud, driving some out of their neighborhoods while others pay next to nothing – all while encouraging gentrification in areas where houses are not assessed at actual value as required by law. (see Philadelphia Inquirer graphic) As Mayor I will: Fix our regressive and illegal city assessments so real estate values for tax purposes meets industry standards for accuracy on the neighborhood level and taxation can be fair and reasonable – and make sure that the city refunds money to taxpayers who have paid too much for too long. Prohibit the city from engaging in “reverse appeals” so taxpayers are not threatened with an increased tax bill when they appeal the fairness of their assessments. Follow the lead of the State of Indiana, which requires assessing officials to defend excessive assessment increases with objective evidence so the assessor has the burden of proof to support increases. Make real estate taxation more fair by implementing a property-tax buffering program so that assessments are based on a rolling, multi-year average to prevent one-time spikes in Real Estate Tax bills. Make real estate taxation more fair by establishing a taxpayers’ advocate to represent taxpayers in matters regarding real estate assessment and appeals. Explore implementing land-value taxation to decrease tax rates on structures and increase tax rates on land so that the city provides an incentive for economic development and a disincentive to blight creation and speculation. Prevent Displacement In Changing Neighborhoods Philadelphia was a city of more than 2 million and has plenty of room to welcome new residents without having to force long-time residents out of their homes. As Mayor I will: Utilize inclusionary zoning and incentivize or require the construction of working-class housing as requirements for the disposition of publicly owned land to ensure that neighborhoods remain affordable. Incentivize creation of more affordable units as a zoning bonus or through community-benefit agreements with large developers to increase affordability for renters. Reduce minimum parking requirements for residential developments to drive down construction (and rental) costs. Increase funding to provide counsel for low-income tenants at risk of eviction — estimates show that spending $3.5 million could save the city $45 million each year, while keeping individuals in their homes and stabilizing families and their neighborhoods. Expand outreach to make sure all Philadelphians receive the real-estate-tax relief available to them – including Philadelphia’s homestead exemption, low-income senior citizen tax freeze, loan programs for low-income homeowners, and Longtime Owner Occupants Program (LOOP) property-tax-discount program. Implement a quarterly payment plan so taxpayers who do not pay taxes through their mortgage companies do not have to assemble the cash to make their tax payment on one date. End the 10-year abatement in its current form as the current program presents equity problems and denies money to our schools. Reducing the term of the abatement, making the abatement solely for rehabs, or modifying state Constitutional uniformity demands to allow the abatement to be phased out in certain areas or expanded in other areas — must be part of any discussion about taxation in Philadelphia. Make Neighborhoods Welcoming For Long-Term Residents And New Arrivals Most Philadelphians understand that good neighbors come in all colors, cultures, and creeds and I will use the bully pulpit of my office and the power of city government to ensure all neighbors feel welcome in their neighborhoods. As Mayor I will: Get out of the mayor’s office and into changing neighborhoods to personally engage residents in the effort to make sure that all Philadelphians – new and long-term residents – value all of their neighbors and their contributions to the community. Engage the city’s Human Relation Commission in efforts to intervene in the resolution of neighborhood disputes to prevent them from escalating and leading to larger problems. Support Our Communities To Expand The Number Of Neighborhoods Of Choice If more parts of the city are attractive and thriving neighborhoods, there will be less pressure to gentrify select areas. As Mayor I will: Deliver universal Pre-K to reach all eligible Philadelphians because ALL of our families need help. Work with my colleagues in Harrisburg for a school-funding formula that takes poverty into account, provides adequate public charter reimbursement and increases funding for our schools. Declare a state of emergency to best marshal and coordinate all city agencies as we simultaneously convene grassroots anti-violence activists to help stem the bloodshed in our communities. Serve our neighborhoods – we can repave our streets, implement weekly, citywide street cleaning, and fully staff our libraries and recreation centers so our communities can thrive. Add Jobs And Decrease Poverty In Philadelphia To Spread The Benefits Of Growth If Philadelphia grew jobs like other peer cities over the last decade, we would have added 35,000 more jobs. By expanding growth and attacking the root causes of poverty, I will target cutting Philadelphia’s poverty rate in half before I leave office. As Mayor I will: Appoint a cabinet-level administration official to coordinate an integrated approach to reducing poverty in Philadelphia so all city agencies support our anti-poverty efforts. Follow the lead of Allegheny County and establish an integrated data system to link court, city, and school district data to best inform government’s ability to meet the needs of people struggling with the multiple challenges related to poverty. Transmit to city council and publish each year an economic plan that considers tax policy, infrastructure investments, arts and culture spending, and the leverage of cityowned utility and transportation assets to reach targeted employment goals. Reform our burdensome tax structure and use Philadelphia public spending to ensure that city projects are built by a workforce that looks like Philadelphia and give Philadelphia businesses a boost with stronger local preference rules for city contracts. Explore creating a public bank in Philadelphia to support the small, neighborhood businesses that create most of the jobs in our city. William Penn first arrived in Philadelphia on a ship called “Welcome.” Philadelphia has been a welcoming city for more than three centuries, but too many neighborhoods in today’s Philadelphians are struggling with gentrification as a byproduct of uneven growth. We can do better and, as mayor, I will work to build a better Philadelphia that grows and prospers without the rampant displacement and resentment that often accompanies development.	”
—Williams for Mayor'

Campaign advertisements

This section shows advertisements released in this race. Ads released by campaigns and, if applicable, satellite groups are embedded or linked below. If you are aware of advertisements that should be included, please email us.

James Kenney

Support

• Untitled Forward Together Philadelphia ad, released May 6, 2019
• Toughest - Philly 2019 ad, released April 3, 2019

Oppose

• Ax the Bev Tax - American Beverage Association ad, released April 6, 2019

Debates and forums

May 13, 2019

Butkovitz, Kenney, and Williams participated in a debate televised by NBC10 on May 13, 2019. The three discussed the soda tax, opioid injection sites, education, crime rates, and immigration.

• Find the NBC Philadelphia round-up of the debate here.
• Find the CBS Philadelphia round-up of the debate here.
• Find the Philadelphia Magazine round-up of the debate here.
• Find the official recording of the debate here.

May 9, 2019

Butkovitz and Williams participated in a debate hosted by KYW Newsradio on May 9, 2019. The two discussed education funding, crime rates, and property taxes.

• Find the KYW Newsradio round-up of the debate here.
• Find the official recording of the debate here.

April 28, 2019

Butkovitz, Kenney, and Williams participated in a debate at Janes Memorial United Methodist Church in Germantown on April 28, 2019. The three discussed the city's homicide rate and property tax policies.

• Find the WHYY round-up of the debate here.
• Find a clip of the NBC Philadelphia report on the debate here.

April 22, 2019

Butkovitz, Kenney, and Williams participated in a debate hosted by the Philadelphia Association of Black Journalists on April 22, 2019. The three discussed policing practices and allegations of racial bias in hiring procedures for municipal jobs.

• Find the CBS Philadelphia round-up of the debate here.
• Find The Philadelphia Tribune round-up of the debate here.
• View the official Philadelphia Association of Black Journalists recording of the debate here.

April 16, 2019

Butkovitz, Kenney, and Williams participated in a candidate forum hosted by the NAACP on April 16, 2019. The three discussed education, the poverty rate, and budgeting.

• Find The Philadelphia Tribune round-up of the forum here.

April 2, 2019

Butkovitz and Williams participated in a candidate forum hosted by the Muslim League of Voters for the Delaware Valley on April 2, 2019. The candidates discussed the soda tax, allegations of discriminatory policing, and Philadelphia's homicide rate.

• Find The Philadelphia Tribune round-up of the forum here.

Timeline

• May 17, 2019: The Philadelphia Inquirer endorsed Kenney.
• May 14, 2019: The candidates filed the final pre-primary campaign finance reports.
• May 13, 2019: Butkovitz, Kenney, and Williams participated in a debate hosted by NBC10.
• May 9, 2019: Butkovitz and Williams participated in a debate hosted by KYW Newsradio.
• May 7, 2019: The Black Clergy of Philadelphia and Vicinity endorsed Williams.
• May 6, 2019: Forward Together Philadelphia launched an ad campaign supporting Kenney.
• May 2, 2019: Philadelphia Magazine endorsed Williams.
• April 28, 2019: Butkovitz, Kenney, and Williams participated in a debate.
• April 22, 2019: Butkovitz, Kenney, and Williams participated in a debate.
• April 20, 2019: A Global Strategy Group poll sponsored by Philly 2019 found Kenney leading Williams, with 52% support to Williams' 19%. The poll reported a margin of error of 4.4 percentage points.
• April 18, 2019: District Attorney Lawrence Krasner (D) endorsed Kenney.
• April 16, 2019: Butkovitz, Kenney, and Williams appeared at a candidate forum.
• April 11, 2019: Former Mayor John Street (D) endorsed Williams.
• April 11, 2019: Kenney unveiled endorsements from seven Pennsylvania politicians including Gov. Tom Wolf (D) and Sen. Bob Casey Jr. (D).
• April 9, 2019: The candidates submitted campaign finance reports covering all raising and spending before April 1.
• April 6, 2019: The American Beverage Association reported spending just under $410,000 to oppose Kenney.
• April 3, 2019: Philly 2019 reported spending just over $130,000 in support of Kenney.
• April 2, 2019: Butkovitz and Williams participated in a candidate forum.
• March 12, 2019: The filing deadline passed for partisan candidates. State Sen. Anthony Williams (D) filed to challenge Kenney in the Democratic primary.
• March 11, 2019: Goggins withdrew her candidacy.
• February 14, 2019: The Republican Party of Philadelphia endorsed Goggins.
• February 10, 2019: Incumbent Mayor James Kenney (D) announced that he would run for re-election.
• January 29, 2019: Republican ward leader Daphne Goggins (R) declared her candidacy.
• December 17, 2018: Defense attorney William Ciancaglini (R) declared his candidacy.
• November 15, 2018: Former state Rep. Alan Butkovitz (D) declared his candidacy.

Mayoral partisanship

Once mayors elected in 2019 assumed office, the mayors of 65 of the country's 100 largest cities were affiliated with the Democratic Party. Out of the 31 mayoral elections that were held in 2019 in the 100 largest cities, five partisan changes occurred. Democrats gained three mayorships: two previously held by Republicans and one previously held by an independent. Republicans won one office held by an unaffiliated mayor, and one office where the incumbent's partisan affiliation was unknown.

In the elections in Phoenix, Arizona and Wichita, Kansas, Democrats won seats with Republican incumbents. In Wichita, Democrat Brandon Whipple defeated Republican incumbent Jeff Longwell. In Raleigh, North Carolina, a Democrat won a seat previously held by an independent. In Aurora, Colorado, a Republican succeeded an unaffiliated mayor. In Garland, Texas, a Republican succeeded a mayor with unknown party affiliation. Incumbents did not seek re-election in Phoenix, Raleigh, Aurora, or Garland.

Click here to learn more.

Election history

2015

See also: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania municipal elections, 2015

The city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, held elections for mayor and city council on November 3, 2015. A primary election took place on May 19, 2015. The filing deadline for candidates who wished to run in this election was March 10, 2015. In the Democratic primary for mayor, James Kenney defeated Anthony Williams, T. Milton Street, Doug Oliver, Nelson Diaz and Lynne Abraham. In the Republican primary, Melissa Lynn Bailey ran unopposed. Kenney defeated Bailey, Socialist Workers Party candidate Osborne Hart and Independent candidates James Foster and Boris Kindij in the general election. Incumbent Michael Nutter (D) was ineligible to run for re-election after two terms due to term limits.

Mayor of Philadelphia, General election, 2015
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	James Kenney	85.4%	203,730
	Republican	Melissa Lynn Bailey	13.2%	31,563
	Independent	James Foster	0.7%	1,713
	Socialist Workers	Osborne Hart	0.5%	1,234
	Independent	Boris Kindij	0.1%	321
		Write-in votes	0.04%	103
Total Votes				238,664
Source: City of Philadelphia, "Official general election results," accessed November 23, 2015

Mayor of Philadelphia Democratic Primary, 2015
Candidate	Vote %	Votes
James Kenney	55.8%	130,775
Anthony Williams	26.1%	61,160
Lynne Abraham	8.4%	19,782
Doug Oliver	4.2%	9,934
Nelson Diaz	3.7%	8,691
T. Milton Street	1.7%	3,937
Write-in	0%	24
Total Votes		234,303
Source: Philadelphia City Commissioners, "Historical Election Results," accessed August 24, 2015

2011

Mayor of Philadelphia, 2011
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Michael Nutter	74.6%	136,532
	Republican	Karen Brown	21.6%	39,597
	Independent	Wali Rahman	3.6%	6,580
	--	Write-ins	0.1%	212
Total Votes				182,921
Election results via Office of the Philadelphia City Commissioners

Mayor of Philadelphia Democratic primary, 2011
Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Michael Nutter	75.8%	113,484
T. Milton Street	24.1%	36,030
Write-ins	0.1%	146
Total Votes		149,660
Election results via Office of the Philadelphia City Commissioners.

Mayor of Philadelphia Republican primary, 2011
Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Karen Brown	50.1%	8,369
John Featherman	49.7%	8,305
Write-ins	0.2%	28
Total Votes		16,702
Election results via Office of the Philadelphia City Commissioners.

2007

Mayor of Philadelphia, 2007
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Michael Nutter	82.5%	227,090
	Republican	Al Taubenberger	17.1%	46,984
	Socialist Workers	John Staggs	0.4%	1,038
	--	Write-ins	0%	78
Total Votes				275,190
Election results via Office of the Philadelphia City Commissioners

Mayor of Philadelphia Democratic primary, 2007
Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Michael Nutter	36.6%	106,805
Thomas J. Knox	24.6%	71,731
Robert A. Brady	15.3%	44,474
Chaka Fattah	15.2%	44,301
Dwight Evans	7.8%	22,782
Queena Bass	0.3%	950
Jesus White	0.1%	437
Write-ins	0%	12
Total Votes		291,492
Election results via Office of the Philadelphia City Commissioners.

Mayor of Philadelphia Republican primary, 2007
Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Al Taubenberger	99.5%	17,449
Write-ins	0.5%	88
Total Votes		17,537
Election results via Office of the Philadelphia City Commissioners.

2003

Mayor of Philadelphia, 2003
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	John F. Street	58.3%	267,276
	Republican	Sam Katz	41.3%	189,357
	Socialist Workers	John Staggs	0.3%	1,292
	--	Write-ins	0%	164
Total Votes				458,089
Election results via Office of the Philadelphia City Commissioners

Mayor of Philadelphia Democratic primary, 2003
Candidate	Vote %	Votes
John F. Street	99.6%	93,799
Write-ins	0.4%	387
Total Votes		94,186
Election results via Office of the Philadelphia City Commissioners.

Mayor of Philadelphia Republican primary, 2003
Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Sam Katz	99.9%	18,973
Write-ins	0.1%	14
Total Votes		18,987
Election results via Office of the Philadelphia City Commissioners.

1999

Mayor of Philadelphia, 1999
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	John F. Street	50.2%	211,136
	Republican	Sam Katz	48.5%	203,908
	--	Other	1.3%	5,376
Total Votes				420,420
Election results via Franklin and Marshall College

Mayor of Philadelphia Democratic primary, 1999
Candidate	Vote %	Votes
John F. Street	36.1%	107,285
Martin Weinberg	30.8%	91,457
John F. White Jr.	21.8%	64,657
Happy Craven Fernandez	6.1%	18,200
Dwight Evans	4.6%	13,711
Queena Bass	0.6%	1,802
Total Votes		297,112
Election results via Our Campaigns.

Mayor of Philadelphia Republican primary, 1999
Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Sam Katz	100%	27,011
Total Votes		27,011
Election results via Our Campaigns.

About the office

See also: Mayor-council government

The city of Philadelphia uses a strong mayor-council system. In this form of municipal government, an elected mayor serves as the city's chief executive officer while an elected city council serves as the municipal legislature. Mayor-council systems are often described as strong or weak based on how much power is given to the mayor. Philadelphia is a strong mayor-council city, with the mayor's powers including the ability to veto bills passed by the council and to submit the city's initial budget proposal.

Philadelphia's city council consists of 17 members, including 10 elected from districts and seven elected to at-large seats. Councilmembers are elected to four-year terms and there are no term limits. The mayor is elected to a four-year term and may serve no more than two consecutive terms.

Philadelphia's operating budget for fiscal year 2018 was $4.38 billion, an increase of 3.36% from the previous year.

About the city

See also: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Philadelphia is a city in Pennsylvania which is coterminous with the county of the same name. It is the sixth-largest city in the United States and the largest in Pennsylvania. Philadelphia is the center of the Delaware Valley Metropolitan Area, estimated to be the country's eighth-largest in 2017. As of 2017, Philadelphia's population was estimated at 1,569,657.

Census information

The table below shows demographic information about the city.

Demographic data for Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (2015)
	Philadelphia	Pennsylvania
Total population:	1,555,072	12,791,904
Land area (square miles):	134	44,743
Race and ethnicity
White:	41.7%	81.6%
Black/African American:	42.8%	11%
Asian:	6.9%	3.1%
Native American:	0.3%	0.2%
Pacific Islander:	0.1%	0%
Two or more:	2.7%	2.1%
Hispanic/Latino:	13.4%	6.4%
Education
High school graduation rate:	82%	89.2%
College graduation rate:	25.4%	28.6%
Income
Median household income:	$38,253	$53,599
Persons below poverty level:	26.4%	15.9%
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2010-2015)

State profile

See also: Pennsylvania and Pennsylvania elections, 2019

Partisan data

The information in this section was current as of May 7, 2019

Presidential voting pattern

• Pennsylvania voted for the Democratic candidate in five out of the seven presidential elections between 2000 and 2024.

Congressional delegation

• Following the 2018 elections, the U.S. Senators from Pennsylvania were one Democrat and one Republican.
• Pennsylvania had nine Democratic and eight Republican U.S. Representatives, and one seat was vacant.

State executives

• Democrats held six of Pennsylvania's 16 state executive offices. Elections for the other offices are nonpartisan.
• Pennsylvania's governor was Democrat Tom Wolf.

State legislature

• Republicans controlled the Pennsylvania State Senate with a 26-22 majority.
• Republicans controlled the Pennsylvania House of Representatives with a 109-93 majority.

Pennsylvania Party Control: 1992-2025
One year of a Democratic trifecta  •  Twelve years of Republican trifectas
Scroll left and right on the table below to view more years.

Year	92	93	94	95	96	97	98	99	00	01	02	03	04	05	06	07	08	09	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25
Governor	D	D	D	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	R	R	R	R	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D
Senate	R	D	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R
House	D	D	D	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	D	D	D	D	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	D	D	_

Pennsylvania quick stats

• Became a state in 1787
• 2nd state admitted to the United States
• The United States Declaration of Independence and United States Constitution were both drafted in Pennsylvania.
• Members of the Pennsylvania State Senate: 50
• Members of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives: 203
• U.S. senators: 2
• U.S. representatives: 18

More Pennsylvania coverage on Ballotpedia:

• Pennsylvania elections, 2019
• Presidential voting trends in Pennsylvania
• United States congressional delegations from Pennsylvania
• Public policy in Pennsylvania
• Influencers in Pennsylvania
• Almanac of American Politics state profile
• More...

Demographic data for Pennsylvania
	Pennsylvania	U.S.
Total population:	12,791,904	316,515,021
Land area (sq mi):	44,743	3,531,905
Race and ethnicity**
White:	81.6%	73.6%
Black/African American:	11%	12.6%
Asian:	3.1%	5.1%
Native American:	0.2%	0.8%
Pacific Islander:	0%	0.2%
Two or more:	2.1%	3%
Hispanic/Latino:	6.4%	17.1%
Education
High school graduation rate:	89.2%	86.7%
College graduation rate:	28.6%	29.8%
Income
Median household income:	$53,599	$53,889
Persons below poverty level:	15.9%	11.3%
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2010-2015) Click here for more information on the 2020 census and here for more on its impact on the redistricting process in Pennsylvania. **Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here.

See also

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania	Pennsylvania	Municipal government	Other local coverage
2017 Philadelphia elections Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Cities in Pennsylvania	2019 Pennsylvania elections Public policy in Pennsylvania Endorsers in Pennsylvania Pennsylvania	Top counties 100 largest cities Current mayors Current council officials	2019 municipal elections 2019 school board elections 2019 local ballot measure elections 2019 local judicial elections

External links

• Search Google News for this topic
• City of Philadelphia