Nelson Diaz
Nelson Diaz was a 2015 candidate for mayor of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Campaign themes
2015
In a Q&A series with the Philadelphia Inquirer, Diaz gave answers on the following issues. All quotes below are excerpts.[1]
| “ | In addition to increased state aid — which I’ll sue to collect if the state doesn’t include it in the budget — I include seven new local, recurring revenue streams. I would change our tax structure to shift the burden on commercial real estate, put our pension system on sounder financial footing, get mega nonprofits to pay their fair share, amend the tax-abatement process, collect delinquent taxes, expand business hours in Center City, and expand partnerships with community providers.[2] | ” |
| “ | I would eliminate the SRC and replace it with an appointed school board accountable to the mayor for one simple reason: What we’re doing isn’t working, and I want to be responsible for fixing things.[2] | ” |
| “ | Philadelphia needs stronger ethics enforcement. The Office of Inspector General, along with the chief integrity officer, has made good progress in pushing our government to be more functional and ethical.[2] | ” |
| “ | There is no iron law of investing that requires us to get below-market returns. We must do a better job of fund management to ensure the long-term fiscal health of Philadelphia. I believe that by implementing reforms similar to those I helped manage at Exelon, I can solve a third of our funding gap.[2] | ” |
| “ | To start, I would look to address the root causes of gun violence. We need to educate our children and provide them with meaningful employment opportunities. If they see a pathway out of poverty, they will jump at the chance — just like I did. Instead of a generational cycle of entrenched poverty, we’ll create a self-reinforcing cycle that brings crime rates down.[2] | ” |
| “ | As someone who grew up in poverty and got out because I got an education, it pains me that so many people in our city are trapped in a cycle of poverty. Our sky-high poverty rate is an embarrassment. It’s an indictment of our political class and our willingness to accept a deeply dysfunctional status quo.[2] | ” |
| “ | I support the tax reform proposed by Paul Levy, executive director of the Center City District, and Brandywine Realty CEO Jerry Sweeney: shifting from relying on wage and business taxes to commercial property taxes. Such reform would be business-friendly and make the city’s overall tax system much more progressive.[2] | ” |
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.[3] 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.[4]
| 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 | ||||
Recent news
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See also
- Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Philadelphia, Pennsylvania municipal elections, 2015
- United States municipal elections, 2015
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Philadelphia Inquierer, "The Next Mayor 2015," accessed May 8, 2015
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Philadelphia City Commissioners, "Historical Election Results," accessed August 24, 2015
- ↑ Office of the Philadelphia City Commissioners, "Comprehensive Election Calendar," accessed November 17, 2014
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