On a chilly night in February, a group of young people gathered on the steps of City Hall, armed with hand-painted artwork, prepared speeches, chants and community speakers; the Philly Thrive interns had organized a press conference to support housing justice in Grays Ferry. They were calling on City Council to support affordable housing legislation
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Ahead of the April primary, Grid asked the mayoral candidates for their thoughts on the city’s major sustainability issues. We sent questions about municipal waste, sustainable development, parks and greenspaces, and bicycling infrastructure. Eight candidates responded by our deadline and we published their responses in a special voter’s guide issue. Now, two candidates remain: Republican
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Cherelle Parker served as the 9th district City Councilmember from 2016 until 2022, when she resigned to run for mayor. For 10 years before her term in City Council she served as a state representative. On Parks Funding My campaign has been focused on a vision for making Philadelphia the safest, cleanest, and greenest big
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David Oh served as at-large City Councilmember (Republican) from 2012 to 2023, when he resigned to run for mayor. Oh worked as an attorney before running for City Council and served in the Army National Guard from 1988 to 1992. On Parks Funding The fact that Philadelphia is spending less proportionally of its own budget,
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Anyone who has raised children knows the frustration of watching a kid imitate your worst habits. Maybe you hear them swearing, exactly how you do. Maybe you tell them to get off their phone, and then they catch you checking yours under the table at dinner. Maybe you tell them to eat better, and you
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Today’s the day! Philadelphians are taking to the polls to choose party candidates for mayor, City Council, judges and other elected posts. (It’s also the last day — until the next election cycle, anyway — for the robo-texts, campaign flyers and attack ads. Hooray!) Grid has endorsed Helen Gym in the Democratic mayoral primary race,
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We’re stuck in an ever-growing quagmire under a gridlocked government with no clear solution in sight. As a voting American citizen, I’ve rarely had the opportunity to vote for the person I actually wanted to win. By the time I get to the polls, I’m typically presented with a small number of top candidates. If
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The venue for the Climate Mayoral Forum presented by Green Philly couldn’t have been more fitting. The auditorium of the Academy of Natural Sciences, home to decades of research about dwindling biodiversity and exhibits of extinct animals, was sweltering. The heat on this early April evening served as yet another reminder of how the seasons
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If there’s one thing all Philadelphia’s mayoral candidates can agree on, it’s that Mayor Jim Kenney botched the water crisis that wasn’t. On the heels of a near-crisis that called into question Kenney’s emergency response and the City’s ability to protect its drinking water system, the candidates to succeed Kenney in office gathered Wednesday night
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DeLeon served as a municipal court judge for 34 years before resigning to run for mayor. He worked as an attorney before becoming a judge. On protecting trees and natural spaces My plan to protect Philadelphia’s forests and natural areas from further decline and support the growth of an equitable urban forest for future generations
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Having served as an at-large City Council member since 2016, Green resigned to run for mayor in 2022. He previously served as an attorney, including as special counsel for Councilmember Marian Tasco. On protecting trees and natural spaces Philadelphia established an Urban Forest Strategic Initiative in 2020, which was a crucial step in formalizing efforts
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