Is Allan Domb Running for Mayor?

Is Allan Domb Running for Mayor?

And other speculations from the political form as ballot season revs up

February. 22, 2019

Yesterday, City Councilman Allan Domb introduced a long-overdue resolution to bring term limits to Metropolis Council . Every bit I noted last month, imposing term limits on career politicians has been trending throughout the land. Here, we're the only large city in America that term limits our mayor and non the legislative trunk he has to work with. Moreover, in the last 35 years, only 13 incumbent Council members who had served a total iv-year term in Philly have lost their seats to a challenger. We don't have elections. We have coronations.

Domb's resolution grandfathers in current members and would limit all newly-elected ones to three four-yr terms of service. No fewer than seven current Council members would be prohibited from seeking reelection this fourth dimension around had such limits been in effect when they were first voted into office.

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But before you start to think there'due south a populist wave coming to Moscow on the Delaware, boring your roll. Domb'southward resolution needs 12 votes from Council to go on the May ballot equally a voter referendum. And that own't happening. Domb got the support of two colleagues—Marking Squilla and Helen Gym—as cosponsors, and at least v other Council members have already rejected the idea out of hand.

But this is a significant moment yet. One, because subjecting Quango to term limits is a serious policy proposal from a torso that has yet to agree a hearing on our pension crisis but saw fit to pass a resolution disallowment R. Kelly from our city limits. And, 2: Because it gives Domb a prominent outcome.

Before this week, Domb held a successful fundraiser, and ane Metropolis Hall insider speculated that, afterward the John Dougherty indictment , Kenney might be vulnerable to a challenge past a self-funder like Domb.

In the last few days, I started hearing rumblings that Domb was seriously considering challenging Mayor Kenney in May'southward primary. Before this week, he held a successful fundraiser, and one Metropolis Hall insider speculated that, after the John Dougherty indictment , Kenney might be vulnerable to a challenge by a self-funder like Domb, provided an independent expenditure group comes forth to blanket the airwaves with negative Kenney ads.

Then, once Kenney's poll numbers come down—his name recognition is quite loftier, every bit you lot'd suspect—the self-funder could take the high road and run a thoughtful campaign that addresses the issues Kenney is vulnerable on with different groups throughout the urban center: Poverty, an exploding murder rate, ever-increasing taxes, cease-and-frisk, sanctuary cities, safe-injection, the Rizzo statue.

Then again, this is Philly, where incumbents don't lose. We once had a mayor who dropped a bomb on a neighborhood in the city, and he got re-elected. Merely change is in the air more than ever earlier, as the 2022 elections of Larry Krasner and Rebecca Rhynhart illustrated. Is this Domb's moment? With the election all of three months away, we'll soon find out if Domb will take the guts to swoop in.

Remember, Domb would take to resign to run, which just may be the type of swashbuckling move the electorate wants to run across. At that place's a precedent: Dorsum in 2007, then-Councilman Michael Nutter resigned his Council seat and bet it all on winning the Democratic primary when Chaka Fattah, now on vacation in an orangish jumpsuit, looked like a shoo-in. Granted, that was an open seat, but that move lone helped raise Nutter'south stature. Voters, information technology turns out, want to vote for candidates who say WTF and don't hold their fingers to the wind.

So let's game out this race. Permit's say Alan Butkovitz, Tony Williams and Domb all challenge Kenney. Butko is already appear, and I'm told Williams volition announce by the end of the month. Starting time, permit'south interruption and acknowledge how cool it is to exist talking most having a competitive main when an incumbent is running for reelection. A public debate around a vision for Philadelphia is nothing but good for our borough health, and it will exist good for Kenney if he emerges victorious. Second: Who gets what votes?

Allow'south pause and acknowledge how cool it is to be talking about having a competitive chief when an incumbent is running for reelection. A public argue around a vision for Philadelphia is aught but good for our civic health, and it volition be practiced for Kenney if he emerges victorious.

Let's stipulate that any reelection is a referendum on the incumbent, and that Kenney'south poll numbers are respectable, somewhere in the mid to high 50s, I'one thousand told. He has loftier name ID and is generally well-liked. Merely what happens if the negative ads get-go running? I keep coming back to not knowing precisely where Kenney's base of operations is, especially at present that Dougherty might not be able to deliver for him as in the past.

Remember, in 2015, with the endorsement of Dwight Evans and Marian Tasco, Kenney got more blackness votes than Tony Williams. Does he hang onto them, after not making a dent in the poverty charge per unit, afterwards not curtailing stop-and-frisk, as he'd pledged, and after posting a subpar minority hiring tape inside City Hall? It's likely that black political leaders like Evans and Tasco will agree their noses and support Kenney, because what they really want is someone like Cherelle Parker to become mayor in 2023. Just what will the everyday African-American voter do? Has Jim Kenney made his or her life appreciably better, enough to rehire him?

Kenney performed decently in Center City and University City in 2015, only that's probable where Domb will be strongest. In South Philly—what was one time Kenney's base—the revenue enhancement increases, property assessments, and his talk of moving the Rizzo statue may have all hurt the mayor. Remember, his hand-picked candidate for Congress, Rich Lazer, underperformed at that place en route to a decisive loss. In Due south Philly and in the Northeast, can Butkovitz pick off enough working class votes to depress Kenney's totals?

As he faces the prospect of a real claiming, does Jim Kenney really desire to be mayor? He frequently tells consummate strangers how much he hates the chore. Now he just might have to fight like hell to continue a job he sure spends a lot of time complaining about.

It's hard to get a handle on how this field will play out, but this much seems clear: Domb and Butkovitz are probable to attract votes that, were they non in the race, would probably go for Kenney. And Tony Williams is likely to concenter votes that, were he not in the race, would likewise probably default to Kenney.

That's why this reelection is so dicey for the Mayor. And and then there's this: Equally he faces the prospect of a real challenge, does Jim Kenney really desire to be mayor? He frequently tells consummate strangers how much he hates the job. At present he just might accept to fight similar hell to keep a job he sure spends a lot of time lament about.

Permit's not forget Williams. Past his own admission, the State Senator ran a desultory entrada in 2015. Expect him to be more aggressive this fourth dimension out. Before this week, his spokeswoman, the wily Barbara Grant, released a politically clever statement: "Senator Anthony Williams will non take donations from Local 98 or whatsoever persons identified as co-conspirators in the indictment," she said. "Receiving contributions from sources charged with this kind of corruption simply gives citizens more reason to distrust leaders charged with protecting the public involvement."

I hear that i of the sharpest political minds in our city has cleaved from Kenney and is advising the Williams entrada. Remarkably, old Mayor John Street never lost an election—and Grant'southward statement reminded me of a Street chess motility. In an effort to squeeze Kenney's coffers, Williams is trying to shame the Mayor into non accepting Local 98 money.

Fasten your seat belts. This could get interesting.

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Source: https://thephiladelphiacitizen.org/is-allan-domb-running-for-mayor/

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