Gov. Tom Corbett has nominated Philadelphia City Councilman-at-Large Bill Green to head the School Reform Commission, which seems to be a somewhat-controversial decision.
As journalist Tom Ferrick writes about the move on AxisPhilly, “So far, I have found only two people who were delighted with the decision. One is Gov. Corbett. The other is Bill Green.”
While others have their reasons for opposing the move, we in the LGBT community are just pleased to have Green move along. In what many might call his exit interview from City Council (he still has to be confirmed by the state Senate) before resigning, he told the Philadelphia Inquirer last Sunday that one of his major achievements was his support of LGBT rights.
Many of us in the LGBT community might challenge that, and that challenge would stem from one vote. Last year, Councilman-at-Large Jim Kenney introduced the nation’s most comprehensive LGBT-rights legislation. It updated current nondiscrimination legislation and offered first-in-the-nation tax credits for companies that provide trans-inclusive health-care coverage and domestic-partner benefits, as well as a host of other trans-focused reforms. The LGBT community was very invested in this legislation, which passed overwhelmingly. But Green has the distinction of being the only Democrat on Council to vote against it. If Green wishes to have a political life after the SRC, he needs to make amends with the LGBT community.
But this column is not about Green or the SRC. This is about who should replace him on Council. And, thus far, there is no LGBT presence on City Council.
There most likely will be a special election to replace Green’s at-Large seat. Special elections are all about party control. And in this case, there is almost a consensus around two candidates at present. Neither is LGBT, and we continue to wonder why a political party that has counted on our community support for years has not supported an LGBT candidate for Council. Well, the chances for it happening this time are not good, as a party election — which this will be — is used to clean up some party mess, and that mess is an inter-party fight in the Northeast. So expect a ward-leader candidate. (If that fight in the Northeast does not materialize, and other communities start putting in candidates, then at that point we should revisit the idea of running an LGBT candidate.)
That leaves the LGBT community out in the cold again. The good news is that party leaders have clearly heard us. And in the next Council race, we expect that one of the at-Large Democratic candidates for Council will be LGBT. This community has the power to make that a reality. All one has to do is look at the nine LGBT people who ran and won citywide races. Use Common Pleas Court Judges Ann Butchart and Dan Anders as examples. Our community knows how to raise the funds and get support from numerous communities and ward leaders.
The point is, this seat is not the opportunity.
Which takes us back to Bill Green. We wish you well in your new position. After all, it’s about Philadelphia’s future, our children.
Mark Segal, PGN publisher, is the nation’s most-award-winning commentator in LGBT media. He can be reached at [email protected].