Philadelphians will head to the polls Nov. 3 to elect the city’s next mayor. PGN spoke with both candidates about what type of LGBT leadership they would bring to the office, if elected.
Jim Kenney (D)
Jim Kenney considers poverty one of the biggest challenges facing Philadelphia. The Democratic nominee for mayor noted special challenges that need to be addressed for LGBT residents living in poverty.
“Many shelters turn away transgender individuals and some domestic-violence shelters also do not accept victims involved in LGBT relationships,” Kenney wrote in an email to PGN. He said he would require any shelter that receives city funding to make accommodations for LGBT individuals.
Kenney, who grew up in South Philadelphia and now lives in Old City, served 23 years on City Council. He stepped down in January to run for mayor.
He told PGN, if elected, he would like to continue to support LGBT affordable housing, as he did with the John C. Anderson Apartments. He said that model could be expanded to other neighborhoods, he said.
As far as city legislation that would impact the LGBT community, Kenney said he would like to focus on police relations and the Philadelphia Commission on Human Relations, with a budget boost for the latter to allow more staffers to better investigate and enforce the Fair Practices Ordinance. He believes the increased funding will pay for itself through fines levied due to investigations.
Kenney said Deputy Commissioner Kevin Bethel, the police department’s outgoing LGBT liaison, has made great strides in building relationships, but there is still room for improvement, particularly with the transgender community.
“The city’s policies regarding the detention of any individual, whether a youth or adult, must be thoughtfully crafted to ensure that LGBT individuals are placed in a safe environment,” Kenney wrote.
“I will work to make sure that all police officers are trained and re-trained to respect the rights of transgender individuals,” he added, “and also that there is a fair disciplinary system that allows community members to know that their complaints will be accepted and investigated, not just left to sit on someone’s desk for weeks and months.”
He said he would support an independent review board to investigate claims of unfair treatment.
When Philadelphia residents come to the polls, they will also be asked to vote on whether to amend the city charter to stipulate the permanent existence of the Office of LGBT Affairs, which was established in 2008. Kenney said, if elected, he will maintain the office, regardless of the outcome of the ballot question.
Other policies Kenney would support as mayor include working with school stakeholders to create the best programs to end bullying of LGBT students and creating an LGBT homelessness taskforce. He added he would encourage state legislators to enact the Pennsylvania Fairness Act.
With respect to staffing, Kenney wrote he would ensure that his administration “reflects the diversity of the city and includes the best and brightest from every community.” He did not note any specific recruitment plans yet.
Melissa Murray Bailey (R)
Melissa Murray Bailey, who registered as a Republican at the beginning of the year, considers it part of her campaign for mayor of Philadelphia to educate voters on the evolution of the party.
“People think you can’t be a Republican and care about people,” she told PGN. “If you listen at all to my platform, it’s all about helping people, the people who are most disadvantaged in this city.”
Her top-three priorities include education reform, economic growth and neighborhood safety.
“I think a lot of LGBT voters have the same concerns as many people in the city,” Bailey added. “They want to make sure their kids go to great schools and make sure there are fair opportunities for everyone in the city, no matter their socioeconomic status, no matter their race, their color or their sexual preference.”
“Along with that goes nondiscrimination in jobs and applications for jobs,” she said. “We have so many groups within the city who are discriminated against and we just accept that. That’s not acceptable for me. I will represent all Philadelphians.”
Bailey, previously a Democrat, grew up in Absecon, N.J., with public-school-teacher parents. She lives with her husband, Sean, and their daughter Cricket, 4, in Society Hill. She and her husband are active with the School District of Philadelphia. They plan to enroll their daughter in public school.
Bailey is a political outsider, having built a career in the corporate world. She currently works for the global branding firm Universum and runs operations in the United States, Canada and eight countries in Latin America.
After a conversation last fall with a friend, Bailey realized there were things she wanted to improve in Philadelphia, but said she felt uninspired by many of the people stepping up to run for mayor.
Bailey noted a “pay-to-play environment” that she didn’t like. She describes herself as a fiscal conservative and said she would like to revamp the tax structure to make it more attractive for companies to set up shop here and offer breaks to residents.
As far as policies to support the LGBT community, Bailey said she’s proud of the rights guaranteed to LGBT residents under Philadelphia law. She said she would like to push for the Pennsylvania Fairness Act to pass at the state level.
She supports anti-bullying programs in schools and would like to institute more programming between the hours of 3-6 p.m., when youth violence triples, to keep kids engaged with each other and out of trouble.
At the polls, voters will also have to decide whether to amend the city charter to stipulate the permanent existence of the city Office of LGBT Affairs. Bailey said, regardless of the outcome of the vote, she believes equality is crucial.
In case the ballot question does not pass, Bailey said, “I would take guidance and look for the best way to incorporate inclusion and diversity into the mayor’s office.”
Bailey said she would like to hire people with diverse backgrounds to her administration, but has no specific recruitment plans yet for LGBT people or others.