On April 8 and April 9, Liberty City LGBTQ Democratic Club held their Candidate Nights for local politicians running for various offices in the upcoming May 20 primaries. The April 8 event was held at Church of Saint Luke & The Epiphany, and the April 9 event was held at William Way LGBT Community Center.
Over the two nights, 18 candidates made their case for Liberty City’s endorsement for positions as judge of Municipal Court, the Court of Common Pleas, and Commonwealth Court, as well as City Controller and District Attorney.
The candidates vying for judge of the Court of Common Pleas were Deborah Watson-Stokes, Kia Ghee, Sarah Jones, Larry Farnese, Irina Erlich, Brian Kisielewski, Will Braverman, Leon King and Anthony Stefanski.
The choices for Municipal Court were Amanda Davidson, Shawn Page, Qawi Abdul-Rahman, Cortez Patton and Sherrie Cohen.
The single candidate for Commonwealth Court to show was Stella Tsai.
The race for District Attorney was represented by Larry Krasner, the current DA, and his opponent, Pat Dugan.
Also appearing was Christy Brady, the current City Controller who is seeking reelection and is running unopposed in the primary election.
The speakers were allowed time to tell the Liberty City members about themselves, their background and experience, and why they should be their choice for endorsement. The floor was then opened for questions.
All of the speakers emphasized their commitment to fairness, justice, representation and civil rights, expressing their history and continuing commitment to being an ally of the LGBTQ+ community.
For instance, Stella Tsai said, “I care very much about protecting rights.” Deborah Watson-Stokes said, “It’s important that people are heard.” While Shawn Page said, “There is no place in the law for discrimination.”
Common refrains from all the speakers were “Representation matters”; “Equity is important”; and “I’m a proud ally for the LGBTQ community.”
Two of the speakers, Sherrie Cohen and Leon King, spoke of their pride at being open members of the LGBTQ+ community.
Many of the speakers stressed how their background uniquely prepared them for the jobs they’re seeking. Irena Erlich and Stella Tsai spoke of their experiences as immigrants. Deborah Watson-Stokes spoke of her background coming from a union family. “I was unpin-born and union-bred,” she said. “It was how I learned it was important to stand up for someone who couldn’t stand up for himself.”
Christy Brady, who is running for reelection as City Controller, was asked about the impacts of the Trump administration’s funding cuts on the city, and how she would address them. She assured the members that federal funding for the current year was in place. But, she added, “next year, it’s anybody’s guess what they’re going to do.” She also emphasized, “We’re going to continue to actively look for minority companies for city contracts.”
Stella Tsai explained that the Commonwealth Court plays a crucial role because lawsuits involving state election laws and procedures are decided there.
Perhaps the most spirited speakers were the candidates for District Attorney. When questioned about the issue of deportations, Krasner said plainly, “I intend to make sure that in Philadelphia, ICE functions within the law.” Dugan was even more blunt, saying an important part of his function as DA would be to “push back against the clown in Washington DC.”
The entire proceedings were cordial, even convivial, except one moment when a Liberty City board member asked Qawi Abdul-Rahman about a legal matter involving his son and the community. The question involved an incident in 2023 when Abdul-Rahman’s son, Muhyyee-Ud-Din Abdul-Rahman, was arrested and accused of plotting a terrorist attack on Philadelphia’s Pride parade. According to the report by the Associated Press, Abdul-Rahman’s son allegedly possessed bomb-making materials and had ties to extremist groups.
Abdul-Rahman declined to address the question. When the Liberty City board member repeated his question, saying, “You know we have to ask this question,” Abdul-Rahman replied again, “I’m not going to address this question.” He went on to stress that the matter of his son was not relevant to his campaign for judge, adding that he has family members who are LGBTQ.
Abdul-Rahman, a former public defender, was one of two judicial candidates (the other being Sherrie Cohen) at the Liberty City event that has not received an endorsement by the Philadelphia Democratic City Committee and/or a recommendation by the Philadelphia Bar Association.
Liberty City’s membership endorsement ratification is scheduled for April 22. The organization encourages interested people to join Liberty City, as only dues-paying members may vote on endorsements.
For more information, visit libertycity.org.
