David's Plan

Crime – and what to do about it – is the number one issue that confronts our city. Contributing issues and policies of the Mayor and District Attorney that ignore illegal guns, minor crime, illegal drugs, and violations of public safety. This has led to the escalation of violent crimes including homicides, shootings, assaults, carjackings, home invasions, robberies, and reckless driving. The “Defund the Police” movement has negatively impacted peace and order in Philadelphia. We must fully staff the Police Department and rebuild it into one of the finest departments in the nation.

All criminal and public safety laws must be enforced. Minimal bail determinations, lenient sentencing, and ineffective criminal prosecutions have created a revolving door policy that releases repeat offenders back into our communities. To keep everyone safe from crime, peacekeeping requires many team players with a collective focus of delivering this vital public service.

I have visited every Police District in our city and met with victims, witnesses, and family members.  Calls to 911 must be answered immediately and when needed, officers dispatched to the scene as soon as possible. Responding officers must offer intelligent, courteous and responsive services.

Every Philadelphian should feel confident about safety in our city, so that all can enjoy what Philadelphia has to offer.

To ensure that our neighborhoods, schools, recreation areas, public gathering spaces, public transportation and commercial areas are peaceful and safe, I will promote the following:

• Regular patrolling and a visible presence from courteous, well-trained and
  responsive law enforcement personnel with a focus on crime “hot spots”
• A well-equipped law-enforcement community with the best and most up-to-
  date technology to ensure faster and appropriate response
• A strategy of community-oriented policing based on a partnership between
  stakeholders and law enforcement that ensures a focused public service
  approach to peacekeeping
• Intelligent criminal justice reform that ensures proper evidence, initiates the
  process, and is employed when determining the outcome
• Use all means available to increase the number of sworn officers to the currently allowed total force value.
• Evaluate PPD’s forensic capability with respect to workspace and technology currently available

As Philadelphia Mayor, I will utilize my extensive experience of serving as Asst. District Attorney, Policy Advisory Commission Member, Crime Prevention Association Board Member, and private attorney who has defended and prosecuted hundreds of felony and misdemeanor criminal cases.

A quality education is the best way to unlock the potential of our people and create a better city, now and in the future. A sound educational system is one criteria evaluated by employers as to whether they will locate their business in Philadelphia. An effective educational system has the potential to reduce crime, depression, drug addiction and a variety of other ills that plague our city. 

Philadelphia students are one to two years behind age and grade level because of COVID. Newspapers report that 36 % of Philadelphia students are reading at grade level, and 22 % are math proficient. As Mayor, I will support the superintendent’s incredible challenge to develop and implement a focused learning program to help students adversely impacted by virtual learning during COVID.

Parents must have a greater voice in selecting the school board in Philadelphia. I
proposed legislation for a model school board where five of the nine members
would be elected by the general population. As Mayor, I will continue advocating for
elected board members to better represent the concerns of specific areas of the
city. 

As Mayor, I will work tirelessly with educational stakeholders so that

• Parents have a voice when it comes to their children’s education
• City resources are utilized to support and supplement educational initiatives
  to facilitate the growth of skills and academic achievement
• Bridges are built between the community and our schools so that teachers
  are better supported in the work that they do
• Steer efforts for increased transparency and accountability for all educational stakeholders involved in the learning outcomes of our children
• Support the superintendent in improving the overall district infrastructure and remediate safety related problems
• Request the school district to conduct a review of COVID and other federal and state funding available or unused to help improve infrastructure and conduct remedial activities

Philadelphia’s children need leaders who will nurture their learning potential. My
ceaseless efforts have demonstrated that I answer this call – from fighting for local
control of our schools to advocating for parental rights by holding hearings about
educational processes – I stand in the gap as a bridge builder for the academic
achievement and well-being of our children.

Pennsylvania was one of the four states in the US most economically affected by
COVID’s business impact. Governor Wolf’s business closure policy was applied
inequitably and had a significant effect on our city, especially on small businesses.

Increasing the economic activity of private industries in Philadelphia can have a
significant, positive impact. Philadelphia businesses are the backbone of our city’s
economy. In addition, taxes from business activity comprise a significant portion of
the city’s revenue base. Increased business activity means more people working
and increased business tax revenue. This allows the municipal government to
lower the tax burden on the individual citizen.

I will lead the charge to:

• End the era of top-down control through mandates and costly regulations
  that stifle and shutter small businesses; measure the economic impact on
  businesses of every new regulation
• Spur infrastructure renovation in our city to attract employers and investors
• Invite entrepreneurs and business owners to bring their services and
  products to Philadelphia, including those associated with the global economy
• Stimulate a renaissance of increased job growth for Philadelphians by attracting new businesses and promoting increased economic activity

As Philadelphia Mayor, I will utilize my experience of promoting increased
economic activity, decreasing taxes, prompting job growth, and championing fair
workplace practices for employees.

Criminal activity is deterred when a city is clean and orderly. Abandoned buildings,
vacant lots, and dilapidated public spaces invite mayhem, instead of a sense of
ownership, community, and pride in calling Philly a hometown. The city budget has money allocated for renovation and maintenance, and its proper execution must be vigorously pursued. One of the most important functions of City Government is to ensure that the
public is safe from fires, hazards, defective conditions and other dangers, disasters
and emergencies.

As Mayor, I will facilitate:

• Foster improving our overall city infrastructure
• Focus on operating city agencies as public services that are service oriented
  and create a confidence in Philadelphia residents that they are receiving
  proper government services
• Create a pilot program that creates a “Trash Force” that will target those
  areas and neighborhoods for clean-up that are adversely affected by the
  accumulation of trash and debris. New positions will be created in the streets department for the unemployed.

I’m enthusiastic about improving Philadelphia so that it is thriving with people and
city spaces that are enjoyable and safe. This determined mindset is evident from
my history of creating a tax credit for employers who hire veterans, advocating for
funding to enable affordable housing, spearheading legislation that increased
penalties for illegal dumping, and introducing a bill that prohibited safe injection
sites from opening without community input.

City Government should never collect more taxes than it needs for effective operation.  Approved budgets must allocate revenue wisely and carefully. Otherwise, excessive taxes intended for the public good have the potential to be misused, and in certain cases, invite misuse and corruption.  Philadelphia has a high, complicated, and fluid tax structure that is unattractive to both business and its citizens.

During the current administration’s seven year tenure, the city’s annual budget has
increased over $1.5B from the last budget of the prior administration which was set
at $4B annually. Despite this increase, pressure to “Defund the Police” adversely
affected the PPD budget during at least one budget cycle. Libraries and Parks and
Recreation continue to struggle to receive adequate funding. Library hours in the
city remain limited on weekends. The focus of the budget needs to be critically
evaluated every cycle.

The Controller has issued numerous reports during the current administration
indicating the difficulty of tracking and accounting for administrative spending.

As Philadelphia Mayor I will guide the following:

• Defined expectations for transparency with regard to the budgetary process
• Decreased regulatory burden for small businesses and investors
• Lowering and considering eliminating certain taxes to create an optimal tax
  structure that will produce greater revenue
• Increased accountability and accountability with respect to expenditure of
  taxpayer funds

I’m eager to apply my record of performance in galvanizing business expansion in
our city, fighting tax increases, and serving as a critical advocate for responsible
budgetary funding.