Can Philly Fix Itself?
The answer is no, unless more people get involved. And yes: That means you.
get involved
When I was a little kid, I loved The Little Engine That Could. In that famous story, a tiny little engine's trying to get up a big hill, and it's not sure if it can, but it tries and tries, and finally, it gets over that hill.
Philadelphia is not the Little Engine That Could.
This city does not approach hills with an "I think I can!" attitude. Instead, it more often than not approaches challenges by saying, "We're getting there!" We can do better, but it's going to require more of us getting involved in changing the political workings of our city.
For many of us, the start of the war in 2003 and the 2004 election were turning points. In response to a clear-and-present danger from the radical right wing, everyday people were encouraged to stop treating elections like a spectator sport, and get involved in making change happen. So why don't more of us bring the same enthusiasm to local politics?
Nowhere is the lack of interest in the local political process more evident than the current mayoral race. There are five major candidates, all pledging to make big changes and end corruption in politics. Despite those promises, the last three polls have shown an increase in the number of undecided voters, and I think that increasing indecision is proof that a lot of Philadelphians just don't have enough information or faith in our government to make a decision or care about what direction our city should be headed.
In fact, less than 40 percent of Philadelphia's registered voters are likely to turn out to vote at all.
Of course, some folks are passionately supporting one candidate or another. However, the differences among the candidates, as important as they may be to their supporters, are clearly not that important to the majority of Philadelphians.
For many, Philadelphia politics seems seedy, corrupt and impenetrable. Yet, among those of us younger folks who have stayed involved since 2004, there's been a slow realization that getting on the "inside" of Philly politics isn't all that difficult.
If we knock on enough doors, if we make enough phone calls, and if we talk about the real issues, we can have an impact. However, real change is not going to happen with one election. There is a missing ingredient for long-term change: you.
So, how do you get involved?
First and foremost, more of us need to understand and get excited about the capacity City Hall has to effect change. From improving our environment to reducing poverty, from improving education to expanding SEPTA, City Hall can impact our daily lives in real and concrete ways. Once you truly believe that local government can make a difference, you have to make sure the right people get elected, and that when they do, you must continue to hold them accountable.
Luckily, the doors to the political process are open wider than ever before, especially in some nontraditional ways. But getting involved in making political change happen is a personal choice.
I realized that outside-the-party groups — like MoveOn.org, for whom I worked, and Philadelphians Against Santorum, which I founded — made it a lot more fun to work on elections and seemed much more effective than going to the Democratic Party. My friend Dan Urevick-Ackelsberg went a different route after the presidential election and founded youngphillypolitics.com, a blog where anyone can share ideas, gather information about the process and sometimes even influence local political leaders.
My friend Jen Murphy took yet a third route and took over leadership of the former Dean-iacs in the form of a group called Philly for Change, which was, and is, focused on electing everyday people into office, rather than a self-selected political elite.
What Jen, Dan and I did is not what you have to do.
Whether you are a tea-cher, an artist, a sanitation worker, an investment banker, a lawyer or a bartender, there are ways that you can contribute to improving our city's civic and political life. In many ways, it's as easy as turning on your computer, walking down your block or grabbing a beer at a Philly for Change meet-up.
But if those don't work for you, then do something else. It doesn't have to be going to a meeting or joining a committee, but as long as we continue to rely on other people to solve our problems, instead of thinking creatively about what each and every one us can offer, our city won't move forward.
With your help, Philadelphia can change from a city that collectively groans "We can't" into a place that thinks it can. And does.
Ray Murphy, who has worked on Chaka Fattah's campaign this election cycle, is an occasional City Paper contributor and story subject.
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