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REPRINTED FROM THENEXTMAYOR.COMJan. 25, 2007 press release, (submitted via e-mail) |
Thursday, January 25th, 2007
LAUNCHES MAYORAL BID FOR SAFER STREETS, BETTER SCHOOLS, LOWER TAXES
(PHILADELPHIA) — Offering a deep resumé and focused vision for the city he has served his whole life, Congressman Bob Brady today announced that he will run for Mayor of Philadelphia, saying that the elections four months from now are a unique opportunity for the community to choose a new direction and positive change.”Don’t lose hope,” Brady told an enthusiastic crowd of supporters gathered at the Pennsylvania Convention Center, “Help is on the way.”
Brady said that his campaign will be issues-based and focused on rallying public support for his agenda of making city streets safer, public schools more accountable, and the tax burden lower.
“On Day One of a Brady administration, we will begin to reclaim our streets,” Brady said, announcing a plan to deploy one thousand additional police officers during his four years as Mayor, with the resources they need to get the job done. “My goal is simple and straightforward — put more police into neighborhoods to respond faster to calls, target repeat offenders, and stop the violence.”
Brady also called for creation of a cabinet-level position to coordinate faith-based initiatives among churches, mosques, and synagogues in support of community-based policing efforts and job-training programs.
“We have to get tough on crime and tough on the causes of crime,” Brady said.
In addition, Brady said he will work to protect the right, for every child in Philadelphia, to a school that works.
“On Day One of a Brady administration, we will implement a comprehensive approach to hold everyone accountable,” Brady said, citing the successful SchoolStat program that tracks test scores, truancy, and school violence. “Once we’ve built accountability into our schools, I will personally go to Harrisburg and Washington, D.C. to get the resources we need to lower class sizes, expand after-school programs, and return to you a generation of productive citizens who can turn our city around.”
Brady said his plan will use a series of report cards to let parents know which schools are succeeding and which are failing, as well as keeping schools, police, social service agencies, and the courts informed of the names of students who are not showing up for class and the parents responsible for them.
“If we get education right, everything else will follow,” Brady said. “If we get it wrong, not much else will matter.”
In addition, Brady said he will work to cut taxes, noting that the current tax burden has driven businesses and residents to move to the suburbs and beyond.
“On Day One of a Brady administration, we will begin an aggressive campaign to eliminate the Business Privilege Tax and cut the City Wage Tax,” Brady said. “My agenda for fighting street violence and turning around our schools can only be achieved if our economy grows to provide more opportunity and jobs.”
Brady said he will ask his campaign chairman and friend, Jonathan Saidel, to lead the effort. The successful former city controller will be at Brady’s side every step of the way, Brady said.
“Philadelphia doesn’t need any more 25-point plans to improve the job climate,” Brady said. “Just a good idea and the strength and experience to make it happen.”
Brady said he will also move to protect working men and women from financial institutions that prey on them through predatory lending and foreclosures, an effort he has spearheaded as a Congressman on behalf of military personnel serving overseas. He said he will coordinate with the City Solicitor and Public Advocate to work with financial institutions that do not engage in these practices and help develop small, longer-term unsecured loans for working families.
“As we move to lower the tax burden for all Philadelphians, we must protect the most vulnerable among us,” Brady said.
A veteran community leader known for his consensus-building skills, Brady has represented Pennsylvania’s First Congressional District for nearly a decade. The district includes portions of South Philadelphia, West Philadelphia, North Philadelphia, Northeast Philadelphia, Southwest Philadelphia, Northwest Philadelphia, Center City, and parts of Delaware County.
The son of a police officer, Brady was born and raised in Philadelphia, graduated from St. Thomas More High School, worked as a carpenter, and has held a wide range of leadership positions, from Deputy Mayor for Labor in the administration of Philadelphia Mayor W. Wilson Goode to the Board of Directors of the Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority.
In Congress, Brady increased Philadelphia’s share of available federal funds for vocational and technical instruction programs, local infrastructure improvements, and national security projects such as the designation of the Port of Philadelphia as a militarily strategic facility.
Brady said his seasoned experience will help him fight for common ground to build a future of progress and prosperity in Philadelphia, and he called on Philadelphians to unite behind his campaign for a new direction and a positive change.
“Let’s fight together for a city smart enough to guarantee economic opportunity and a living wage to all its citizens, a city that cares enough to hold its schools accountable and its parents responsible, a city tough enough to replace fear with hope in all our neighborhoods,” Brady said.
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