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REPRINTED FROM THENEXTMAYOR.COMMarch 28, 2007 press release, (submitted via e-mail) |
PRESS Advisory
ACORN Political Action Committee
For Immediate Release
Contact: ACORN PAC
Krista Holub or Ali Kronley
Cell: 267 977 7503 or 267 408 5582
Email: polnat24@acorn.org, paacorn@acorn.org
ACORN PAC Hosts Mayoral Endorsement Forum on Housing, Heat, & Home Repair
Thursday, March 29, 2007 6:30 pm
Bright Hope Baptist Church 12th Street and Cecil B. Moore
Confirmed: Congressman Bob Brady, Congressman Chaka Fattah, Former Councilman Michael Nutter, State Representative Dwight Evans
Also Invited: Tom Knox
ACORN Precinct Action Leaders and Philadelphia voters will fill the historic Bright Hope Baptist Church in North Philadelphia to meet and question the 5 candidates for Mayor on their positions on ACORN’s PeopleFirst Platform for Housing, Heat, and Home Repair. Each candidate will be individually quizzed on Inclusionary Zoning, an efficient and effective home repair grant program, and PGW reconnection programs. The Candidate commitments’ will inform the ACORN PAC endorsement, & ACORN PAC’s May 15th Get out the Vote efforts.
On Nov 7th, 2006, Gwen Coots, ACORN Precinct Leader, knocked on over 100 doors in her division, making sure the infrequent voters she knew got out to the polls to vote. This May, she is planning on doing it again, although her reasons are even more personal. Like so many Philadelphians, Ms. Coots cannot afford the needed repairs in her home. She believes the next Mayor needs to address the housing crisis in the city with strong neighborhood preservation resources, and she plans on making sure her neighbors know which candidate will deliver. On Thursday, Ms. Coots will attend the ACORN Political Action Committee’s Mayoral Candidate Forum to hear how each mayoral candidate plans to address issues of Housing, Heat, & Home Repair. Afterwards, she’ll meet with other ACORN PAC members to vote on the candidate to endorse, and then work to train community members to Get out the Vote for that candidate.
“This isn’t just another candidate stump speech event; at the end of the day we will stand together with the candidate who will stand up for these issues.” says John Moore, ACORN PAC leader and MC for the Forum. “The ACORN endorsement means people power on election day.”
Although open to the community at large, the event has been organized by ACORN Precinct Action Leaders (“PALs”). ACORN PALs represent ACORN's people power on election day; everyone has attended ACORN's Get out the Vote trainings, most were active in identifying infrequent voters on and getting them to the polls on Nov 7th 2006, and all are ready to move their precinct to vote for the ACORN PAC endorsed candidate.
This event is part of ACORN’s PeopleFirst Campaign. The Campaign seeks to increase the investment in Philadelphia’s neighborhoods. ACORN members are looking to endorse the Candidate that can commit to creating 8000 more units of affordable housing, create a new home repair program, and address the high cost of utilities.
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ACORN is the nation's largest community organization of low- and moderate-income families, with over 175,000 member families organized into 800 neighborhood chapters in 80 cities across the country. Since 1970, ACORN has taken action and won victories on issues of concern to our members. Our priorities include: better housing for first time homebuyers and tenants, living wages for low-wage workers, more investment in our communities from banks and governments, and better public schools. We achieve these goals by building community organizations that have the power to win changes -- through direct action, negotiation, legislation, and voter participation. ACORN is an acronym, and each letter should be capitalized. ACORN stands for the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now. ACORN's website is at http://www.acorn.org