10 vying for seven at-large positions on City Council

Across the city, all voters will vote for one council member representing their district and for all ten at-large candidates. Around the University, voters will choose a council member for the 3rd District as well as vote on the at-large candidates. The seven top vote-getters among the five Democrats and five Republican at-large candidates will take seats in the next City Council. Philadelphia's strong Democratic base traditionally elects all five nominated Democrats, leaving two spots for Republicans. The two incumbent Republicans, Thacher Longstreth and Joan Specter, have been campaigning fairly heavily in recent weeks in light of strong competition for their seats. Augusta Clark, Democrat Three-term City Council Member Augusta Clark is a long-time supporter of issues affecting children in Philadelphia. Juliet Sawyer, an assistant to Clark, said that the Council member, who has two children of her own, has put a lot of effort into education issues. She also strongly supports youth and homeless issues. Clark is also a proponent of reasonable budgets and is hesitant to raise new taxes, Sawyer said. Sawyer said that Clark supports cultural events and institutions. Clark has a wide array of professional and civic activities, including her participation as a board member of National Black Women's Political Congress, Franklin Institute,and Philadelphia Bar Association Foundation. She is also a founding member of Yorktown Civic Organization and the Vice-Chair of the Board for the Greater Philadelphia Center for Community Corrections. She holds a master's degree in Library Science from Drexel University as well as a law degree from Temple University Law School. David Cohen, Democrat An attorney, David Cohen has held public office intermittently since 1968, when he was elected Council member of the 8th District. The Democrat resigned three years later to pursue what would be an unsuccessful mayoral campaign. In 1979, he was elected Council Member-at-Large, a position that he still retains. As an incumbent, he enters Tuesday's elections with most of his concerns tied to what he described as "the financial viability of the city." Cohen said he fears that state control over city functions is expanding, which he fears could lead to curtailment of basic services, including "the most elementary health services." Cohen said he sees his main purpose as Councilman as "fighting against the minimization of urban government, which has reached a deplorable level." Also, Cohen said that he favors retaining the current method of garbage collection, rather than contracting out collection to private firms. He said that he was instrumental in changing the work rules that the trash collector's union now follows, which saves the city between $15 and $20 million per year. As for trash disposal contracts, Cohen said he is calling for renegotiation because they were signed "under duress." "[The government] was battered about by the fear that trash would pile up in the city," he said. David Cohen is a graduate of the University's School of Education and Law School. Happy Fernandez, Democrat Democratic City Council at-large candidate Happy Fernandez considers herself to be "progressive on social issues such as education, child-care, and housing and conservative on fiscal matters." She said that she feels her academic background coupled with her extensive community involvement make her qualified for a position on City Council. Fernandez, whose headquarters are located on 40th and Chestnut streets, is currently a professor in the School of Social Administration at Temple. She founded several educational organizations such as the Parents' Union for Public Schools, the National Coalition of Advocates for Students and the Council on Educational Priorities. And she has served on numerous committees dedicated to the improvement of education and child-care in Philadelphia. In addition, she has been active in the battle against drugs. Fernandez said that she believes it is important to focus on cleaning up neighborhoods in an attempt to battle the problems facing Philadelphia today. She received her bachelor's degree from Wellesley College, a master's in Teaching from Harvard University, a master's in History from the University, and a Doctorate in Urban Education from Temple University. James Kenney, Democrat James Kenney, a 33-year-old native Philadelphian, is running as a Democratic challenger for a City Council at-large street. Kenney has spent nearly all of his life in Philadelphia, and said he decided to run for City Council after realizing how many of his friends were leaving Philadelphia to live in other cities. He said he wants to "stem this tide of human and natural resources leaving our area." Kenney calls this problem the result of the "trickle down effect of the Reagan era." He added that he is particularly concerned about Philadelphia's fiscal difficulties. He charges that the current administration misused tax money, saying, "We have effectively disenfranchised the people who pay the bills . . . We have to give taxpayers the impression that they are getting something for their tax dollars." Philadelphia's tax revenue would be better spent on solving Philadelphia's societal problems, Kenney said. He expressed a particular concern about two predominant urban ailments -- homelessness and AIDS. Kenney also complained about the workings of the City Council itself. "The people who scream the loudest get their way," Kenney said. "The playing of the crowd by Council people has to stop -- politics is not a football game." Kenney received his bachelor's degree in Political Science from La Salle University. T. Longstreth, Republican Philadelphia Magazine's August "Best of Philly" issue called City Council at-large member Thacher Longstreth the city's "Most Ubiquitous Person." Despite his old-Philadelphia, WASPy appearance, Longstreth -- a 1941 Princeton University graduate -- has aligned himself with virtually every special-interest group in the city during his three non-consecutive terms in City Council. Longstreth has held the Presidencies of the Urban League, the United Negro College Fund, and the Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce and has been the Representative of Israel Bonds. On the local business front, Longstreth has most recently served as President and CEO of Chipa, Inc., a small consulting firm, and as Vice Chairman of Packquisition Corp. In City Council, Longstreth serves on the Appropriations, Economic Development and Commerce Committees. Longstreth's long resume overshadows the list of legislation he has pushed through City Council. He initiated a bill which would have provided tax credits for corporations that provide daycare which was not passed. He also initiated a long-range solid waste proposal which aims to save the city $400 million in twenty years. He serves on the Committee on Fiscal Stability and Intergovernmental Cooperation, which created PICA, the state's financial oversight board. Angel Ortiz, Democrat Incumbent Democratic City Council Member Angel Ortiz became interested in politics at the University of Puerto Rico in the early 1960s, where he vocally opposed the Vietnam War. He started his career in politics at Yale University's Ford Foundation Fellowship in 1971. Three years later, he moved to Philadelphia and was hired as the first Latino managing director of Community Legal Services, a city agency. In 1984, Ortiz was hired as the commissioner of the city's Department of Records. The following year, Ortiz was elected to a City Council at-large seat. If re-elected, Ortiz said that he would continue to focus on the problems of the working class. He said his concerns include stabilizing health services, reducing Philadelphia's homeless problem, improving public education, strengthening communication between the new mayor and the City Council and mitigating Philidelphia's fiscal crisis. With these goals, Ortiz describes himself as a proud liberal. "I feel that I am a progressive person and I feel that this is how others see me as well," Ortiz said. He received his bachelor's degree from Puerto Rico in Sociology and Political Science in 1964 and later earned a Masters in Urban Development at Occidental College in California. In 1975, Ortiz completed his formal education with an advanced degree from Columbia University. Diana Roca, Republican Having worked in the private sector for several years, Republican City Council at-large candidate Diana Roca said she knows about accountability, and calls this the key issue in her campaign. Roca said she can bring accountability, as well as business sense, to City Council. She said that not only does she want to see city government assume responsibility for the state of the city, but she said she also wants to see it run without corruption. She characterized herself as a populist who believes in providing affordable housing, holding the line on taxes, and bringing jobs to Philadelphia. Along with these goals, Roca said she wants to improve city services, increase the police force, and help bring businesses back to Philadelphia. "I want to get Philadelphia back on its feet," she said. The 33-year-old Roca is a professional interior designer in Philadelphia. She received her bachelor's degree in fine arts from Moore College, after receiving a bachelor's degree in political science from Rosemont College. Roca grew up in Puerto Rico, but has lived in Philadelphia for 16 years. Joan Specter, Republican Joan Specter is seeking her fourth consecutive term as an at-large member of City Council, in which she has served since 1979. Aggressive in pushing legislation, Specter's projects have included initiating the nation's first municipal parental leave policy, a hotel tax for visitors to the city, a bill to regulate city dumpsters, anti-discrimination legislation opening up private clubs to women, and the divestment of the city's pension fund from holdings in South Africa. Specter, wife of U.S. Senator Arlen Spector (R-Pa.), authored Philadelphia: A Strategy for the Future, a detailed financial plan which she released when she was running in the spring for the Republican nomination for mayor. In the plan, she detailed initiatives to amend the City Charter and privatize the Philadelphia Gas Works. Specter has said she aims to continue grappling with "the issues of municipal finance, health and welfare, education, public safety, public cleanliness, and government mismanagement." Active in local business as well as politics, the Council member founded Joan Specter Desserts, which she sold in 1988. In City Council, Specter currently serves on the Finance, Economic Development and Commerce Committees. Specter has attended Southern Connecticut University and Drexel University. She is currently taking graduate classes at the University.

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