Independent candidate wants to make history on City Council

At 37, Andrew Stober is on the hunt to defy all odds by winning a seat in Philadelphia’s City Council as an independent candidate. 

Although the feat has never been achieved, the young South Philly resident has an optimistic view of his chances of winning an at-large seat in the Nov. 3 general elections.

“No one has ever won as an independent before. And people often say you can’t do it because no one has done it, but I’m about to prove that that’s not true," said Stober in an interview with The Daily Pennsylvanian this week. "And once I’ve done that I think that a lot of people are going to follow." 

Stober, a Harvard Kennedy School of Government graduate, boasts some serious credentials. He was chief of staff for Mayor Michael Nutter’s Office of Transportation and Utilities until he stepped down to run for the Council on June 10.

Stober was the mastermind behind the recently implemented, city-wide Indego bike share system. He also led the efforts in securing tens of millions of dollars in competitive federal grants to improve Philadelphia’s pedestrian and biking viability. Moreover, he aided in the reestablishment of the City Energy Office to save million of dollars in utility costs.

“When we launched our bike share system, in contrast to all the other bike share systems in the United States, since day one we focused that the system worked for low income citizens,” Stober said. 

“I’m going to take that same approach in City Council… It’s about studying best practices, talking with your citizens and figuring out how they apply in a Philadelphia context.”

Although a registered Democrat until 2013, Stober doesn’t believe local government necessarily works along ideological or party lines. That is one of the reasons why he is running as an independent.

“Effective city government, the delivery of essential services, the development of local, social and economic policies are not ideological issues,” said the former transportation official. “In fact, there are many city councils all across the United States that are nonpartisan because there is a recognition that it is not really a partisan issue. You run as an individual.”

The Philadelphia City Charter stipulates that a majority party, in this case the Democratic Party, can only hold five of the seven at-large Council seats. The remaining two seats, which have traditionally been held by Republicans, are reserved for non-majority candidates. Stober is seeking to win enough votes as an independent to claim one of the two Republican-dominated seats.

His opponents in the November elections will be five Republican candidates, including the two incumbents, David Oh and Dennis O’Brien. Besides Republicans, Stober might face opposition from other rumored independent candidates such as Graduate School of Education graduate Kristin Combs from the Green Party.

“The two top Republicans [incumbents] weren’t even endorsed by their own party, Oh and O’Brien,” said Stober. “The Republican field is not a particularly strong one this year. I think the voters have shown an appetite for candidates who are really different.”

There are a number of reasons why Philadelphia still hasn’t witnessed an independent Council member. Without the backing of a political party, candidates are left with the immense burden of campaign organizing and fundraising.

“In elections like these it’s all about organization, organization, organization,” local politics expert and St. Joseph’s University professor Randall Miller said.

"[Stober] doesn’t have any of that. He doesn’t have an organization or [a nonpolitical] organization that is going to back him, not just with money, but with manpower. People working the phones, working the doors, getting his people out to vote. In a low turnout election, which this will be, organization is everything.”

Stober seems to be dealing with this issue by taking a grass-roots approach to his campaigning. The independent candidate has engaged with potential voters by collecting signatures throughout the city, making appearances at local Philadelphia events, garnering favourable press coverage and accepting donations through his online webpage.

“I’ve been very heartened by the response that I’ve gotten from people who are very excited about an independent running and the number of volunteers that I’ve garnered,” said Stober. “I’m very proud of my set of donors already and it’s just building. It runs from someone who I used to work with who donated $10 online to some family members who have given me a couple of thousand dollars to support me and every dollar level in between.”

As a fresh and appealing candidate for millennial voters, Stober faces another problematic obstacle. Young voters have one of the most disappointing turnout rates in Philadelphia elections and are one of the hardest constituencies to mobilize.

“The groups to whom he is making his special appeal are the ones that get enthusiastic and never show up at the polls. That is not a good recipe,” said Miller.

Despite this challenge, the independent candidate does not seem fazed by the challenge of getting young voters out to the polls on election day.

“I think the approach to young voters is to try to get them excited about this race and make them understand why its important,” said Stober.

“If you’re someone who has the wealth to be able to enjoy this city, to live in a safe neighborhood, to take advantage of everything the city has to offer, you have to not take that for granted. That just didn’t come out of nowhere, it comes from having a good effective government and you need to make sure that your government continues to be that way.”

In regards to his campaign’s main issues, Stober acknowledged that public education and addressing the way local taxes are collected and administered are a priority.

"We need to bring an end to this ongoing education funding crisis that we’re facing in our public schools. We need to make sure that we’re collecting all the taxes that we’re owed and that it’s as easy as possible to pay our taxes. That our real estate taxes are accurately and fairly assessed,” said Stober.

When asked what his plans were if the elections didn’t turn out his way, Stober chuckled playfully and determinedly said, “I’m going to be elected.”

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