Vision for Our City
Let’s Build Green Pathways Out of Poverty…
Philadelphia ranks 96th out of the nation’s largest 100 cities in labor force participation. With 41% of adults in Philadelphia not in the labor force and 40% of working Philadelphians with incomes below the poverty level, we need to build an economy strong enough to lift Philadelphians out of poverty. I believe that Philadelphia needs a large-scale living wage green jobs program, something I will work to develop when elected to City Council
Let’s Increase Adult Education and Family Literacy Programs…
Philadelphia ranks 92nd out of the 100 largest cities in the country in college degree attainment. An estimated 550,000 Philadelphians have insufficient skills to complete workforce tasks like filling out forms, and 400,000 adults Philadelphians have less than a fifth grade education. To improve the academic potential of our city’s children and ensure that families have the opportunity to obtain the education they need to become self-sufficient, we must work to increase adult education and family literacy programs in our city.
Let’s Bring Food Justice to Philadelphia…
1 in 4 Philadelphians are at risk of hunger. Many of our city’s neighborhoods lack sufficient supermarkets and families must depend on corner stores which stock little or no fresh produce. 1 out of 3 Philadelphia school children shop at corner stores twice a day, consuming almost a pounds worth of additional calories each week. We must ensure that poor Philadelphians have access to high quality inexpensive produce and provide incentives to small business to provide affordable fruits and vegetables.
Let’s Encourage Entrepreneurship…
Philadelphia has the lowest rate of entrepreneurship of the 15 largest metro areas in the United States. Entrepreneurship is a crucial gateway to the middle class and business ownership the second most crucial factor that contributes to household wealth. Philadelphia must provide greater support to small business owners in order to create jobs, promote lasting economic development and generate new wealth in our communities.
