Former District Attorney, and candidate for Philly Mayor, Lynne Abraham is speaking out about some the biggest issues and personalities in the city, commonwealth and country.
Abraham conducted the interview with Patrick Kerkstra of Citified, Philadelphia Magazine’s new urban affairs blog.
She tackles issues like the city’s school system and addresses her age. At 73, Abraham’s age could become a factor in her campaign, but the candidate said her age makes her a stronger leader.
“We can say all we want about youth, and youth must be served, but youth doesn’t have experience,” Abraham said in the interview. “We see that in our President, who had youth and handsomeness and brightness. Hasn’t served him well, because he didn’t know the nuances of governing, and he’s gotten his head handed to him 12 different ways.”
Abraham’s biggest concern for the city is poverty, which she links directly to the school system. She scoffs at Ken Trujillo, the Philadelphia attorney and mayoral candidate who demanded to get rid of the School Reform Commission when he announced his campaign in September. Abraham calls Trujillo’s action “ridiculous” and “absurd,” but she refused to mention him by name in the interview.
Though Governor-Elect Tom Wolf has also supported abolishing the SRC, Abraham thinks this move was a campaign “ploy.”
“I believe he will think better of that…I think that was a ploy,” she said. “I don’t really love it, but I think it was a ploy to make sure he was going to get as many votes he could get out of Philadelphia to insure a bigger win…”
For Abraham, the focus should be on raising funding for city schools. She believes it is the mayor’s job to work with Wolf to “change the tone of governing.”
“You have to sit around the circle and start talking, finding out what the legislature can and cannot do, what they will and will not do,” she said.
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6 Responses
I want some of what Louis is smoking.
Poor and Education means Rural or Urban Development. Focusing on these things has only progressed Segregation, and that means “limits” on what Rural or Urban Development can aspire to. Corralling talent is one thing, Pooling it is another, but in Politics its the same thing as Murder by Bigotry that amounts to Republicans and Democrats being Technocrats, for a Bureaucracy. Philadelphia is an Institution, not a Utopia. Poor and Generalizing the Public is a Concept that Institutionalization and redistricting rejects. Rectify the 3/5 of a Man and you will not only find out what Legislature can and can not do, but moreso what they will and will not do.
One democrat finally dares to speak truth, and the rest get all bent out of shape. Quite instructive.
Really, Lynne Abraham? Obama has “gotten his head handed to him 12 different ways”? It’s obviously untrue, yet clueless Democrats like Abraham keep saying crap like this – perhaps one good reason that Democrats continue to look weak and ineffective. Even during the darkest and most evil days of the Bush regime, did you ever hear a Republican who didn’t back Dubya and President Cheney? There are plenty of things I take issue with in the Obama administration, but given the alternative I’m glad we have him in the White House. I won’t waste a second thought on Democrats who try to score cheap points by undermining him.
Dumping on President Obama might be popular in some parts of the country, but this lady is running for mayor of Philadelphia. Not only is the comment not politically smart, it perhaps reveals her genuine political values, devoid of message control. In my view, that comment alone disqualifies her from being mayor of Philadelphia.
As someone pushing 60 – I can say that experience can be a valuable thing. Unfortunately – it depends on what that experience was – and what you learned from it to bring to the present.
I’m not seeing any growth or relevance here.