Mattie Parker, the 41-year-old Republican mayor of Fort Worth, Texas, is in an enviable position among American mayors: Hers is the fastest-growing city in the country. What once was a small, quiet city of 500,000 is now at 1 million residents and growing, the result of a deliberate and successful effort to attract new families … The post Listen: What Philly Can Learn from America’s Fastest Growing City appeared first on The Philadelphia Citizen ..read more

Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro presented his budget and list of priorities in February, including a proposal to increase the minimum wage from $7.25 to $15 per hour by 2026. Years ago, I would have been among the free marketeers crying foul about the burden this would place on small businesses and the way this would … The post Guest Commentary: Populism is an Expression of Optimism appeared first on The Philadelphia Citizen ..read more

Philadelphia media personality Michael Smerconish recently published an article on his blog by Rich Thau and Matt Steffee identifying why immigration has become the driving issue in this year’s presidential election. The authors cite national polling data, reflecting the issue’s rise as voters’ top concern. Digging deeper, they call upon anecdotal focus group input to … The post Guest Commentary: Immigrants Are the <i>Solution</i>, Not the Problem appeared first on The Philadelphia Citizen ..read more

While answering the first question of last Monday’s Ultimate Job Interview: Attorney General edition, our first job-seeker, former State Auditor General Eugene DePasquale had this to say about the importance of whom Pennsylvanians elect to be our chief law enforcement officer in 2024: “This office, at this time, job number one is protecting our democracy. … The post Recap: Let’s Hire an Attorney General! appeared first on The Philadelphia Citizen ..read more

“I’m a big fan of audits,” says Philadelphia City Councilmember Mark Squilla. (And no one else, ever.) “I know people don’t like when they’re audited,” he continues, “but I look at it differently. An auditor is there to show you what you’re doing right, and maybe what you can improve on.” During his four terms … The post Mark Squilla Loves The Process appeared first on The Philadelphia Citizen ..read more

On Thursday, March 14, Vice President Kamala Harris toured a Planned Parenthood clinic. It was the first time a president or vice president had made a visit to a facility that performs abortions. Ali Velshi explains that this is more historically significant than just an executive branch visit. Since the fight against reproductive freedom has … The post Listen: Ali Velshi on Kamala Harris’ Visit to Planned Parenthood appeared first on The Philadelphia Citizen ..read more

Earlier this week, The Philadelphia Citizen announced that we’re holding an Ultimate Job Interview of the candidates for PA attorney general, in partnership with 6abc, Spotlight PA and WURD. You’ll recall we did this for last year’s mayoral primary, to much acclaim. Arguably, this year’s race for attorney general is even more important than that … The post “What Does AG Stand For? Aspiring Governor” appeared first on The Philadelphia Citizen ..read more

Quick: Can you name who’s running for Attorney General? (Hint: There are five Democrats and two Republicans.) I didn’t think so. There has been precious little coverage or talk about the race. One candidate recently bemoaned to me just how hard it is for them to get a substantive article in the Inquirer. And — … The post You Know There’s an AG’s Race, Right? appeared first on The Philadelphia Citizen ..read more

Nicolas “Nic” O’Rourke won his second bid for Philadelphia City Councilmember-At-Large in November 2023 and joined Kendra Brooks as the second Working Families Party member on the legislative body in January 2024. Their joint wins made the Working Families Party the dominant minority party in Democrat-heavy Philadelphia, pushing Republicans from the minority position for the … The post Who is Nicolas O’Rourke? appeared first on The Philadelphia Citizen ..read more

I always look forward to the extra daylight that comes with daylight savings — this Sunday; set your clocks! — as a sign of hope in the darkness of winter. This year, that hope is bolstered by an unusual spate of good news about public education in Philadelphia and the state. Surprise! We have an … The post Hope Springs Forward on Education appeared first on The Philadelphia Citizen ..read more