Dry run of voter ID law, get out the vote efforts

Candidates, their campaign staffs, and city officials, were bracing for a particularly difficult Election Day today as Pennsylvania voters head to the polls to cast their vote in the spring primary.

“It’s an unusually complex environment,” said City Commissioner Stephanie Singer. “I think there is going to be a lot of scrutiny of this election.”

In addition to the typical challenges voters face — which candidate to choose — voters in this primary also have to deal with the “soft roll out” of the state’s new voter ID law.

Though the law does not go into effect until the Nov. 6 election, poll workers will be asking voters for a photo ID this time in an effort to get a handle on how many lack the identification required for the fall.

“This is just a dry run,” Singer said. “You will do nothing differently.”

But, the change has everyone from candidates to volunteers paying a little more attention.

“You are going to make this happen,” Damon K. Roberts, a candidate for the state House, told volunteers at a training session for polling place volunteers Monday morning at his Dickinson Street office. “Victory needs to be on your face.”

It was crunch time and similar scenes were playing out all over the city and state. Every seat in the state House is up for grabs, as are half the seats in the state Senate.

In addition, Pennsylvania voters will choose their party’s candidates for president, U.S. senator and representative, state attorney general, treasurer and auditor general. In Philadelphia, which is overwhelmingly made up of Democratic voters, the primary often determines who ultimately wins in the general election.

Roberts is locked in a tough contest with former Youth Commissioner Jordan Harris for the 186th Legislative District, who is widely viewed as the favorite, and Timothy Hannah, a long-time community activist.

The race for the 186th is a prime example of the situation city voters face as they head to the polls. Though there is no incumbent in the race, Harris, who was endorsed by The Tribune Sunday, has the backing of the Democratic establishment — including city Councilman Kenyatta Johnson, who held the 186th seat until January, and state Sen. Anthony Williams. Roberts has run for state representative and City Council before.

In addition, voters in the district will be asked to choose someone to fill the remainder of Johnson’s term in the state House. The Democrat there is Harold James, who held the seat for decades before retiring in 2008, paving the way for Johnson’s win.

The race in the 186th is just one of several hotly contested races across the city. In other races to watch include the 188th District, which pits incumbent state Rep. James Roebuck against newcomer Fatimah Muhammad. The campaign has taken on a negative tone with a political action committee attacking Roebuck, who has the support of the teachers’ union, for his stance on public education. Muhammad told The Tribune the attack had nothing to do with her campaign, adding that she supports vouchers in principle, but does not endorse the proposal now in the House.

In the 197th District, Jewel Williams, daughter of former state Rep., now Sheriff Jewell Williams is seeking her father’s seat in Harrisburg. She faces several contenders in the race: J. Miranda, Kenneth Walker and Jamil Ali. Opponents have accused to Williams of fostering confusion among voters in an effort to get them to vote for her thinking they are voting for her father. Voters here will also be asked to pick someone to fill the remainder of Jewell Williams’ seat. The choice there is between ward leader Gary Williams or perennial candidate T. Milton Street, brother of former Mayor John Street, who once served in the state House and has since served time for tax evasion.

Eighteen-year incumbent state Rep. Rosita Youngblood faces two challengers this primary season: Malik Boyd and Charisma Presley. The development at Chelten Plaza, which sparked a neighborhood controversy, had divided constituents. Youngblood opposed the project after the developer altered plans to build at Super Fresh there. Boyd backed the change, which brought a Sav-A-Lot to the plaza along with a dollar store, saying they were more in line with what the district needed.

Despite the hype, and the new voter ID law, voter turnout is expected to be low — perhaps lower than usual because of voter confusion about the state’s new voter ID law.

Voter turnout in primary elections in non-presidential years is typically low.

Singer said she’s not sure what this year’s turnout will look like.

“I have been surprised at how much anger there is over the voter ID law,” she said, adding that she hoped that anger would translate in votes. “The best way to beat this is for Philadelphians to come out and vote.”

Most expect the confusion that surrounds the new law and traditional voter apathy to reduce turn out.

“Voting here and around the country is embarrassingly low,” said Zack Stalberg, president and CEO of the Committee of Seventy, an elections watchdog group.

Both declined to give estimates.

There were slightly more than 1 million registered voters in the 2011 primary — 797,762 Democrats and 127,165 Republicans with 90,000 others. But, only 17.6 percent of the registered voters turned out in the 2011 primary.

Roberts was well aware of the statistics and told his volunteers the contest is likely to be close — urging them to get their friends and neighbors to vote.

“This might come down to five or 10 votes,” he said.

Stirring voters’ passions can be difficult.

Roberts portrays himself as a community crusader battling the city’s political machine.

“Some people just go along with the agenda,” he said, getting his volunteers fired up.

But, he also made sure they knew he was a Democrat, telling the group that the Republicans who control Harrisburg have a “radical right agenda.”

He used education as an example — honing in on vouchers — a hot button issue in this election cycle, in part because the political action committee Students First has poured tens of thousands of dollars into several races in south, southwest and west Philadelphia.

“If they destroy our public schools, where are our kids going to go?” asked Roberts.

In one corner, Kevin Parks had been listening as he inserted flyers into packets that would go to every polling place volunteer in the district.

As Roberts talked, Parks had difficulty containing himself.

“The private schools can turn out the kids,” he said loudly, shaking his head.

With every seat in the state House up for grabs and voter turnout expected to be low, candidates rely on grassroots enthusiasm.

“You are going to make it happen,” Roberts told his people.

He hopes to have between 160 and 200 volunteers at polling places across the district. Some of those will be the volunteers that stand outside the polling places. Some will be poll watchers, who must be certified to stand inside the polling place.

City officials will be watching closely this year.

“We understand that there may be some confusion this year with the new voter ID law that is now in place,” said District Attorney Seth Williams. “We want to make sure that no one is discouraged about going to the polls … because of that confusion.”

He promised that his office would “go after any criminal activity and prosecute it to the fullest extent of the law.”

Contact staff writer Eric Mayes at (215) 893-5742 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

Original plan for Fresh Grocer in Germantown scrapped, developer receives unusual exemption

In a vote that riled up opponents and supporters — including a state representative — City Council on Thursday unanimously approved a change to the city’s zoning code that would allow a Germantown developer to move forward with plans for a dollar store and Save-A-Lot in a local shopping plaza.

“This is a travesty of democracy,” bellowed state Rep. Rosita Youngblood, as she left the meeting. “[But], I expected this. Other Council members don’t want anyone to go against a project in their district — so they would have to vote together.”

She continued with a word of warning, echoing remarks she’d made to the full council before the vote.

“They are not a fiefdom unto themselves,” she said, promising to carefully scrutinize all requests for state funding for any project in the city in the wake of zoning decision.

“They still have to come to Harrisburg for any funding project in the city,” said Youngblood. “There will be more scrutiny from the legislature, the governor’s office and the lieutenant governor’s office. They are all watching. So, don’t be surprised if some projects aren’t funded.”

Youngblood admitted that she would probably be unable to stop the project now.

“There is not much I can do about it,” she said, adding that if the developer applied for state funds for any enhancements to his current plans, she would oppose them.

The state representative was among 17 people — some of whom hurled charges of abuse of power and accused Councilwoman Donna Reed Miller of taking part in back room deals — who spoke both for and against the amendment.

Youngblood’s warning and the accusations angered Councilman W. Wilson Goode Jr., who accused critics of trying to “shake down” developer Pat Burns and City Council.

“We even have a state representative come here and threaten all [our] projects in the city if we don’t vote their way, yet they come here to question our integrity,” he said, adding that his support was so enthusiastic that he wished he could vote for the change twice.

On paper it looked like a minor item, a change in language of just 10 words. But, it aroused a great deal of passion. Ultimately, it will allow Burns to develop a shopping plaza at Pulaski and Chelten avenues, to build a dollar store at the site.

His plans, at the moment, include a dollar store, Sav-A-Lot, Citi Bank, a coffee shop and Little Caesar’s. In 2005, in a bid to receive $3 million in state funds for the project, he said he would build a Fresh Grocer at the site, Youngblood said. Then, earlier this year, he changed his plans for the $14.3 million project — angering many residents.

A petition of 3,000 signatures was presented against the proposal.

Zoning rules for the area, authored by Miller, have traditionally prohibited variety stores, nail salons and similar uses. The change, critics said, was a prime example of spot zoning and done for the benefit of Burns alone.

“This is an egregious use of legislative power by one of your members,” said Yvonne Haskins, an attorney representing several Germantown groups. “This amendment is specifically tailored to Chelten Plaza.”

After the vote, she said the coalition of opponents might file an injunction to stop development of the plaza.

Supporters for the project spoke too.

“We’re all seeking a better way for Germantown,” said Malik Boyd, who urged Council to vote for the amendment. “We simply have different views on how to accomplish it.”

He said a petition with 7,000 signatures in favor of the project had been submitted to Council.

Miller seemed undisturbed by the controversy as she waved away the accusations of abuse.

“I don’t know of any development project where you don’t have strong feelings for and against,” she said. “You have to ask them about back room deals. Maybe [the critics] were there. I wasn’t.”

And, she said the change was intended to bring 100 jobs to her district: “Our city needs jobs. I don’t think it’s a bad project. It looks better than the abandonment that was there for years.”

Even after the vote, opponents and supporters clashed in the corridor outside Council chambers, shouting at each other as they left the meeting.

In other news, Council approved a number of other bills.

One would require the Philadelphia Parking Authority to notify anyone who has been ticketed of their ticket by letter and delay penalties and fees for 10 days. The mayor is expected to sign the bill into law.

Council also approved, unanimously, a measure requiring companies that contract with the city to provide the same benefits for life partners that it does for married couples. 

Contact Tribune staff writer Eric Mayes at (215) 893-5742 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

There were few surprises on Tuesday, April 24 as voters chose their party’s candidates for the November election. Typically, in this overwhelmingly Democratic city, local Democratic primary winners typically go on to win office in November.

Though the primary included a number of high offices, ranging from president and U.S. senator to state representative and attorney general, the vast majority of registered voters stayed home.

Turnout was recorded at 17.3 percent — almost exactly where it was in last spring’s primary.

“People weren’t too much concerned about the races going on,” said political consultant Maurice Floyd, noting that the national seats got all the attention, but with Rick Santorum’s withdrawal, the contest took on less urgency. “It just didn’t measure up in terms of generating a turnout.”

In low turnout elections, the support of a core bloc of dedicated voters is what delivers.

“The winners organized and they had a solid base going for them,” said Floyd.

As an example, he pointed to a much watched race – the 197th District – where J.P. Miranda won over Jewel Williams, the daughter of Sheriff Jewell Williams.

Miranda won 40 percent of the vote with 2,977 votes. That compared to 38 percent for Jewel, which translated to 2,519 votes.

“The ward leaders and the street organizers, they were able to outmaneuver and out-organize her,” he said.

Jewel’s campaign in the North Philadelphia district raised eyebrows because she seemed to rely largely on possible voter confusion between her and her father, who held the seat until January when he resigned to assume the post of sheriff. Jewel campaigned little. Her campaign office was reportedly empty most days.

Miranda had a history of political involvement. He worked for Council President Darrell Clarke and state Sen. Shirley Kitchen. In addition, in 2004 he worked for the John Kerry campaign. He also worked with the administration of Mayor Michael Nutter as it worked to help federal officials with the U.S. Census.

“I’m ecstatic,” Miranda said Wednesday. “North Philadelphia united against a lot of disgraceful acts by my opposition. People were very disgusted with some of things they were seeing.”

Miranda will now run against Steve Crum, the Republican, in the Nov. 6 election. Miranda is confident he’ll win.

“I’ve stayed on the pulse of the community,” he said, noting that his real focus will be on getting out the vote in November for himself, and for President Barack Obama.

In addition to choosing in the primary, voters in the 197th District had to select someone to serve for the remainder of Jewell’s term and decided on Gary Williams over former state senator and perennial candidate for mayor T. Milton Street.

From a party stand-point, perhaps the biggest was an upset was in race for state House in the 182nd Legislative District, which covers much of Center City. State Rep. Babette Josephs, who has held the seat since 1985 lost to newcomer Brian Sims, who will be the first openly gay member of the general assembly.

The vote was close, with Sims netting about 52 percent of the ballots to Josephs’ 48 percent.

Josephs was co-vice president of the city’s delegation in Harrisburg. She faced frequent challenges in recent years but managed to hang onto her seat.

That changed Tuesday evening.

According to preliminary results, Sims won with 3,661 votes. Josephs had 3,428.

“We set out from the very beginning to run the largest, cleanest, most involved campaign that we could,” Sims said in published reports. “We reached out to all four corners of this district for volunteers, for support, for help, and we were blessed to get it.”

Barring a write-in challenge from a Republican, which is extremely unlikely, Sims should take the seat in the fall.

That too was largely due to the loyalty of a bloc, Floyd said, noting that gay voters flocked to Sims rather than Josephs.

“They were the group that would normally put her over the top,” he said. “But, they basically went with the gay candidate.”

Another widely watched race was the 186th District, which was wide open, with three contenders seeking to fill the seat vacated by City Councilman Kenyatta Johnson.

Former Youth Commission won in a landslide victory – the widest margin seen in the city – with 76 percent of the district’s voters behind him.

“It’s just starting to sink in,” Harris said early Wednesday morning. “We put in a lot of hard work to get our message out to the community. The community has spoken loud and clear on the direction they want to go in. I’m just humbled and honored my community has that faith in me.”

With no Republican in the 186th race, Harris should sail through on Nov. 6.

Like Miranda, he said he plans on making sure voters hit the polls in November pushing the button for himself and for Obama.

Attorney Damon K. Roberts came in second with roughly 20 percent of the vote. He sought the seat before, and lost to Johnson. A third candidate, community activist Timothy Hannah came in third with about 5 percent of the vote.

Roberts’ biggest surprise of the evening was not his loss, but an incident that happened at around 10 p.m. at his Dickinson and South Broad streets headquarters. Roberts was forced to call police after he tried to pay staffers with checks rather than cash. When he ran out of checks, the crowd got ugly, and a melee started, forcing him to call police for his own protection.

He could not be reached for comment Wednesday. A police spokesperson said police arrived for a disturbance at 9:57 and remained on the scene until about 11 p.m. Poll volunteers were apparently promised $100 each, which Roberts was paying with the checks.

Voters in the 186th also participated in special election, choosing someone to fill out the remainder of Johnson’s term. They chose former state Rep. Harold James, who will return temporarily to his statehouse seat.

In most other races across the city, incumbents prevailed – including a contested three-person race in the Northwest section of the city where state Rep. Rosita Youngblood held on against Malik Boyd and Charisma Presley.

“People always underestimate Rosita,” Floyd said. “With her, there is not a lot of fanfare but she serves that district in a way that she’s entrenched.”

Youngblood got 47 percent of the vote compared to Presley’s 28 percent and Boyd’s 24 percent.

“Every time she’s run, she’s had a challenger or more - but ultimately she had been blessed again and again and again to come back and represent the people of the district,” said campaign spokeswoman Thera Martin-Milling.

In West Philadelphia, in a race that drew a lot of media attention and large political donations, challenger Fatimah Muhammad was still unable to beat incumbent Jim Roebuck.

“It didn’t matter,” Floyd said. “Roebuck has a solid core of supporters, and that’s what puts him over the top.”

Election results remain unofficial until the Pennsylvania State Department verifies them.

To comment, contact staff writer Eric Mayes at 215-893-5742 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

Last year, as president of the Philadelphia Young Democrats, I had the opportunity to engage our membership in a bipartisan event with Republican leaders on the heels of some of the most tragic partisan incidents in recent history. When my group sat down for the event “Peace in Politics” with our Republican counterparts, I had no idea that the GOP was going to decide, for the most cynical of reasons, to reintroduce the poll tax. What a difference a year makes.

The State House and the Governor of Pennsylvania have set us forth on a course designed to disenfranchise millions of people across the commonwealth of Pennsylvania. While I remain confident that either we’ll win this fight in the courts or that the Department of Justice will block this law, as they have done in Texas and a host of other states that overreached, the Republicans have done this terrible thing in the cleverest of ways; and that requires an answer. For the Philadelphia Young Democrats, voter registration and turnout is essential. This includes unobstructed access to the polls.

By arguing that voter fraud must be stamped out, the Republicans mask their true intent to deny millions of people easy access to voting. They do this with a feigned appeal to the common good. The Republicans choose to align themselves, using this tactic, with the very worst of the race-baiting Jim Crow laws of the first half of the 20th century. Those laws were written to prevent fraud as well. What they did instead was prevent millions of African Americans from voting. It wasn’t until the Voting Rights Act passed in 1965 that African-American voting rights were protected federally.

Amazingly, the Nixon Administration was required to fight the first Voting Rights Act Challenges. Even they were capable of following the law and doing their duty. They began the larger fight to beat back the illegal process of preventing African Americans from voting. Governor Corbett and the Republicans in the State House should be ashamed.

Let me be clear. No one wants voter fraud. Certainly, neither I, the board of my great organization, nor the thousands of young Democrats we represent want people voting illegally. We only want those entitled, by law, to vote. However, unlike the GOP, we want every individual entitled to these liberties to have access to that franchise — not just the ones that agree with our policies and positions.

The Voter ID Law here in Pennsylvania is a massive national Republican initiative, set to undermine the gains Dems have made in two of the last three election cycles. In fact, we proved with resounding clarity, that the collective voice of our nation must be heard and respected. The GOP response was not to listen to voters and respond to constituents’ needs. Instead, the GOP continued its inexorable shift rightward: attacking women, attacking poor people, attacking education and the basic services that allow for a functional society.

In the last two years since the Republicans have taken some measure of control statewide and nationally, we all have wondered how they expected to move so far to the right and still win elections. Now we know; they plan to deny millions of people their right to vote. They have passed a draconian law that will cost millions of dollars to implement and has no actual benefit for the good of the Commonwealth, just political leverage for the GOP.

Many of our beloved older Americans, the ones upon whose backs the Civil Rights Act and the Voting Rights Act became law, simply do not drive. Many live in urban areas with easily accessed public transportation, and, as a result, don’t have photo ID. When was the last time they needed it? Our college students, living on campus, focused on their studies, simply might not have a driver’s license. Thanks to the legislative genius of the GOP, you can use a gun license but not a student ID. Really? Doesn’t that speak volumes about the goals of the Republicans? Minorities who live in cities around this state, who get to work on public transportation, and who disproportionately don’t drive are disenfranchised by this law. Finally, our poor, who struggle every day to dance around the budget cuts of our Governor, are denied the ability to vote based on this new law.

With laws like this, providing barriers to civil rights, cuts to education and social services, maybe they should pass out ankle and neck chains too. After all, a system that stifles my voice, confines my options, but wants to tax my labor and force me to abide by its laws, sounds a lot like what my grandparents and great grandparents faced in the deep South. Rest assured, just as you would have an insurmountable challenge placing those cold, heavy chains around our necks today, this law will be met with one of the loudest cries for freedom that the collective voice of this nation has ever heard.

The games must stop. NOW.

Malik Boyd is president of Philadelphia Young Democrats.

In a city where there was little competition in the 2011 mayoral race and one where many incumbents currently face no opposition, things are shaking things up in the 198th District House District.

There are two Democratic contenders for the seat currently held by state Rep. Rosita Youngblood. Youngblood, also a Democrat, is seeking re-election.

Both have strong Northwest Philadelphia area roots, are committed to bringing a new vision to the political landscape, and have been seen canvassing throughout the district that extends from Nicetown and Logan to the Mount Airy and Chestnut Hill borders.

Charisma Presley is a Nicetown native who started her campaign trail knocking on doors in the neighborhood where she grew up. When the Tribune caught up with her she was sharing her vision with those in the neighborhood surrounding Infusions, a coffee house located on the 7100 block of Germantown Ave.

The Villanova University administrator said she understands the needs of the Nicetown-Logan area as well as Northwest Philadelphia.

“I first realized that organizing was effective when I was involved in the effort to save the Picket pool,” said Presley, a young wife and mother. “Then when I was advocating for students at Villanova, it (evolved) into the creation of a retention program for students of color — I saw how public policy works. That’s when the seeds of representing the community I know well began.

“I really want to advocate for those who voices are not currently heard can transfer much of what I do in recruiting, retaining and graduating students of color at Villanova into advocating for the community,” she added. “I know what the problems in the wards. Nicetown and Logan have been neglected for too long and I want to rectify that disparity while working for the needs of the entire district.”

Yet Malik Boyd is quick to point out that his ties are strong to both the Northwest Philadelphia communities where he has resided his whole life and to organizations like the Young Democrats.

A graduate of Germantown High School, Boyd insisted that he has the skills to be a power player at the state capitol. He has lived on Allens Lane and Rittenhouse Street before moving to his current residence about five years ago on Chelten Avenue in the heart of the 198th District.

“I was president of the Philadelphia Youth Democrats and the Young Democrats of Southeastern PA, and I have a solid understanding of just what it takes to get things done on the state level,” Boyd said. “One of the first measures I would introduce is the Helping Hands bills which would be similar to the Earned Income Tax Credit. It would be a (financial) incentive for low-income wage parents who often have to work two jobs to be involved in the PTA.

“As I have been canvassing the community I hear people’s frustrations. I’ve seen these people while volunteering the community,” he added. “They don’t feel they have the resources that they need. I know that I have the energy and commitment to address the issues that people are facing during these tough times.”

There were a few surprises on Tuesday night, April 24 as voters chose their party’s candidates for the November election. With few exceptions, in this overwhelmingly Democratic city, local primary winners typically go on to win office in November.

In one closely watched race — the 197th District — J.P. Miranda won in over Jewel Williams, the daughter of Sheriff Jewell Williams.

Miranda won 40 percent of the vote with 2,977 votes. That compared to 38 percent for Jewel, which translated to 2,519 votes.

Miranda will now run against Steve Crum, the Republican, in the Nov. 6 election.

Jewel’s campaign in the North Philadelphia district raised eyebrows because she seemed to rely largely on possible voter confusion between her and her father, who held the seat until January when he resigned to assume the post of sheriff. Jewel campaigned little. Her campaign office was reportedly empty most days.

Miranda had a history of political involvement. He worked for Council President Darrell Clarke and state Sen. Shirley Kitchen. In addition, in 2004 he worked for the John Kerry campaign. He also worked with the administration of Mayor Michael Nutter as it worked to help federal officials with the U.S. Census.

Voters in the 197th District had to choose someone to serve for the remainder of Jewell’s term and decided on Gary Williams over former state senator and perennial candidate for mayor T. Milton Street.

From a party standpoint, perhaps the biggest was an upset was in race for state House in the 182nd Legislative District, which covers much of Center City. State Rep. Babette Josephs, who has held the seat since 1985, lost to newcomer Brian Sims.

The vote was close, with Sims netting about 52 percent of the ballots to Josephs’ 48 percent.

Josephs was co-vice president of the city’s delegation in Harrisburg. She faced frequent challenges in recent years, but managed to hang onto her seat.

That changed Tuesday evening.

According to preliminary results, Sims won with 3,661 votes. Josephs had 3,428.

Barring a write-in challenge from a Republican, Sims should take the seat in the fall as the first openly gay member of the state legislature.

Another widely watched race was the 186^th District, which was wide open, with three contenders seeking to fill the seat vacated by City Councilman Kenyatta Johnson.

Former Youth Commission chair Jordan Harris won in a landslide victory – the widest margin seen in the city – with 76 percent of the district’s voters behind him.

Attorney Damon K. Roberts came in second with roughly 20 percent of the vote. He sought the seat before, and lost to Johnson. A third candidate, community activist Timothy Hannah, came in third with about 5 percent of the vote.

There was no Republican in the 186^th race, which means Harris should sail through on Nov. 6.

Voters in the 186^th also participated in special election, choosing someone to fill out the remainder of Johnson’s term. They chose former state Rep. Harold James, who will return temporarily to the seat he held for two decades.

In most other races across the city, incumbents prevailed – including a contested three-person race in the Northwest section of the city, where state Rep. Rosita Youngblood held on against Malik Boyd and Charisma Presley. Youngblood got 47 percent of the vote, compared to Presley’s 28 percent and Boyd’s 24 percent.

State Rep. James Roebuck also held off a vigorous challenge from newcomer Fatimah Muhammad. The two sparred very publicly over the topic of school vouchers, but Roebuck held on with 56 percent of the vote compared to 44 percent for Muhammad.

Election results remain unofficial until the Pennsylvania State Department verifies them.

To comment, contact staff writer Eric Mayes at 215-893-5742 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

Linking appropriate commercial development to job creation is the number one priority for Malik Boyd, who is asking Democratic voters in the 198th Legislative District to put him on the fall ticket.

“We have 28 percent unemployment in the district,” he said. “We have a lot of development coming in from a residential standpoint … the trick is to get someone who can pull on the heart strings and purse strings of the corporate world and get them to invest.”

Providing jobs, he said, will help stave off gentrification taking place in much of the district.

Already Boyd, who is running against Democratic incumbent state Rep. Rosita Youngblood, has been involved in bringing about $19 million in new development to the district which will help generate 180 new jobs, he said.

Perhaps most notably, the 34-year-old opposed Youngblood in her stand against plans for a Sav-A-Lot and dollar store at Chelten Plaza at Pulaski and Chelten avenues in Germantown. Youngblood sided with residents who wanted to see the developer’s original plans for a Fresh Grocer carried out.

Boyd supported the new plans, citing the need for development more in line with what area residents could afford.

The incident displayed the difference in approach between Youngblood and himself, Boyd said.

“We could bring a Whole Foods and some of these other super high-end stores in and would be good for affluent individuals, but at the end of the day, hardworking individuals in our district need local businesses that won’t place them out of their lifestyle range,” he said.

Boyd has a history of community involvement serving with organizations like Youth Services, Inc., Allens Lane Art Center and Nationalities Services Center.

His community activism has given him deep roots in the community, and he hopes will serve as a springboard to office.

Though he’s never held public office before, Boyd said he’s long been politically active, noting he is president of the Philadelphia Young Democrats, and has been a member of the group since 2009.

He faces two challenges in his run against Youngblood — her incumbency, and a new statewide voter ID law that has many voters and potential voters confused.

He insists he’s undaunted in his challenge to Youngblood, who has held the seat for 18 years.

“I’ve been on the ground campaigning since 2010,” he said. “The district is suffering from so much voter apathy. Voters are so frustrated.”

Youngblood launched a legal challenge to Boyd’s petitions, a fairly routine fact of political life in Philadelphia — but he survived and remains on the ballot.

That fact has helped his campaign maintain and increase its momentum, Boyd said.

“The community has really, really been galvanized in the fact that we’re not backing down. We’re not taking deals. We’re not going to sell out. We’re going to stand here and fight,” he said.

As for confusion over the voter ID bill, Boyd again remains confident.

“The biggest thing for us is that we’re out knocking on doors. We’re not just talking about our campaign, but we’re talking about voter ID — what’s truth and what’s not,” he said.

Boyd, who owns his own marketing firm, Premiere Brand, is a graduate of Germantown High School and attended Temple University. He has a degree in marketing and is the father to two daughters. He lives in Germantown.

Contact staff writer Eric Mayes at (215) 893-5742 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .