My New Mayor II

After Mayor-elect Nutter called for help from the best and brightest of the city, I started thinking, "I wonder if he means me." I sent my resume in just in case he did mean me. And I started my cover letter with the message I'd want to send were I the new mayor (or rather, if I were the new mayor and only had 30 minutes to think of and write something):

[Editor's note and required background information: "A Prayer for the City" is a famous book chronicling how Mayor Rendell & Co got us through Philadelphia's last crisis]

My favorite thing to do after the Eagles win is to take a walk down any street in the city. It is during these hours that Philadelphia achieves its highest potential. People who met hours before stream out of sports bars with their arms around each other singing; perfect strangers hop on each others’ backs and let out yelps of joy; t-shirt clad joggers feel free to smile, stop and chat with anyone wearing a jersey; we feel camaraderie; we feel safe; and we are a family.

And it shouldn’t be just after Eagle wins that we act like it. It’s not enough just to live close together. We need to be a community, to ask “what’s up?” and care about the answer, to look after each other, to watch over our neighbors and neighborhoods, to grow together, to learn together, and to raise and educate children together. We must share in each others’ joys and victories, and support each other in times of sorrow and need. And in doing so, we’ll save lives. We’ll protect and be protected. And we’ll imbue our communities with strength so deeply rooted that no budget deficit or crime wave can undermine it.

Philadelphia has some tough times ahead, and the city government may not have all the resources it would like to support community efforts. But I have faith that the communities will rise to the challenge if asked, as potential public servants and local leaders are eager to answer the Mayor-elect’s call for assistance and collaboration.

This time around we won’t need a prayer for our city. Civic pride must and will extend beyond volunteerism and civil service. Individual citizens will share in the sacrifice, share in the burden, share in the planning, share in the work, and share in our inevitable triumph. I’ve lived in and around Philadelphia my whole life, and I’m confident we’ll stand up and be counted together. We’ll face challenges with resolve, and say “bring it on.” I’m thrilled to see that, less than 48 hours after the polls closed, the Mayor-elect has already started doing all the right things, and it gives me hope. We won’t need a prayer for the city this time around. We’ll create our own miracles.