Ethelind Baylor

I am uniquely qualified to hold the position of City Council At-Large through my years of service as a City of Philadelphia employee at the Philadelphia Department of Prisons, Philadelphia Health Department, and other interactions in City of Philadelphia government; in addition to my years of services as a union member of AFSCME District Councils 33 AND 47; to now my years of service as the elected Vice President of AFSCME District Council 47. I have had the pleasure to serve on the Mayor’s Office of Adult Education Board, the regional board of the United Way of Greater Philadelphia, and the Office of Economic Opportunity. But the most fundamental reason is that I have been doing the work, and I want to continue doing the work on a larger scale for the citizens of Philadelphia. If elected, my top three policy goals for this office would be Education, Economic Fairness, and Public Safety.

There are a variety of things that we can do to address poverty in the city of Philadelphia; dethroning our city’s reign as the largest poorest city in the nation. I would address the issue of poverty through job creation and rebuilding our infrastructure.

The best pathway out of poverty is a well-paying job. I would advocate for an increase in the minimum wage. Everyone should be in jobs that pay a living wage within the city of Philadelphia. I support Mayor Kenny’s proposal that raises the wage for City of Philadelphia workers and contractors. We need to take things a step further and implement Governor Wolf’s minimum wage increase plan for ALL Philadelphians. Also, we should support more programs that directly teach technology and trades in the schools; enabling them to be eligible for apprenticeships or jobs in Philadelphia unions.

The City of Philadelphia should also stake a vested interest in small businesses, especially minority and women-owned establishments. To do this, we should expand upon the “Jump Start Philly” legislation by increasing the taxable net income exempted up to $150,000, in addition to supporting small business with obtaining the capital needed by offering low-interest loans to eligible small business owners.

I would look to acquire funding from the State and Federal government to invest in rebuilding our infrastructure. We could also work with the local trade union apprenticeship programs to assist with the renovations of abandoned/ dilapidated houses and public schools. The city should look to continue the support of organizations like the Philadelphia Housing Development Corporation that provides repairs and home modifications to low-to-moderate income homeowners.

I also have intentions to introduce legislation that would remove barriers to employment, housing, education, and public assistance for individuals re-entering society. Criminal records should not cosign an individual to a life of poverty. There is nothing inevitable about poverty. We need to build the political will to enact the policies that will increase economic security, expand opportunities, and grow the middle class.

Like many other US cities, Philadelphia has a major affordable housing issue. I am an avid supporter of the Office of Homeless Services “Roadmap to Homes” plan, especially the aspect of implementing the HOUSING FIRST initiative, pending additional funding. A tax increase for high-income earners by 0.5% can assist with these efforts. There have been many issues as it relates to housing and development that has been significantly influenced by councilmanic prerogative. A short-term solution would be to have the mayor appoint someone full time to work with council members as their ally to facilitate small-property transactions based on the property disposition policies established by the Nutter Administration and the goals of the Landbank. This can enable the utilization of available lands to establish housing for those that need affordable housing. Ultimately, Philadelphians want to ensure that the councilmanic prerogative utilizes an approach that’s transparent, efficient and works well for everyone involved.

Bottom line… We need to decrease the city tax rate. Philadelphia has the highest local tax rate in the country. We are taxing the working class, and underemployed impacts a large part of Philadelphians disproportionately. Ending the tax abatement and implementing the Fair Share Tax would have a significant impact by having businesses and corporations pay their fair share; ultimately reducing, or stabilizing taxes for most Philadelphians.

My goal for Philadelphia’s public-school system would be to find ways to diversify funding sources for its schools, in addition to adopting an equitable formula to support schools. I support a plan that initiates a moratorium on charter schools and establishes more oversight and regulation regarding operation and academic standards. More oversight needs to be provided to existing charter schools to ensure that they are performing with the same standards that are implemented in traditional public schools. If charter schools are going to continue to receive and utilize tax dollars, then they need to be held to similar standards. Due to the exponential growth in the establishment of charter schools, funding inequities for public schools has become critical. The current charter school oversight protocols must be significantly overhauled to ensure that they are certified and that there is equitable funding for all students that attend traditional public schools or charter schools. The tax abatement needs to be ended. The school district has lost nearly $100 million due to the disinvestment in students. Restoring the abatement dollars would restore quality education and assist with mitigating the many issues that plague our school district.

Yes, I do support reforms to the current policing in Philadelphia to include but not limited to ending Stop-and-frisk. Programs I would advocate to assist returning citizens are but not limited to:

• Pre-release from incarceration a comprehensive plan that tackles employment, housing, mental and physical health, and family support. There must be community resources given prior to release.
• Support the adult education programs in the City and ensure that the people that need additional services can obtain them.
• Work with the trades and employers that bring in members with criminal records as a pathway to employment and a better life.
• Negotiate for employers that receive tax exemptions to hire returning citizens.

dislike the privatization of any public spaces and institutions. I don’t have a universal dislike for the kind of public-private partnerships that made the Franklin Square and Dilworth Park possible. If the city supported more public services to maintain, upgrade, and bring innovative ideas for use of the public space we (the city) would not need to rely so much on private dollars. The city should be willing to allocate, fund, and spend the needed resources on not only park upkeep, but all public services.

Philadelphia is one of the top 15 immigrant-friendly cities in the US, but we can do better. It has been proven that Philadelphia’s immigrants have greatly contributed to the city’s growth in not only revenue but diversity in our workforce and communities. We need to work on providing more funds into schools for ESL students and families in Philadelphia public schools overall, and the pre-K program. Philadelphia must continue our sanctuary city status, and push support for a more efficient process to obtain a municipal ID. This will assist with obtaining employment and other needed services.

Every American deserves to have a clean, safe and healthy environment. Today, we understand better than ever before that our health is not only dependent on what happens in the doctor’s office but is determined by the air we breathe, the water we drink and the communities we call home. Policies shouldpromote health and well-being, and not adding to the burden of illness borne by any community or population, including minority and low-income populations with disproportionately high and adverse environmental exposures. Strategies to accomplish this goal include (1) Supporting the Health Department initiatives to improve marginalized communities in the city; (2) Supporting the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions through technological, programmatic and behavioral change, (3) Decreasing the amount of mercury released into the air from combustion of fossil fuels and (4) Reducing other sources of air pollution that are associated with negative health effects.

Other strategies I plan to employ include reducing consumption of resources and responsibly managing our waste. This includes increasing the city’s reuse and recycling efforts to reduce harmful emissions and lessen the amount of land devoted to landfills and raw material extraction. This effort would also include a reduction or elimination of toxic substances in materials and services that uses reduce exposures in communities that produce them and among those exposed to them throughout their lifecycle. I plan to enact programs that improve the resiliency of vulnerable individuals and marginalized communities through an increased understanding of the human health impacts of climate change and preparedness planning.

To support efforts to eradicate lead poisoning in schools and households, we need to reduce lead in drinking water in homes built before 1986 and other places children frequent. With support from federal agencies, should fully replace lead service lines, from street to structure, that provides drinking water to homes built before the EPA banned their use. The City of Philadelphia should investigate and mitigate drinking water hazards in schools and child care facilities.

I aim to advocate for initiatives that assist with the removal of lead paint hazards from low-income housing built before 1960 and other places children spend time. According to the Department of Housing and Urban Development, about 3.6 million homes nationwide that house young children have lead hazards such as peeling paint, contaminated dust, or toxic soil. HUD, the EPA, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention should work with local governments to support the replacement of windows coated with lead paint, fix peeling paint, clean up contaminated dust, and treat toxic soil in and around those homes.