''Breakfast With The Candidates'' Includes Fireworks, Retorts

KYW Newsradio Team Coverage 


The five Democratic candidates for mayor of Philadelphia met face-to-face at the studios of KYW Newsradio on Monday morning, to debate their respective positions on their programs and to their experience.

VIDEO: Watch 'Breakfast With the Candidates' Debate

KYW's John Ostapkovich reports that the five Democratic hopefuls locked horns on several issues, among them guns and crime.

There was agreement that, with the city's homicide rate, Harrisburg has been no help.  Tom Knox:

"If more legislators spent more time listening to their conscience and less time listening to the NRA, I think Philadelphia could have its own gun laws."

Bob Brady:

" I think the city should be able to have its own gun laws."

Dwight Evans says that as mayor, he'd lean on the legislature:

"Because it has not been solved at the city level currently. In my view, the current administration or anybody who's running on this panel doesn't have the skill set necessary in getting the law."

Chaka Fattah hailed a weekend gun turn-in and after-school programs as home-grown efforts:

"I think we need to act now, not wait for the cavalry from Harrisburg to come."

Michael Nutter:

"What I've proposed is to implement the plan that I've laid out, 'Safety Now.' We cannot wait."

All say the city needs more police, and all say no new taxes would be needed.



The candidates on Monday morning also acknowledged the anger some Philadelphians feel over proposed casino locations.

Most of the candidates oppose the decisions the state casino site selection panel made.  Bob Brady:

"You are not supposed to have anything in your neighborhood you don't want."

Tom Knox:

"Casinos in neighborhoods are not right. If the neighbors don't want them, they shouldn't be there."

Michael Nutter wants the city to flex its muscles:

"The city still has zoning control, and I think I'll certainly make sure that the neighbors interests are protected."

Chaka Fattah noted that someone was supposed to be protecting them all along:

"You have legislators who are elected from that particular district.  Those people, I believe, do listen to their consitutents."

But Dwight Evans says you can't want a casino's money but not the casino itself:

"Everybody wants to say, 'Not in my backyard.'  We need to find ways how we have enconomic growth in this city, and we pass it over to a commission and the the commission made a decision."

Another of the issues during "Breakfast with the Candidates" was education.

Education is often about money, and Bob Brady says city kids start out standing in a hole:

"It's a shame that (governments spend) $21,000 per child outside the city, $11,000 per child inside the city."

Tom Knox says maybe school vouchers are the way to go:

"I beleive we have to help families that are needy find ways to fund their education even if it's by giving vouchers."

Chaka Fattah:

"Private choices should be paid for privately, public choices should be paid for publically."

Michael Nutter says he supports city funding for student aid, while Dwight Evans says there's another path to explore:

"Poor families should have the same options. If you want to transform this city, tax credits, like charter schools and options, should be available. That's the American way."



KYW's Mike Dunn reports that with the KYW Newsradio debate behind them, the candidates now move into the final two weeks of the campaign.

None of the candidates, including Michael Nutter, was ready to proclaim victory after the debate:

(Nutter:) “It's not for me to decide. It's for the listeners to decide.”

But now all five are focused on two big weeks of campaigning before primary day.  Dwight Evans:

(Evans:) “The next two weeks is going to be important about who gets out the vote.”

One issue will continue to be the self-financed campaign of Tom Knox.  This is Bob Brady:

(Brady:) “I think Mr. Knox spent a whole lot of money that we don’t have.  When you get a chance to do that, you get a chance to define yourself." 

Knox doesn’t mind:

(Knox:) “When you’re ahead in the polls, everybody’s focused on you.”

Dwight Evans, dead last in the polls, is ever the optimist:

(Evans:)  “I’m going to put my people on the street, and I’m going to win this election.”

And Chaka Fattah, third in the latest poll, says he’s right where he wants to be:

(Fattah:) “It's critical that you don’t peak too soon in these elections, and I think you will see us build to a peak that will hit as the polls open.”

Tom Knox plans to spend the final days stressing his business acumen over his rivals politicking:

(Knox:) “Business experience is important. You need to run a city.”

And Bob Brady plans to throw back Knox’s accusations of back-room deal making:

(Brady:) “None of us in this room do pay-to-play. None put out no-bid contracts, and we’ve been accused of it.  And that’s not right, and I’m not going to take things that aren’t true.”

Notwithstanding a Friday poll showing that Michael Nutter has made huge strides, Tom Knox has been the frontrunner in recent weeks (see related story).

So, St. Joseph’s University professor and political analyst Randall Miller says he expects Knox will be in the crosshairs when the five Democratic candidates face off:

“I think you’re going to see that all the people, except for Knox, are going to have their knives sharpened, because this is their chance to take some pieces out of him, to try to get him on the defensive so that all the people listening in will try to rethink Tom Knox.”

Polls show many Democrats are still undecided in the race for mayor, but beyond that, Miller believes that many people who have expressed a preference for a candidate are not necessarily locked in, meaning today’s debate will also be an opportunity to change some minds.

"Breakfast with the Candidates" was the first live broadcast debate of the campaign. The candidates in the Democratic primary are (facing camera, from left) Bob Brady, Dwight Evans, Chaka Fattah, Tom Knox, and Michael Nutter.


"Breakfast with the Candidates" was produced by (backs to camera, from left) KYW's Bill Roswell and moderated by KYW's Larry Kane. Questions were posed by KYW reporters Steve Tawa and Mike Dunn.


 
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