PHILADELPHIA (CBS) — One week from Tuesday, Democrats will choose theirs candidate in the Philadelphia mayoral primaries.
A recent survey suggests it’s a tight race.
We’re continuing our series, sitting down with fans of the top five contenders to see why they think their pick is the right choice.
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On Tuesday, we sat down with a Jeff Brown supporter.
“Jeff can bring it back. Jeff can do whatever it takes to get this city to change,” said Aminah Perez.
Perez has worked with Brown for more than a decade.
“My experience has always been knowing Jeff from a place of giving, long before he had any aspirations to be the next mayor of Philadelphia,” Perez said.
So when Brown announced a mayoral run, the local business owner knew who he was supporting.
Brown owns a dozen ShopRite and Fresh Grocer supermarkets in the Philly area. He has served on several boards, including as past president of the Philadelphia Youth Network.
He is also the only candidate without political experience.
it’s something critics have attacked, while Brown and his supporters see it as a strength.
“I like that he has no political experience because we need fresh ideas. We need something different. What we’re doing isn’t working,” Perez said.
“What you’re hearing on the table are ideas that they never did when they were in power,” Brown said. “It’s great to hear that now, why didn’t they do it when they were councils? Our plans are the plans that make sense.”
Brown has campaigned to put 1,500 more police officers on the streets and support minority business owners.
But the main theme of their website is addressing poverty.
“We must have avenues available. We need to have real jobs where a person can earn a real wage and be able to take care of their family and feel good about what they’re doing,” Perez said.
Brown has received endorsements from several police unions, including the Fraternal Order of Police in Philadelphia and the Temple University Police Association. It also has the support of three chapters of the United Commercial and Food Workers Union.
Brown also faced some controversy. The Philadelphia Board of Ethics filed a lawsuit against “For a Better Philadelphia,” a Political Action Committee supporting the candidate, accusing it of violating city campaign finance rules by coordinating- se with Brown and members of his campaign staff to circumvent the city’s annual contribution limits. .
Brown, his campaign and the super PAC denied any wrongdoing.
