Seven Days in the Mayor's Race
Here's your weekly update of upcoming events in the mayor's race!
Check out our calendar of events in the race on our main page -- and thanks to the Fels Civic Exchange for keeping the calendar so well.
If you want this list of events early, sign up for e-mail updates on our main page, top right corner.
Upcoming Events:
JUST ADDED: Monday
Fattah to unveil policy on women's issues
(April 2, 11 a.m., Alliance for Progress Charter School, 1821-39 Cecil B. Moore Ave.)
Mayoral Candidate Chaka Fattah will announce his Women's Agenda at the Alliance for Progress Charter School in North Philadelphia. Fattah will focus on ways to provide Philadelphia's women with greater economic, social and health care opportunities.
Tuesday
APM Mayoral Candidate Forum
(April 3, 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., 8th and Berks)
APM (Asociacion Puertorriqueños en Marcha) will be hosting an outdoor mayoral candidate forum in the Eastern North Philadelphia neighborhood of 8th & Berks on Tuesday, April 3, 2007, from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. All candidates have confirmed their participation, and the event will be moderated by the Honorable Nelson Diaz, recently appointed Chair of Elections for Philadelphia.
A major focus of the evening will be housing. APM also directs health and human service programs, providing mental health, drug and alcohol rehabilitation, and child care services to more than 9,000 each year. Half of all residents in its housing units are Latino, with the other half being African American. While other programs are predominately Latino, approximately 30 percent of those served are African American.
Wednesday
KICKOFF for Voting on the R.E.F.O.R.M. Agenda
(April 4, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., 5th and Arch streets)
Join us on April 4th at 11:00 am at the National Constitution Center with celebrity host Flavia Colgan to kick off the voting phase of R.E.F.O.R.M. Philadephia. Combining the power of Wikipedia with widespread support for reforming Philadelphia, a new ReformBallot.org website was created as an experiment in deliberative democracy. The R.E.F.O.R.M Compact outlines principles for moving Philadelphia in a new direction and offers citizens the opportunity to edit, contribute and vote on specific R.E.F.O.R.M agenda items.
Mayoral Candidate forum on Children's Issues
(April 4, 6:30 pm to 7:30 pm, Free Library of Philadelphia, Main Branch, 1901 Vine Street)
The Philadelphia Citizens for Children and Youth is hosting a Mayoral Candidate Forum on children's issues on Wednesday, April 4th, starting at 6:30 p.m., at the Free Library. Some of the questions asked were written by the city's young people. For reserve seating, RSVP: info@pccy.org or, by phone, 215-563-5848 x11
Thursday
The Mayor of Philadelphia: A Candidates' Forum for the Latino Community
(April 5, 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., 1114 W. Berks Street)
Do you care about Latino business, affordable housing, and education? Come to this candidates' forum and they will hear you. This forum is in Anderson Hall at Temple University and will feature Bob Brady, Dwight Evans, Chaka Fattah, Tom Knox, Michael Nutter, and Al Taubenberger. It will be moderated by Ken Trujillo. Habra servicio de interpretacion en espanol. Please RSVP to 215.763.8870 ext. 1511 or 215.790.3723 or GPHCC@greaterphiladelphiachamber.com.
The Rustin Forum for Philadelphia’s Future
(April 5, 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., Foerderer Auditorium, Jefferson Medical College, 1025 Walnut Street)
Mayoral Race 2007: “The Rustin Forum for Philadelphia’s Future” is intended to engage Mayoral candidates in a discussion with a diversified group of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered individuals. The format for the community forum will include a skilled moderator who will field a minimum of two prepared questions from the event organizers to each of the candidates followed by fielded questions from the audience. It is not our intention for this forum to be a debate and the moderator will moderate the discussion away from debates between the candidates and/or audience participants.
Great Expectations: The Philadelphia Schools- Progress and Problems- A Citizen’s Expert Dialogue
(April 5, 6:30 pm to 9:30 pm, 400 North Broad Street)
Registration and refreshments will begin at 5:45 p.m. This program is being co-sponsored by the Philadelphia Cross City Campaign for School Reform. It is intended as a preparatory session for the mayoral candidates forum to be co-sponsored by Great Expectations and the Cross City Campaign on April 12.
An expert panel will lay out the facts about what’s gone on in the Philadelphia schools since the state takeover. Michael Casserly of the Council of the Great City Schools will put the Philly reforms in national context. Jolley Christman of the Graduate School of Education at Penn and Research for Action will report on test scores, and what they indicate about how various school management models are working. Sharmain Matlock-Turner of the Greater Philadelphia Urban Affairs Coalition will talk about charters and school choice. Michael Masch, state budget secretary and a former member of the School Reform Commission, will talk about finances and state aid. Darlene Callands Curry of the Black Alliance for Educational Options will talk about the parents’ perspective.
Citizens will then gather in small groups to discuss what they heard, how it compares with their impressions coming in, what questions they still have and what steps they’d like to see taken next to improve education in Philadelphia. James Nevels, chair of the SRC, and other SRC members will respond to what they’ve heard from the experts and the citizens.
Space is limited so REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED.
Register by going to the project Web site at go.philly.com/greatexpectations and clicking on the registration link or by calling the project hotline at 215-854-5956.

Here's the promo copy for Monday's
OK, shameless plug time.
Philadelphia Magazine lumps for Michael Nutter in their May issue. 