Philadelphia's Team of Rivals

The Daily News editorial board saved me the trouble of writing an op-ed when they borrowed an idea that I had a few weeks back about what do with the group behind Philadelphia 2016 if the Olympic bid were to be shot down by the USOC.

In today's Editorial, the Daily News makes a special plea to the board members of Philly 2016, asking them now to come together behind the goal of stopping the violence that is gripping many communities throughout the city. Their memo to the Philly 2016 Committee points out that stopping this scourge will take more than just the (rare) concerted effort of the region's political leadership:

This morning, the Brady Bunch - a group pulled together by U.S. Rep. Bob Brady - is meeting behind closed doors in the mayor's office. With a few exceptions, most of the bunch includes elected officials. The meeting isn't a bad idea. But joining forces to solve this problem is their job. That's why we elected them.

Your group of movers and shakers, on the other hand, could bring a new set of brains and imagination to the problem.

It goes on to name a few of the members of the Committee. In addition to the people mentioned in the editorial, I would highlight a few more members with unique perspectives, experience, and the positive attitude required to get this job done.

• Pat Croce, President of Pat Croce & Company: The man who could pull of the miracle of willing the Sixers to the finals in 2001 with his boundless energy and willingness to rappelle from the rafters of the Wachovia Center should be able to pull off the comparatively easy task of lowering the murder rate.
• Paul Levy, President and CEO, Center City District: This man, more than any other person, is most directly responsible for the fact that Center City has become Philadelphia's "Green Zone" where people can go and feel safe amid the terror happening on all sides. Now the task is to spread that safety and security to rest of the city.
• Alba E. Martinez, President and CEO, United Way of Southeastern PA: Smart, dedicated, and a good choice to be the first female mayor of Philadelphia.

This effort is going to require the same unified front that all of the members of this committee put forward as they dragged a pessimistic and sometimes unwilling city kicking and screaming into the global spotlight as a competitor for the world's biggest sporting event. It's also going to require unity between the "Brady Bunch"* and the folks from the Committee, many of whom are as non-political as someone can be in this town.

The elected officials in Brady's group are going to have concede that the people from Philly 2016, who earned their successes outside of the political party power structure, have something to offer aside from big campaign contributions. On the other hand, the Philly 2016 folks should realize that some of this region's political leaders are actually smart, talented people who have more than their own interests in mind (despite what Jimmy Tayoun says).

And the mayor, either this one or The Next Mayor, will have to realize that just because people may disagree with him or her on some issues, that shouldn't keep him or her from bringing them into the fold and using their knowledge and experience to take care of the big issues. Take a lesson from Abraham Lincoln who, when asked why he put some of his most bitter political rivals into his Cabinet, said:

We needed the strongest men of the party in the Cabinet.... I had looked the party over and concluded that these were the very strongest men. Then I had no right to deprive the country of their services.

(from Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln, Doris Kearns Goodwin, Simon & Schuster, 2005.)

* The Daily News can feel free to use on tomorrow's cover a variation of the graphic I used a couple days ago on the blog... perhaps they can fill in the other square with attendees of today's meeting)