Council should be improved next term with the addition of Maria Quinones Sanches, and Curtis Jones. But there's a chance to improve it still more, by electing Jesse Brown in the 8th Councilmanic District on Tuesday. Brown has been picking up steam in the last ten days, garnering the endorsements of both the Daily News and the Inquirer. In light of those endorsements, one of Brown's opponents, Jim Foster, has dropped out, calling on his backers to support Brown as the most viable candidate in the race against incumbent Donna Reed Miller. From the start Jesse has had the support of Irv Ackelsberg, YPP's endorsed candidate in last May's primary election.

Brown has opened an office in the last few days, and volunteers and resources are beginning to show up at a quickening pace. Hopefully YPPers will add to his list of new supporters by dropping into the office at 5549 Germantown Avenue, (just North of School House Lane) where a phone bank is ready to go. Or you can be in touch with the office to discuss other ways to help by calling 215-844-1103. Or last but not least, you can contribute to the campaign by going to Jesse's website at http://www.votejessebrown.com/donate.htm

It's important to support Jesse Brown not just because he's the most likely candidate to oust Miller, Council's least visible and effective member. Brown offers a meaningful, substantive difference from what any current member of Council talks about, the promotion of a new jobs program as a major priority. And he has a strong commitment to finding the money to put that program into place. He recognizes that without providing jobs for the desperate poor of our City, no amount of gun control, stopping and frisking, or any other police measure will bring peace to our streets.

Jesse is a realist with a plan. He recognizes that any program to hire thousands of unemployed people in our City will take a complete reorientation of the priorities of many other elected officials. And he knows that one of the main obstacles to moving forward in this City is the lack of coordination between elected officials at the different levels of government that represent us in Washington, Harrisburg and City Hall. So here's what he says about getting everyone on the same page:

"We need a comprehensive plan for getting things done in the City and the District, and a comprehensive strategy to raise the funds needed to make that plan work. So here’s my pledge: all of your representatives are going to work together on this. And to be sure you’re part of the process of holding everyone’s feet to the fire, I’m going to convene frequent public meetings of the District’s City, State and Federal representatives to discuss together what we need, what we can realistically accomplish, and what’s actually getting done."

So Jesse is committed to making things happen at and by all levels of government, and also to empowering all of his constituents to be part of the process. That would truly be something very different from business as usual. Please roll up your sleeves in the last two days -- especially if you can give a couple of hours at the polls on Tuesday -- to help elect Jesse, and to help transform City Hall.