Position Available

Grassroots Advocacy Manager - Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance

Summary

The Grassroots Advocacy Manager reports to the Vice President for Public Policy and works closely with the Government Relations Manager and others to plan and implement grassroots advocacy initiatives to advance public policy positions of the Cultural Alliance and its member institutions. The Grassroots Advocacy Manager will have primary responsibility for the Cultural Alliance's online advocacy initiatives, building and engaging the list of supporters, writing advocacy alerts and other supporting materials, and researching issues which have an impact on the Cultural Alliance's mission and public policy priorities. The Grassroots Advocacy Manager will also develop strategies for and implement other advocacy activities, such as public events and rallies and connecting members with their elected officials.

January 22, 2008, Philadelphia, PA- Temple President, Ann Weaver Hart, like many American’s on January 21 was ready to celebrate the legacy of Reverend Martin Luther King. In recognition of the civil rights leader President Hart planned a big event in the Student Activities Center on Temple Campus. Unfortunately, the one thing that she hadn’t planned on was real, live civil rights activists showing up at the event.

Activists from the community organization Jobs with Justice arrived early at the event and began leafleting and talking with people as they entered the auditorium. The activists claim that Temple University is responsible for the poor compensation, working conditions and workers’ rights abuses of 250 security guards on campus. The 95% African-American work force is subcontracted through the AlliedBarton company.

The activists have been waging a campaign since 2005 to win improvements for the workers.

On Saturday, Pennsylvania's elected officials will receive their annual cost of living adjustment (COLA), and many lawmakers will be receiving substantial raises to keep their salaries in line with inflation. The base salary of a legislator in the General Assembly will increase approximately $2,550 to $76,163 and Governor Rendell will receive pay bump of nearly $6,000 and will collect $170,150 in 2008.

This annual cost of living increase was signed into law in 1995 and kicks in every year. The U.S. Congress passed a similar law in 1989 that automatically raises their salaries each year to account for inflation and rise in the cost of living, unless they vote otherwise. Unsurprisingly, Congress has only twice neglected to give itself a pay raise since then.

I am going to vote for Michael Nutter on November 6th, and he is going to win.

Despite the fact that he is not really a candidate anymore, and he already has my support, I do want to know more about how he thinks about the economic problems facing Philadelphia.

I have written about the future of Philadelphia’s economy here, here, here, and here and Nutter has demonstrated an intelligent response to many of the issues brought up in those conversations, He also comes to the General Election with the most equally balanced base of support in terms of race, ever.

However, no matter how good he is, or how good a job he does, or who supports him, his first few months in office will be challenging and I want to know what he is going to do to create a sustainable, local economy that benefits all of us.

Why?

Our city’s economy is in the midst of a major change that so far seems to be making quality of life worse for most of us. Our city has been through change before (think fight for independence, industrial revolution, the Great Depression, deindustrialization in the 1970s). In the past, the sheer size of these moments made it difficult for a local Mayor to do more than just react. However, the economic and cultural shifts we are experiencing now are different. An economy rooted in innovation, creativity, and service delivery (as opposed to industry, manufacturing, and concrete material products) is inherently more micro and local. Aided by the devolution of the role of federal government, there’s more power and responsibility in the hands of states and cities than ever before.

This big-pciture stuff has a particular and specific impact on us--young workers in Philadelphia. We are facing a really uncertain personal economic future. In the context of this very big framework, acknowledging Philadelphia itself can only do so much, I am curious to learn what Nutter will do, and more importantly how he thinks.

A few weeks back I wrote a post called “Back to Philadelphia’s Economic Future” that tries to describe what I am seeing emerge. I described an era in our nation and our world’s economic growth thathas yet to be named, but is characterized by increasing income inequity and poverty, rising violence. There I prescribed the formation of a plan for Philadelphia’s economy to help us navigate our way through this difficult era. I envisioned a detailed plan that could take advantage of the changes in our economy via local innovation, to take us to a new place of shared prosperity and increased opportunity. I talked to Dan about this in advance of my writing and he said:

I am not really a big fan of some huge master plan, because when you look back on master plans that cities have had before, they are really laughable in how stupid they are, or how out of time. I think what you are more talking about anyway is more like what I would consider a framework with a set of specific goals and outcomes.

Good point. Our economy and our city are too dynamic to make a plan that we must adhere to, but a framework, as Dan suggests, makes a lot of sense.

For instance, if you can prove to me that opening a new condo building with retail stores on the bottom will raise median wages, I’d support it. However, if you can show me that an investment in a green building trades apprentice program will ultimately raise median wages higher, than I’d rather prioritize that.

A framework (PHramework maybe?)—which might just start from a list of goals and ideas that are already out on the table—would help build a road map for local government practitioners to consult when they make any decision about municipal funding. If you are pushing green building, or increased CHIP funding, or affordable housing, or tax breaks, it should be obvious how any request to spend (or reduce the intake of revenue in the case of tax cuts) municipal funds will directly help to raise median wages or the reduce poverty.

What elements of a framework for Philadelphia's economic future can we all agree to?

Click "read more" below to see some ideas.