Dear Philadelphia City Council of 2076,
Philadelphia has always been a city defined by our grit, innovation and unabashed creativity. Throughout this year, I’ve seen our city come together and showcase our greatest assets on the global stage.
In 1876, Philadelphia showcased itself to the world by celebrating America’s 100th birthday with the Centennial Exposition on the heels of Reconstruction in Fairmount Park’s Centennial Grounds. Fifty years later, Philadelphia celebrated our nation’s birthday with another global fair showcasing our city and country’s innovation and creativity.
Our bicentennial was defined by domestic conflict and social unrest, but we celebrated with the founding of Philadelphia staples like the African American Museum and Mann Center. And now in 2026, in what feels like the most polarizing political climate of my time and with our own fundamental values of democracy and liberty in jeopardy, we as Philadelphians have shown the world we can shine on the world stage — welcoming to global visitors and showing them what makes Philadelphia incredible.
It is my hope that City Council, in our nation’s 300th year, will capitalize on another historic moment for our city and country and use it as an opportunity to continue to move Philly forward.
America’s 250th comes after the trauma of the COVID-19 pandemic, which presented a huge setback to Philadelphia’s ability to prepare for the semiquincentennial. Projects were put on hold and nonessential services were put on the back burner as local government had to prioritize our most vulnerable residents and fulfill our most fundamental duties.
Philadelphia lost more revenue than almost any other city in the nation during the pandemic — largely in part due to our heavy reliance on our wage and business taxes, which have crippled our city for years. Philadelphians felt that acutely, seeing businesses shutter, social bonds dissolve, and communities grapple with historically high levels of gun violence, traffic fatalities, extreme hunger and chronic health issues. Despite these struggles and the major setback, we have been able to bounce back and largely overcome many of these issues leading up to 2026 — the city delivered.
The fruits of our labor — the investment, the preparation, the execution — was millions of people coming to our great city, learning to love Philadelphia.
The idea of displaying Philadelphia as a modern, global city didn’t start in 2026, but this year was by far our best chance to display us as the world class city we know Philly to be. This modern vision for Philadelphia started with Mayor Ed Rendell, who brought our city back from the brink of bankruptcy, cleaned up Center City, and courted national conventions and outside investment to the city. It continued with Mayor John Street, who set his sights on providing direct support for our city’s struggling neighborhoods. Philly’s global city ideal advanced significantly when Mayor Michael Nutter officially made us the United States’ first World Heritage City and, with it, brought international companies and investment. The plane finally landed with the Kenney and Parker administrations working collaboratively over the past decade with City Council and leaders in the private sector, despite our city and nation’s struggles, planning what has so far been an incredible and memorable year.
City Council was pivotal in the financing, preparation and execution of this year’s festivities, having raised and appropriated millions for Philly 250 and overseeing how those taxpayer dollars were being spent across multiple official Council hearings. As a result, there was historic investment in not just downtown but also our neighborhoods, with activations and block parties popping up across the city all summer. Together, Council passed multiple bills advancing security standards and protections for restaurants and businesses. I also introduced legislation to protect hotel workers and provide tax relief for independent contractors, which is progressing the legislative process this fall. Lastly, we made bold and large investments in local cultural and civic spaces, like the African American Museum in Philadelphia, which will soon construct a brand new facility on the Parkway, and beautified two jewels of Philadelphia’s park system in Lemon Hill and Belmont Mansion.
The fruits of our labor — the investment, the preparation, the execution — was millions of people coming to our great city, learning to love Philadelphia. People from across the world came to our city for NCAA March Madness, six incredible World Cup games and 39 days of Fan Fest, MLB All-Star Week, the renewed Philadelphia Cycling Classic, conventions, annual festivals and so much more. The energy on our streets this year has been legendary, and I hope our 300th is just as revolutionary as 1776 and 2026.
Philly is the sixth largest city in the nation. We remain one of the poorest. If we want to create tangible change for our residents, we have to be bold. That means taking every opportunity we can to advance our city’s competitiveness, whether that means reforming our tax structure, identifying new opportunities in industry and for small businesses, or courting national and global events.
Philadelphia isn’t perfect — we never have been and we never promised to be. What we do have is heart, grit, will and determination. In 2076, I trust that we’ll keep that Philly spirit, and our 300th anniversary will be just as if not more incredible than our 250th. To Philadelphia City Council, in our nation’s tricentennial: I hope you meet the moment, prepare early and continue to move the city forward.
Isaiah Thomas is an at-large member of Philadelphia City Council.
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HOW PHILLY OWNED THE 250TH
