Next Tuesday night, five of the six declared mayoral candidates (pastor Keith Goodman hasn’t confirmed his attendance) will gather at Field House (1150 Filbert Street) for a petition pitch party from 5:30 to 8 pm. The campaigns have until March 10 to amass
1,000 valid signatures each from registered voters in order to qualify for the May 19 primary ballot. The party is the brainchild of The Pattison Leader Group, the collection of millennials who hosted the Pattison Leader Ball as an alternative to the PA Society gala in New York last December.
Tickets are $4 and can be purchased at www.pattisonleader.com. There will be complimentary food and happy hour drink pricing.
Here’s how the party will work: Each candidate will have seven minutes to pitch the audience as to why he or she should appear on the ballot. After the pitches, attendees will have the opportunity to sign one petition. This is not a debate and there will not be time for back and forth with or between the candidates. After the candidates pitch, they will leave and staffers will remain to answer questions and handle petitions.
The Citizen spoke to Pattison Leader co-founder Nicole Allen.
Citizen: Why throw this party?
Allen: I was invited to all these pitch parties, and I just said, ‘Why don’t we get everybody in one room all together? Let’s make the candidates pitch us and convince us to sign their petition.’
Citizen: Do your peers even know that each candidate is required to turn in 1,000 signatures in order to be on the ballot?
Allen: I didn’t even know about it, until recently. We want to use this as a way to engage millennials in the political process, and this is where it all begins.
Citizen: This isn’t going to be some wonky policy event, is it?
Allen: No, we want to make it easy and fun. It’s a happy hour with the chance to hear from candidates. That’s a win/win.