In six months — during the Democratic primary that will all but determine the next mayor of Philadelphia — Philadelphians will be tasked with making the most important decision about their city’s future for the next several years.

But what will be the basis for that decision? Where’s the job description? What are the skills a mayor needs? Who is asking the real-world questions about how they’ve learned from failure, brought competing constituencies together toward common ground — managed a team? Who is interviewing the candidates for the job of leading our city for the next four to eight years?

That approach is at the heart of a new program The Citizen launches today: The Ultimate Job Interview. Because why shouldn’t our mayor — arguably the most powerful leader in our city, who sets the tone for how change happens — go through the same process nearly everyone else in this city has had to go through to secure their employment?

“The Citizen has long advocated for and embodied the mission and values of this project — voter engagement, candidate transparency, and governmental accountability,” says Jim Friedlich, CEO of The Lenfest Institute for Journalism.

“We ask candidates for public office about their stand on issues, but rarely ask them to demonstrate how they can get things done,” says Citizen co-founder Larry Platt. “It’s time to move beyond the talking points, and get real.”

Now, we’re asking you – citizens of Philadelphia, from every zip code and every political viewpoint – to tell us what you want in a mayor, by answering four straightforward questions on the form linked here:

1. 1. 1. What does a mayor do?
      2. What should a mayor do?
      3. What traits and/or skills does a person need to be mayor?
      4. If you were writing the job description for the mayor, what other requirements would you add?

Your feedback will form the basis of a citizen-generated job description that we’ll use that job description to publicly interview each mayoral candidate over the course of the new year. This series of free, in-person, open-to-the-public interviews will take place at the Fitler Club. The first one will be January 17 at 6:30pm.

What’s more, we’ll be asking for a commitment from each candidate that, if elected, they take part in an annual public performance review to explore what they’ve accomplished, what’s still undone, what areas of job performance need improvement — and why.

The Ultimate Job Interview is a part of Every Voice, Every Vote, a collaborative project managed by The Lenfest Institute for Journalism. “We are grateful to have The Philadelphia Citizen as a partner in the Every Voice, Every Vote initiative,” says Jim Friedlich, Lenfest CEO. “The Citizen has long advocated for and embodied the mission and values of this project — voter engagement, candidate transparency, and governmental accountability. We look forward to the coverage, the events, and insights that The Philadelphia Citizen will provide, helping Philadelphians assess each candidate’s strengths, positions and capabilities.”

“We ask candidates for public office about their stand on issues, but rarely ask them to demonstrate how they can get things done,” says Citizen co-founder Larry Platt. “It’s time to move beyond the talking points, and get real.”

Our goal at The Citizen with this project, is, in the words of Platt, nothing short of defibrillating democracy in the American city where it was born. Won’t you please join us?

HERE’S WHERE YOU COME IN:

Tell us what YOU want in a mayor!

We’re looking for as many Philadelphians as possible to share what they want to see in our mayor’s official job description. Fill out the short form here (and below), and be sure to share it on your social media and with Philly friends and family. (Versions of the form are also available in Arabic, Spanish, Portuguese, Vietnamese, and Mandarin.)

Attend our free Ultimate Job Interview events

Come hear the mayoral candidates during their job interview at our free event series, which will kick off on January 17 at 6:30pm at Fitler Club. Each session will include time for attendees to ask questions, too. Find the full list of dates and details as they’re posted, here.

VOTE

We’ll say it until we’re blue in the face: Your vote is your voice. Register to vote here, and make sure you vote in every election. The next elections are May 16 and November 7, 2023.

The Ultimate Job Interview is a part of Every Voice, Every Vote, a collaborative project managed by The Lenfest Institute for Journalism. Lead support is provided by the William Penn Foundation with additional funding from The Lenfest Institute, the Wyncote Foundation, and the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, among others. To learn more about the project and view a full list of supporters, visit www.everyvoice-everyvote.org. Editorial content is created independently of the project’s donors.

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