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“I’m running because I’m a dad. I’m running because I love this city. And I’m running because my wife and I want to raise our kids in this city,” Tom Wyatt told a small crowd of supporters at an early-stages fundraising house party the night before he’d deliver a similar speech on the steps of the Andrew Jackson School, 1213 S. 12th St. “The status quo is just not going to cut it and what I’m focusing on this campaign, and this discussion, is raising up our public schools and moving our economy in the best direction for everybody.”
The 2014 South Philly Review Difference Maker, resident of the 1100 block of South 11th Street, and father to 3-year-old Lucy and 8-month-old Jack, has embarked on a run for a seat on Philadelphia’s City Council as an at-large candidate. The fact that he’s running for such a seat frees Wyatt up to talk about issues larger than his councilmanic district, the first, where 1st District Councilman Mark Squilla, a Front Street and Snyder Avenue South Philadelphian, currently reigns.
“I get the sense that people are pretty comfortable with their district councilman,” Akeem Anderson, a West Philly resident who’s heading up Wyatt’s campaign.
Their connection is educational – they’re both Teach for America alums – and they started talking about his run around Thanksgiving.
“Tom’s got a good message, and we’re getting a lot of great support from friends and family,” Anderson said. “He is the only candidate that has the experience in the classroom. He knows what it takes to build coalitions and collaborations, and I think it’s going to resonate with a lot of people.”
City Council has 17 seats: 10 district seats, seven at-large seats that are dependent on the majority party (which will likely be Democrat) with a five to two distribution (five majority party seats and two minority party seats). There is a healthy list of candidates already. Wyatt will be running against Isaiah Thomas, a dean and basketball coach at Sankofa Freedom Academy and an adjunct at Lincoln University; Paul Steinke, the general manager of Reading Terminal Market and former executive director of the University City District; Frank Rizzo Jr., a former Republican council member and the son of late mayor and police commissioner Frank Rizzo; George Matysik, the director of government affairs and public policy for Philabundance; Lou Lanni, a former Philadelphia police officer and current real estate seller; Sherrie Cohen, the sister to state Rep. Mark Cohen; and Jenné Ayers, the daughter of former Philadelphia fire commissioner Lloyd Ayers.
Wyatt has been in Philadelphia since ’02, landing initially in Bella Vista. After a degree at Colorado State University and a law degree at the University of California at Berkley, he was offered jobs in San Francisco, New York City or in D.C., but he chose Philly.
“I chose Philadelphia because I love its grit, I love its history. There’s something about it that matches me, and the possibilities here are literally endless and we’re attracting so many people who want to come here and be a part of something special,” Wyatt said.
It’s his first race and he says he’s learning and will even make some mistakes, but he sees May’s primary as his chance to serve his city at a time in Philadelphia’s evolution where public education is becoming the city’s Achilles heel. But when folks ask him if he’s scared of running, his response is “it’s not really as scary as working a minimum-wage job and trying to support your family.”
As chair of the education committee for the Passyunk Square Civic Association, Wyatt’s been closely partnered with Jackson School for the past few years.
“[My wife Sarah and I] can see their chimney from our front window,” he joked, and fully intends on seeing his children through to a quality public education at a neighborhood school. He points to the school’s community-achieved green roof garden and playground, accomplishments made possible through civic association-built relationships and giving campaigns, as evidence that there is a way to get one’s children a quality neighborhood-anchored public education.
“My opinion is we need to have high-performing schools in every single neighborhood, and I’m not in any way against charter schools, but I think we would all win if we started with a base of high-performing neighborhood schools,” Wyatt said, linking poverty and education with compelling statistics. “There are 60,000 young people in this city living in deep poverty, and that means that their family income is less than $10,000. Half of our young people are not reading or writing on grade level. This is urgent, We need to act now.”
Columbus Square Advisory Council leaders Ilene Wilder and Christopher DiCapua introduced Wyatt Friday.
“He’s committed to what he does and committed to public education,” Wilder said.
“Whenever we have something to deal with that might be touchy or difficult, Tom is always the voice of compassion, who wants to build bridges instead of knock them down,” DiCapua added.
Classroom experience, board room experience (as SEC counsel at the American Water Works Company) and community advocacy experience are the three points Wyatt and Anderson will be stressing. Wyatt’s also happy to tell people he doesn’t come from money or advantage.
“The path here was a little bit different. I am a product of public schools, but I think it’s also important to know that I was a product of a troubled past,” he told supporters.
He received free lunch, Pell grants, barely finished high school and was admitted to CSU on probation but graduated, the first in his family to do so, as student body president.
“I was a kid on the brink and I got lucky, but I see so many people on the brink [in Philadelhpia].”
He harps on his non-politician status and humble upbringings to make sure Philadelphians trust his ambitions.
“We don’t have dynastic wealth. We don’t have generational social capital. Every door that’s been unlocked in my life has been unlocked because of people’s generosity or education. Period,” he said, noting that he’s now readying himself for “a hugely long and important job interview.”
Staff Writer Bill Chenevert at bchenevert@southphillyreview.com or ext. 117.
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