Wanted: A Mayor With Vision

Today, the city of Philadelphia has two full districts in Congress and part of a third. Its population is 1.4 million. The country’s population is 300 million. In 1960, the country had five full districts in Congress and a population of more than 2 million. The country’s population was about 180 million.

If I were running for mayor:

1. My primary vision is to aggressively grow the city’s population by 50% by the year 2020.
2. That would require only a moderate annual increase in Philly's population of about 3%. But it would represent a positive and dramatic turnabout to the steady and large population losses of the last 30-40 years. Which occurred under Democratic mayors, I might add.
3. Once achieved, the city might regain that third full district and perhaps add part of fourth.
4. As mayor, I will target big, bold and broad initiatives to draw people to the city.
5. These could include new ideas like an urban homestead program that rewards residents for staying in Philly and also provides incentives to others to move into the city.
6. Virtually every other city program would be tailored to add positive impetus and synergies to my overriding goal: Bring more people to Philly and keep those we already have happy! (gotta work on this wording- needs to be a bit more snappy & sloganish).
7. This ambitious goal must be accomplished by the time the 2020 census/re-districting begins.
   
   Sounds like a lot of work? Well, it is and it requires a candidate with a grand vision.
   
   And a grand vision is what it will take to get noticed . Especially when I am not part of THE BIG POLITICAL MACHINE (hell, I don't even live in the city).