Election Day: Reformer vs. reformer in the 30th Ward

A fight to control a ward in South Philadelphia pits two camps that nominally support the same reform agenda against each other.

Chester A Arthur school, a polling place in Graduate Hospital.
Naked Philly

In the 30th Ward, which encompasses all of Graduate Hospital and a sliver of Center City, a political battle is taking place between old and new. Generational divides are nothing new in Philadelphia, which has seen the city's political landscape fracture as transplants begin to jockey for power in City Hall, a place traditionally monopolized by old-school machine politics. In the nearby 36th Ward, developer Ori Feibush has run an aggressive campaign to undermine the city's get-out-the-vote network of ward leaders and committeepeople.

But that's not what's happening outside of Chester A. Arthur Middle School, at 20th and Catharine streets. Here, a group of committeepeople who support reform ward leader Marcia Wilcof are fighting off a slate of rival committeepeople who want to install another reform candidate, TJ Hurst, as leader of the 30th Ward.

The differences between the two groups of committeepeople can seem granular.

"We're a good government ward...It's about good government, transparent government," said Gail Grist, who is running for re-election as a committeeperson in the 13th Division of the 30th Ward, and who supports Wilcof. "I believe in an inclusive, transparent process that allows us to best represent the needs and values of our constituents."

Meanwhile, Hurst supporters made a similar pitch for their candidate.

"We have a progressive agenda," said David Zega, a Hurst supporter and commiteeperson candidate. "We see this as an opportunity to get more people involved in our neighborhood and to be more open and inclusive."

However, Hurst has cast himself as a more proactive candidate for ward leader, painting Wilcof as too focused on simply getting out the vote. His supporters have pledged to push for progressive reforms, like drumming up community funding for public schools, including Chester A. Arthur.

Indeed, some Wilcof supporters reinforced this perception.

"Our role is about getting out the vote...and beyond that, we help facilitate the relationship between neighbors and candidates," said Grist, when asked what she thought the duties of the ward structure were.

Under the surface, sources say there also have been tensions over development, with some Hurst supporters saying that Wilcof wavered in her support for higher-density development in the rapidly gentrifying neighborhood.

A mid-rise project at 2300 South Street was recently shot down, mostly over concerns about parking, despite support from many neighbors and the local civic association. Wilcof, who is empowered as ward leader to weigh in on the project, did not come out in support or opposition of the development.

But the two camps downplayed their differences, casting the battle for control of the ward as more of friendly rivalry.

"There isn't any tension, the values are just a little different. But it's fantastic that these are people that are socially conscious and want to get involved," Grist said, referring to the Hurst camp.