PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — David Evans is a father, realtor, and part-time coach with Philadelphia Youth Basketball. And he is a concerned citizen.
Local politics first piqued his interest with a question: How could he get speed bumps installed in his North Philadelphia neighborhood for the safety of his 11-year-old son who plays outside?
“And I was like, ‘Well, I see speed bumps all over the city. How do I slow these people down?’ It makes my neighborhood dangerous. I ended up emailing the state representative. And she said, ‘Well, you need to contact your City Council member,’” Evans said.
“Well, who's my city council member? And I found that out. And I discovered that there's 17 City Council members.
“I emailed the city council member. They ended up not getting back to me, but you start with one small question. And then you peel back layers one at a time. And that's how I did it. And that's how I continued to approach politics — in a very micro, micro way.”
Related
Evans never got those speed bumps, but what he did get was an idea. In 2021, he started “Local Politics First” on Instagram and TikTok to bring some transparency to, and help citizens understand the complexities of, Philadelphia politics.
“The page is also for me, to hold myself accountable as a resident of Philadelphia, so that I can learn about what's important for me and my community — so that I can educate myself and then therefore share that information,” Evans said. “I’m still learning. Our city government is very confusing and overwhelming. And I feel like if we all understand it a little bit better, we'll all be better off in the long run.”
One of his recent videos describes the candidates running for at-large seats on City Council. Seven Council members are elected from the city at large, in addition to the 10 who are elected by district.
His posts are educational, and his delivery is witty with a sprinkle of humor. Through the page. Evans says, he hopes to inspire more people to become civically engaged and hold their elected officials accountable.
Evans said, “46% of us, less than half of us, participating in our government means that only 46% of us have a say in how schools are funded, in how crime is solved.”
The page also contains a resource list that informs visitors on various subjects, including how to find their state legislators and contact information for their City Council members.
“I have all 17 contacts in my phone. So whenever I need to call one of them, or all of them, I can. They all have two offices in the city. They have one locally, and then they have one in City Hall, I've learned, and they all have an email address. So they're very easily contacted,” Evans said.
“You just have to be persistent with whatever issue you want solved.”
Evans says he’s hopeful that increased civic engagement can also lead to more inclusive solutions that work for more people.
“I want Philadelphians to have hope for a better today. I want 100% of eligible voters to vote in every election,” he said. “I want more than voting. I want us as a city to act on solutions.”