PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Grocery store magnate Jeff Brown on Wednesday officially entered the Philadelphia mayor’s race, becoming the sixth announced candidate and the only one who has never before run for elected office.
Brown, who owns several ShopRite supermarkets in the city, entered his announcement event like a prom king — called to the stage after a half-hour of praise and endorsements — walking down the aisle behind a squad of cheerleaders.
“I’m Jeff Brown, and today I’m launching my campaign for mayor of Philadelphia,” he said.
Though he has never run for office, he has been actively involved in political issues — tackling food deserts and mass incarceration by opening stores in underserved areas and hiring formerly incarcerated people. He contrasted those efforts with city government, where, of course, all five of his opponents have been working.
“I’ve watched City Hall and, unfortunately, I’ve watched them fail to make any progress for us. I see legislation passed, I’ve seen people coming and going, and my customers are living in the same circumstances,” he said.
Derek Green, Cherelle Parker, Maria Quinones Sanchez and Allan Domb all recently resigned from City Council, and Rebecca Rhynhart resigned as controller, to run for mayor.
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“I see the City Hall crowd. They do nice speeches. They issue fancy press releases. They do lots of reports. Sometimes they create a blue ribbon panel,” he said. “And they spend a lot of time blaming other people for the failings they created.”
Brown’s priorities are similar to those of the other candidates, though: cleaner, safer streets and better schools.
Brown’s biggest political battle was fighting the city’s soda tax, but he says he likes the programs it funds and, as mayor, he would not repeal it.
“As your next mayor, I’ll make sure this is a place we can be proud of and rally around,” he said.