Philly for Change had a good event today with 10 of the 19 candidates currently slated to be on the Democratic ballot for the At-Large race. The audience was somewhere around 40, which included a number of campaign managers (though of course in this race they've each got four more votes beyond the one that's presumably committed, so they're just as worth educating).

Here's my quick summary & ranking — I'm working on a longer report:

1. Marc Stier: so smart, good track record of successfully advocating for change, and I really like and believe in his plan to continue to work at the grass roots to bring pressure to bear on Council and other City institutions to support a progressive agenda.
2. Matt Ruben: Matt Ruben was the pleasant surprise of the day for me. He is a great speaker, concise but with a good command of the issues and the audience. His opening statement nearly got a standing ovation. His success in both street level activism and "establishment" situations convinced me that he'd be a good Councilmember.
3. Andy Toy: I hadn't seen him before, but have been impressed by what I've read. He struck a good balance, especially for this audience, between emphasizing his 15 years of experience at the City Commerce Dept. and his independent-mindedness.
   
   
4. Derek Green: Compared to Andy Toy, Derek Green is definitely more on the establishment side, having worked for a number of campaigns and in legislative offices of people who I consider to be at the good end of the City's Democratic mainstream, rather than progressive reformers. But he's still better than most sitting council members.
   
   
5. Wilson Goode, Jr.: I haven't had the patience to read all the posts between Marc Stier and Wilson Goode, Jr., so I don't really know what their beef is about. In the forum today, Goode came across as affable, knowledgeable and capable. I'm surprised to find an incumbent in my top five, but he seems more like baby than bathwater.
   
   
6. Ben Ramos: I hadn't known that he worked in Angel Ortiz's office, which definitely lent him some credibility. But he didn't say anything that led me to think he'll be a strong agent for significant changes in the way the city does business, but rather a positive voice working within the existing system.
7. Caryn Hunt: She seems great, with excellent communication skills and is clearly someone I agree with on most things political. But her resume is just a little thin, and her campaign doesn't seem to be going anywhere yet, and I'm afraid it's too late in the game for that to be the case.
   
   
8. Blondell Reynolds Brown: Although she's not in danger of getting into my top five, she's likeable, and has done some good things on Council. She finished the event off with a nice statement on working independently vs. leading vs. being a team player, and the times for each of those roles.
9. Bill Green: Came off as an establishment, legacy politician who's saying some of the right stuff, but not terribly convincingly. Very little evidence of credentials beyond his lineage.
10. Bill Greenlee: This is the bearer of Councilman Cohen's legacy? He scolded the audience that they need to vote for someone who "understands how government works," and said, "You'll probably hear the term 'progressive' a lot today," but maintained that he's "walked the walk." Completely condescending and unimpressive to me.

PFC is having their endorsement meeting for At-Large and some more district races on April 4, I believe.