Four of the six declared candidates showed up, including every Democrat except Anthony Hardy Williams. The church was packed. The feeling was electric, filled with a sense of accomplishment at putting together the first ever Philadelphia debate organized to highlight the interests, needs, concerns and goals of Philly's real people. I'm talking about people coming from all walks of life who have profound, immediate problems, and who need a politics that is real, rather than petty and personal. By their presence the candidates affirmed the importance of these communities of real folks, represented by both the 350-400 people in the room, and by the 90 advocacy organizations that had worked their butts off to make the event happen. The questions were substantive, the answers more or less so, but no one left feeling they hadn't learned a lot about who these people are that want to lead our state.

So the big news was the event, not any one individual. But it was also clear to me that the guy who is most in sync with the diverse and pressing needs of Philadelphians is Joe Hoeffel. Hoeffel repeatedly made clear that nothing good would be coming from the state unless we found ways to fairly raise revenue for the Commonwealth. So he made repeated calls for the kind of progressive tax reform that I have never heard a gubernatorial candidate make in all my years of following PA politics. The list of reforms he advocated included a progressive income tax, closing of the loopholes in the corporate net income tax that make it virtually a voluntary tax, and high, immediate taxes on gas extraction in Pennsylvania with no coddling of that industry. He also was the only candidate calling for recognition of gay marriage, and repeal of the abortion control act. His answers on questions related to prison reform, education funding, housing, AIDS funding and raising the welfare grant were all sensitive and appropriate to the imperatives of those issues, as were those more or less of Onorato and Wagner. (Rohrer, a right wing Republican, was, of course, coming from a different planet.) Yet Hoeffel clearly spoke with more passion about those things, and, given his willingness to raise revenue, much more credibly. He's definitely the guy I want to see sitting in the Governor's mansion in January.

But that's one man's opinion on the candidates. Whoever people may have left the event supporting, the greatness of the evening was that it happened, that so many of those who so often need to scramble just for the slightest recognition by anyone in power, had that power come to them to see their aligned strength. Now if we can keep that force going, the page that was turned last night will be the first page of a great new volume of Philadelphia history. Kudos to all those who had a hand in making this debate truly great, in particular Sherrie Cohen of CES and Gloria Gilman of NN, but including dozens of others who pitched in selflessly and anonymously to make this historic event seamlessly come together.

This is where we get to ask questions, and they will provide real answers. More than seventy local community and advocacy groups, led by Neighborhood Networks and the Coalition for Essential Services, will be holding the gubernatorial candidates' feet to the fire on February 18 at 7 PM at the Arch Street United Methodist Church, 55 N. Broad St. This is the debate you'll want to be at, so put it in your book now. We will be sure the snow stays away so you don't have to.