Putting mayoral hopefuls on the spot – don’t miss this

For an original look at the six Democrats running for mayor of Philadelphia, I humbly suggest you check out the mayoral forum  taking place Monday at WHYY, co-sponsored by the station, Committee of Seventy, the Philadelphia Business Journal and Young Involved Philadelphia.

This will not be about issues, in the traditional sense of the word. Candidates aren’t going to be asked for their platforms on schools, crime, and taxes.

The idea here is to test the mettle of those who think they have the stuff to lead the city. Much of what a mayor will confront can’t be anticipated in position papers. We need to know if these candidates have shown the leadership qualities we need in their public careers.

So the panelists – Katie Colaneri of WHYY, David Thornburgh of the Committee of Seventy, and Craig Ey of the Business Journal – will ask the candidates to show us not just what they think, but what they’ve done. The questions will be original, and I trust, the answers revealing.

The event will be live-streamed at the WHYY website, starting at 8:30 a.m. Monday.

It will also be re-broadcast on WHYY-FM at 9 p.m. Monday night.