Northwest Philly state-rep candidates forum scheduled for Wednesday

The Chew and Belfield Neighbors Club Inc. will host a candidates forum on Wednesday night at the Joseph E. Coleman Regional Library.

There, residents will have the opportunity to hear where the candidates in two Northwest Philadelphia legislative districts stand on, and ask about, a variety of issues.

State Rep. Rosita Youngblood is seeking re-election in the 198th District, which covers sections of Germantown, Mt. Airy and Nicetown.

Seeking to unseat her are Malik Boyd, who is president of the Philadelphia Young Democrats group, and Charisma Pressley, a lifelong Philadelphia resident who serves as the assistant director of Villanova University’s Center for Multicultural Affairs.

State Rep. John Myers is not seeking re-election in the 201st District, which covers portions of Germantown, West Oak Lane and Ogontz. Seeking to replace Myers are his chief-of-staff Stephen Kinsey, the FOP-endorsed Michael Ellis and Karl Gamble.

Connecting with community

Rev. Chester H. Williams, who heads the community group, said he hopes the event will help residents make more informed decisions for the upcoming election on April 24.

“As president, I go for things that the community are concerned about,” said Williams, who noted that all the candidates told him they were happy to attend. “For years, the community felt left out and that they were being dictated to about who they should vote for.”

The event will be a panel discussion in which involved community members will ask residents’ questions of the candidates. Eighth District City Councilwoman Cindy Bass will moderate.

The library is located at 68 West Chelten Ave. NewsWorks will cover the 6 p.m. event and provide profiles of the candidates between now and the election.