Germantown organizer makes a bid for City Council

Longtime neighborhood organizer, Anita Hamilton of Germantown, has decided to make a run for the Eighth District City Council seat that incumbent Donna Reed Miller will vacate at the end of this year.

Hamilton has served as a Democratic committee person, she oversaw operations of the first truancy court in Northwest Philadelphia and she was instrumental in establishing the Community School at Picket Middle School (now Mastery Charter). Currently she is president of the board of directors for the Wister Neighborhood Advisory Council.

Hamilton organized the first protest against Germantown Settlement Charter School in 2004 and helped bring to light the gross mismanagement that went on there. Since then, Wister NAC, once part of Settlement’s  “family of agencies,” has been active in trying to expose other wrongdoings at the organization. Hamilton and other NAC members participated in this fall’s community movement against Germantown Settlement in federal bankruptcy court.

Community empowerment, education, responsive government and quality of life are among her top priorities. Bringing the Eighth closer to a political unity is another.

“This community has been so divided as a district – one end doesn’t know what the other end is doing,” she said. “If we can unify this district it will be a better quality of life for everybody.”

This will be Hamilton’s first try for City Council.  As the candidate pool for the Eighth shifts (see related announcements), Hamilton did not want to hazard a guess about strategy details yet. She said for now, putting the best foot forward is the best way to get in the race.

“Sometimes you’ve got to lead by example,” she said. “Hopefully that’s what we can do. Here goes.”

 

Names of other expected candidates include:

Cindy Bass
Latrice Bryant
John Churchville
Andrew Lofton
Donna Gentile O’Donnell
Greg Paulmier
Verna Tyner

 

Expected candidates who recently decided not to run:

Irv Ackelsberg
Derek Green

 

Watch for more on each confirmed candidate soon.