(Not) asked and answered: Jim Kenney wonders what foes would do differently if they could

In the waning days of the mayoral-primary season, NinetyNine is reaching out to the six Democratic candidates to pose a question about, well, questions.

Specificially, we wanted to hear their response to this query: What question hasn’t been asked of a competitor(s), or of yourself, that you wish had been? (And if it’s the latter, please provide a response).

Today’s question comes from Jim Kenney and is directed at all five of his Democratic competitors:

“If you could run this campaign again, what would you do or say differently?”

The answers

Lynne Abraham:

As I have mentioned, there were several important topics not covered such as those on women and the elderly.

I also believe that we never placed enough emphasis on the problems of the pension and how we’re going to grapple with this going forward.

Overall, I believe that asking mayoral candidates how any of us would solve the weighty issues of the day in a minute or 45 seconds is unrealistic. As a result, I think that virtually none of the forums were a true debate.

Nelson Diaz:

He would have liked to have gone into the campaign with a better sense of who his friends are, rather than expecting folks he’d worked with over the years to be by his side because it was the right thing to do. In other words, his eyes open open on what he could expect [by way of helping the campaign] from friends. (via spokesman Barry Caro)

Doug Oliver:

If I could do this campaign all over again, I’d do two things differently.

First, I would start six months earlier to allow Philadelphia voters a little bit more time to get to know me first-hand. Perhaps I could do this through smaller forums where people could ask more direct questions and get more detailed answers.

Secondly, with all due respect to my friends in the media and in political circles, I wouldn’t waste any significant time trying to build support from traditional and/or entrenched groups for a fresh and non-traditional grassroots campaign.

Milton Street:

I wouldn’t do anything differently. I’d run the same exact way.

Anthony Hardy Williams:

I wish there had been a way to work with forum organizers to allow the candidates time for more detailed answers instead of sound bites.

It would have provided the opportunity to draw a clearer distinction between myself and Jim Kenney, between my vision of One Philadelphia, intended to end old divisions based on false choices, and the agenda of Jim Kenney and Johnny Doc that is determined to keep the status quo that Philadelphians have endured for 23 years.

This is particularly true when it comes to education; I just want great public schools-traditional and public charter, whereas Kenney would rather pit one kind of school against another.

Candidates’ “(Not) asked and answered” responses will run over the course of the last week of the primary campaign season.

Previously

Lynne Abraham on women, children and the elderly

Tony Williams on narratives and stereotyped candidates

Nelson Diaz questions Jim Kenney on Morales issue

Milton Street asks Kenney about stop-and-frisk and young homicide victims

Doug Oliver’s campaign raises questions about the ‘experience’ issue