Doug Oliver announces candidacy for mayor
Spokesman says an official announcement will help with campaign fundraising
MAYORAL HOPEFUL Doug Oliver has announced he's officially throwing his hat into the ring.
"DO 2015" spokesman Mustafa Rashed said yesterday that Oliver informed his bosses at Philadelphia Gas Works that he would be leaving at the end of the month to pursue his campaign for mayor. He serves as PGW's vice president of marketing and corporate communications, and under the city charter's "resign-to-run" rule, he can't do both at once.
For six weeks, Oliver had been mulling the decision to run with the help of an exploratory committee working to measure his chances.
"One of the things we've found is that people are still sitting on the sidelines in terms of giving money to candidates," Rashed said. "Not being an official candidate makes [fundraising efforts more difficult]. You have to actually [announce]."
In mid-November, Oliver announced that he was flirting with the idea of a run for mayor and has been courting business and community leaders for support.
A registered Republican for two years, Oliver switched his party to Democratic in 2012.
"It's more about what you can negotiate than what you can dictate," Rashed said.
Oliver will "be a consensus builder," he said. "He'll try to find new ways and new ideas to make things work."