Andrew Stober will run for Council as an independent

A former top city transportation staffer says he plans to run for an at-large seat on Philadelphia City Council as an independent.

Andrew Stober, who stepped down as chief of staff in the Mayor's Office of Transportation and Utilities on May 15, said he would announce his candidacy on Wednesday.

"We have some really strong and smart community voices on City Council, we have people with backgrounds in education, and we're adding a business leader," Stober said, referring to real estate broker Allan Domb, among the top vote-getters in the Democratic primary for an at-large seat. "But there's no one on City Council that I can think of right now with a background in effective government."

Stober, 36, of South Philadelphia, worked in the Transportation Department for 61/2 years. Before that he worked at the Colorado Department of Transportation.

During his tenure in the transportation office, Stober helped bring the Indego Bike Share program to the city. He was involved in securing grant funding and planning for numerous improvement projects, including the Schuylkill Banks Boardwalk; the two-mile Port Richmond Trail, which connects residents in Bridesburg and Port Richmond with the Delaware River; and Bartram's Mile, on the Schuylkill's west bank between Grays Ferry Avenue and 58th Street.

Stober also worked to get SEPTA's traffic signals - dating back to the 1950s - updated in Northeast and Southwest Philadelphia.

Running as an independent (Stober switched his registration from Democrat in 2013) means he would be vying for the two at-large seats reserved for the minority party. The City Charter says no more than five of the seven at-large seats can be held by the majority party, currently the Democrats.

The two minority seats have typically gone to Republicans, but nothing prevents independent candidates from winning them.

In the last 40 years, several independent candidates have run for Council at-large, but none has won.

"History is not the future. November is the future, and I think the voters are ready," Stober said.

He said a look at the Democratic Council at-large primary winners - three of them non-incumbents - shows voters are ready for change.

"I think voters are excited about new voices and excited about people with serious track records outside of politics," he said.

The five Republicans on the ballot are Councilmen Dennis O'Brien and David Oh, and non-incumbents Dan Tinney, Terry Tracy, and Al Taubenberger.