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DN Editorial: Time to shake it up

ALL ELECTIONS are about people choosing leaders, but some elections do more, like marking a shift in collective priorities, or a rejection of the status quo.

ALL ELECTIONS are about people choosing leaders, but some elections do more, like marking a shift in collective priorities, or a rejection of the status quo.

For all its lack of fireworks, next week's election for mayor, City Council and other offices holds the promise of change.

We are thinking in particular of the City Council at-large seats. Tuesday's outcome could have a profound effect on the current Council, now under the tight control of President Darrell Clarke. Clarke has been an effective manager of his Council members - and that's both a good thing and a bad thing. It's not so good, for example, when a complicated issue like the privatization of Philadelphia Gas Works is allowed to die without debate or hearings.

We're not saying that Council should be a battlefront - not to the extent that fist fights break out on the floor, as in the old days. But we think the city might be healthier if the 17 voices on Council occasionally sang from different hymn books; this is, after all, a big and complicated city, and informed and healthy debate is the cornerstone of progress.

The current makeup of Council - with two vacancies created by the departure of Jim Kenney, to run for mayor; and Bill Green, to join the SRC; and the primary defeats of Councilmember Wilson Goode, Jr.; as well as another son-of-former mayor Frank Rizzo, Jr, in his bid to return to Council - offers the possibility of allowing a little air into the room. While no incumbent district Council members are at risk, the at-large seats have strong contenders challenging incumbents David Oh and Denny O'Brien (Republican) and Blondell Reynolds Brown, and William Greenlee (Democrat).

We endorse the slate of newcomers: Helen Gym, a school advocate who will bring smarts and new perspectives to city issues; Derek Green, who offers legal and legislative experience; developer Allan Domb, offering much-needed real-world business experience; and minority party contenders Andrew Stober, a forward-thinking Independent candidate who served in the mayor's office of Transportation and Utilities; and Republican Terry Tracy, who comes from the retail world. Their varied backgrounds and collective intelligence can add depth and context to City Council, and to the debates over change in the city.

And then there's mayor. Melissa Murray Bailey brought dignity to the thankless job as a Republican mayoral candidate in Democratic stronghold, and some weight to a race that could have been a joke. We like to think that she prevented Jim Kenney from stealing home plate without even lifting a bat.

Not that we'd ever accuse Kenney of avoiding lifting the bat. From the months leading up to the May primary and his eventual near-landslide victory, he has shown himself to be both passionate and thoughtful about the issues in the city. His primary victory speaks to an appeal that crosses geographic, economic and racial lines. The latter, especially, is important not just for this city, but for this century. Coupled with his championing of causes like pre-K, immigration and LGBT rights, and his long experience on Council, Jim Kenney promises to be a leader who can unite the city on issues that matter. We endorse him as the next mayor.