Out Candidate Paul Steinke Announces Bid for City Council

Paul Steinke (right) at Reading Terminal Market. Photo | Facebook

Yesterday evening at Field House, Democrat Paul Steinke, former general manager at Reading Terminal Market, announced his bid for City Council At-Large. According to his campaign, if he wins, he would become the first openly LGBT person elected to citywide office.

With his experience running day-to-day operations at Reading Terminal, the 50-year-old West Philadelphia resident is running on a platform of job creation and community development. At his announcement ceremony, he said that he wants to make sure “every family in Philadelphia has the opportunities they deserve. … After nearly 50 years of losing population Philadelphia is growing again, development is taking off, neighborhoods are being revitalized. Great things are happening in our City. We just need a new generation of political leaders to take us to the next level.”

Among those there to commemorate his bid announcement was openly gay State Representative Brian Sims, who told the crowd that “The strength of our City lies in its diversity and our City Council is, for the most part, representative of our citizens. … I need partners in Philadelphia City Hall to take the trip up to Harrisburg with me to and help me lobby for fair education funding for our schools.”

Some of those trips may be utilized to push forward sorely lacking LGBT non-discrimination bills in the state. A message on his website claims that:

Paul believes discrimination, in any form, must be eliminated. As an active member of the LGBT community, Paul understands that individuals who are a part of a marginalized or minority group face serious obstacles in receiving adequate health care, education, and economic equality. From 2007, when he chaired the first of two consecutive Human Rights Campaign dinners, to 2014, when he joined the board of directors of the William Way LGBT Community Center, Paul has established a long record of volunteerism and activism that reflects his character and principles.

You can learn more about Steinke and his platforms on his website. He’s also on Facebook and Twitter if you want to tweet him a question or two. Election day is May 19, 2014.