From the Editor: June 2006



Run, Carl, run. That’s been the sentiment around our office ever since Carl Singley sat down with us for the interview that appears on page 142. The controversial Singley may not be electable. But wouldn’t it be nice, for once, to have a candidate seeking public office who not only says what he thinks, but who says what we think, too?

Singley says he’s interested in raising issues, not in running for mayor. We say: Let’s draft Singley to be the Republican candidate for mayor in 2007. A Singley candidacy would force the Democratic nominee to share the stage with the most silver-tongued of lawyers while trying to defend a broken system.

So read Singley’s breath-of-fresh-air interview, and then vote on our website — phillymag.com — on whether you want him in the race. We’ll make sure city Republican officials see the results of our poll. And we’ll urge Singley to do his local patriotic duty and speak truth to power as a declared candidate for mayor.

Speaking of our website, check it out (phillymag.com) in its new incarnation. Online editor Tim Haas has turned it into the ultimate guide to the good life in and around Philadelphia. Like all things web, it’s ever-evolving, so let us know what information you’d like to see up there.

Yeah, that’s my photo on this page, some 25 years, 50 pounds and untold follicles ago. I figured it’s only fair I show myself back then, since our “Graduation Haze” spread of high-school yearbook shots (page 140) will cause a little grief for some pretty prominent people. Plus, I look at it like this: No way I look as geeky as some of those we dug up. Like my friend Penn prof Michael Eric Dyson (nice leisure suit, Playa), or State Senator Vince Fumo (good to see you’ve since grown into your head), or Daily News columnist Dan Gross. (Just how stoned were you for that photo?)

Feel free to tease me about my 17-year-old self. I know Dyson, Fumo and Gross will fire back.

There’s a new star in town. As Amy Donohue Korman shows in her profile of Amy Gutmann on page 132, the Penn president is a bold thinker and savvy civic leader. Her plan to leap the Schuylkill to connect West Philly with Center City will get us strolling from Rittenhouse Square to Pod. And on top of all that, she’s kind of a babe, too.

As my nerdy photo on this page proves, we tend not to take ourselves too seriously here. But we are deadly serious about the potential of this magazine to stimulate debate and conversation about the pressing issues of the day. That’s what we’re going to be doing every month in partnership with the National Constitution Center. At 6 p.m. on June 15th, we’ll hold the first of our “Philadelphia Talks” events at the Center, at which I’ll moderate a panel discussion on the 2007 mayoral race featuring two brilliant and entertaining political consultants, Neil Oxman and Chris Mottola. There’s no better partner for our series than the Constitution Center, a national treasure and a testament to the power of ideas. In future months, we’ll facilitate stimulating, entertaining and thought-provoking discussions about the challenges that face all of us.

Attendance is $5, and it’s free to Constitution Center members. If you come, introduce yourself, and let your voice be heard. Meantime, enjoy the issue.