Yesterday, I wrote a quick introduction to the Mayor’s race here in Camden. If you want to know more, the Village — a group of community who bound together to oppose violence in the city and has become involved in everything from education to politics — is hosting a mayoral forum this Monday. Here’s the flier: 

I’ve heard that Theo Spencer and Ray Lamboy will likely be attending, but am less clear on City Councilman Frank Moran’s commitment to do so. The decisions for the party’s candidate to participate in these type of events is always a bit of a chess game. On one hand, ducking debates looks petty, and has a tendency to build over the course of the campaign as an issue. It gives opposing candidates the opportunity to claim they are building momentum, or simply to put out an empty chair and frame the message of candidates who don’t show. On the other hand, with enough of a lead, there’s no need to risk showing up — it has the opportunity to give oxygen to opposing candidates. For Moran, this is a particularly treacherous option — some of his brand is tied to being more accessible than Mayor Dana Redd, and he needs to build name recognition as well. But, he risks legitimizing his opponents while doing so. My guess is the most likely outcome is that Moran skips this event, but stages a series of highly visible public meetings that highlight the party’s efforts in the city (imagine press conferences at Holtec, the 76ers, and Kipp-Cooper Norcross Academy). There will also likely be unofficial events (“fairs”) in which he is given prominent billing.

For Lamboy and Spencer, the Village is an obvious opportunity. They need to quickly hone their message and start to connect to voters. A lot of this campaign will be about who can break through to a fractured Camden populace that rarely feels heard by politicians. That means forums like these, which are critical for gaining the support of leaders who can reach individuals in their neighborhoods, and a lot of traditional campaign tactics like canvassing. 

If you’re the type to pack a lunch and a dinner, the Neighborhood Center is also holding a meeting at 6pm to figure out next steps after the Zoning Board decision that there was essentially no way to stop the clinic from coming to the neighborhood. I wrote a bit more about that meeting and possible next steps here.

And finally, for those who read regularly, you’ll note that we have a new regular contributor to the blog: Jared Hunter. I’ve long been looking for a second writer to give a different perspective regularly on the blog. Over the past few weeks, Jared and I have been testing out this arrangement, and moving forward Jared will be posting once or twice a week here. You can read some of his previous posts here to get a sense of his work. It’s also a good reminder that I’m always looking for contributors! If you’re uncomfortable writing, we can do interviews on topics, or you can submit a video of yourself as well. Jared and I put together a brief bio to introduce him formally to our readers. Here it is: 

Jared Hunter is a current student at Rutgers-Camden pursuing his Masters in Public Administration in the community development track.  His research focus includes disparities between marginalized communities and local governments as well as community development centers and anchor institutions. 

Jared has lived in South Jersey all his life; growing up in Williamstown, and moving to Woodbury after his sophomore year of high school, he’s personally experienced many facets of public life and the inner workings of New Jersey politics for the last five years. 

An alum of University of the Sciences in Philadelphia, Jared was originally a pharmacology major hoping to find cures for diseases through tailoring medication to meet specific genetic needs.  After his second year of college, he found that his heart lived more in connecting and building relationships with people, and he received his Bachelors of Science in Humanities in Science in May 2016. 

While on campus, Jared founded and presided over one of the first political science clubs where the group hosted Philadelphia council members, conducted community public forums, developed and held a local Model United Nations, and welcomed the Consul of Sierra Leon to campus to discuss the Ebola outbreak in West Africa.

Jared has lived and worked in the city of Camden since the summer with his girlfriend and three-legged dog, Sadie.  He loves being out in the community hearing and learning about people’s unique stories over a cup of coffee or a nice lager after work hours.

You’ll love his writing, and I couldn’t be happier to add him to the Local Knowledge Blog team.