Helen Gym
Helen Gym (Democratic Party) was an at-large member of the Philadelphia City Council in Pennsylvania. She assumed office on January 4, 2016. She left office in 2022.
Gym (Democratic Party) ran for election for Mayor of Philadelphia in Pennsylvania. She lost in the Democratic primary on May 16, 2023.
Biography
Gym received a bachelor's degree in history and economics and a master's degree in education from the University of Pennsylvania. Her professional experience includes co-founding both Parents United for Public Education, a collective of public school parents in Philadelphia, and the Folk Arts-Cultural Treasures Charter School. She was the founder and editor of the Philadelphia Public School Notebook, and taught at Lowell Elementary School.[1][2]
Elections
2023
See also: Mayoral election in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (2023)
General election
General election for Mayor of Philadelphia
Cherelle Parker defeated David Oh in the general election for Mayor of Philadelphia on November 7, 2023.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Cherelle Parker (D) | 74.7 | 232,075 | |
| David Oh (R) | 24.4 | 75,677 | ||
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.9 | 2,849 | ||
| Total votes: 310,601 | ||||
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Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Mayor of Philadelphia
The following candidates ran in the Democratic primary for Mayor of Philadelphia on May 16, 2023.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Cherelle Parker | 32.6 | 81,080 | |
| Rebecca Rhynhart | 22.8 | 56,581 | ||
| Helen Gym | 22.0 | 54,705 | ||
| Allan Domb | 11.3 | 28,051 | ||
| Jeff Brown | 8.8 | 21,868 | ||
| Amen Brown | 1.3 | 3,321 | ||
 | James DeLeon III | 0.6 | 1,488 | |
| Delscia Gray | 0.2 | 582 | |
| Warren Bloom | 0.2 | 499 | |
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.1 | 163 | ||
| Total votes: 248,338 | ||||
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Derek Green (D)
- Maria Quinones-Sanchez (D)
- John Wood (D)
Republican primary election
Republican primary for Mayor of Philadelphia
David Oh advanced from the Republican primary for Mayor of Philadelphia on May 16, 2023.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | David Oh | 95.5 | 15,355 | |
| Other/Write-in votes | 4.5 | 730 | ||
| Total votes: 16,085 | ||||
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2019
See also: City council elections in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (2019)
General election
General election for Philadelphia City Council At-large (7 seats)
The following candidates ran in the general election for Philadelphia City Council At-large on November 5, 2019.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Helen Gym (D) | 15.4 | 205,661 | |
| ✔ | Isaiah Thomas (D) | 14.7 | 196,733 | |
| ✔ | Derek Green (D) | 14.2 | 189,819 | |
| ✔ | Katherine Richardson (D) | 14.2 | 189,813 | |
| ✔ | Allan Domb (D) | 13.9 | 186,665 | |
| ✔ | Kendra Brooks (Working Families Party) | 4.5 | 60,256 | |
| ✔ | David Oh (R) | 4.0 | 53,742 | |
| Al Taubenberger (R) | 3.6 | 47,547 | ||
| Nicolas O'Rourke (Working Families Party) | 3.5 | 46,560 | ||
| Daniel Tinney (R) | 3.5 | 46,270 | ||
| Bill Heeney (R) | 3.2 | 43,249 | ||
| Matt Wolfe (R) | 3.1 | 41,341 | ||
| Sherrie Cohen (A Better Council Party) | 0.7 | 9,116 | ||
| Joe Cox (Independent) | 0.7 | 8,880 | ||
| Maj Toure (L) | 0.5 | 6,179 | ||
| Steve Cherniavsky (Term Limits Philadelphia Party) | 0.3 | 3,480 | ||
| Clarc King (Independent) | 0.2 | 2,959 | |
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.1 | 745 | ||
| Total votes: 1,339,015 | ||||
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Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Philadelphia City Council At-large (7 seats)
The following candidates ran in the Democratic primary for Philadelphia City Council At-large on May 21, 2019.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Helen Gym | 15.6 | 107,153 | |
| ✔ | Allan Domb | 9.8 | 67,193 | |
| ✔ | Isaiah Thomas | 9.2 | 63,295 | |
| ✔ | Derek Green | 8.9 | 61,070 | |
| ✔ | Katherine Richardson | 6.6 | 45,470 | |
| Justin DiBerardinis | 6.2 | 42,643 | |
| Adrian Reyes | 5.2 | 35,565 | |
| Eryn Santamoor | 5.1 | 35,026 | |
| Erika Almiron | 5.0 | 34,329 | |
| Deja Alvarez | 3.9 | 26,617 | ||
| Sandra Glenn | 2.6 | 18,105 | |
| Willie Singletary | 2.6 | 17,858 | ||
| Ethelind Baylor | 2.1 | 14,259 | |
| Beth Finn | 2.0 | 14,015 | ||
| Ogbonna Hagins | 1.8 | 12,570 | ||
| Fernando Trevino | 1.7 | 11,400 | |
| Fareed Abdullah | 1.6 | 10,676 | ||
| Asa Khalif | 1.4 | 9,779 | |
| Billy Thompson | 1.3 | 8,976 | |
| Latrice Bryant | 1.3 | 8,966 | ||
| Joseph Diorio | 1.1 | 7,803 | |
| Hena Veit | 0.8 | 5,405 | ||
| Edwin Santana | 0.8 | 5,154 | |
| Wayne Allen | 0.7 | 4,941 | |
| Vinny Blackwell | 0.7 | 4,516 | |
| Mark Ross | 0.6 | 4,255 | |
| Bobbie Curry | 0.6 | 3,920 | |
| Devon Cade | 0.4 | 2,854 | ||
| Wayne Dorsey | 0.4 | 2,780 | |
| Sherrie Cohen | 0.0 | 44 | ||
| Total votes: 686,637 | ||||
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Melissa Robbins (D)
- Mike Stack (D)
- Janice Tangradi (D)
- David Conroy (D)
Republican primary election
Republican primary for Philadelphia City Council At-large (7 seats)
The following candidates ran in the Republican primary for Philadelphia City Council At-large on May 21, 2019.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Daniel Tinney | 21.0 | 13,611 | |
| ✔ | Al Taubenberger | 19.4 | 12,542 | |
| ✔ | Matt Wolfe | 19.1 | 12,362 | |
| ✔ | Bill Heeney | 18.5 | 11,976 | |
| ✔ | David Oh | 10.0 | 6,477 | |
| Drew Murray | 6.1 | 3,935 | ||
| Irina Goldstein | 5.9 | 3,790 | ||
| Total votes: 64,693 | ||||
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2015
The city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, held elections for mayor and city council on November 3, 2015. A primary election took place on May 19, 2015. The filing deadline for candidates who wished to run in this election was March 10, 2015. There were seven at-large seats up for election, one of which was vacant at the time of the election. Two at-large seats on the Philadelphia City Council are reserved for members of the minority party. In the Democratic at-large primary, Derek Green, Allan Domb, Helen Gym and incumbents Blondell Reynolds Brown and William Greenlee advanced past incumbents Edward Neilson and W. Wilson Goode, Jr. and Jenne Baccar Ayers, Wilson Alexander, Thomas Wyatt, Carla Cain, Lillian Ford, Paul Steinke, Barbara Capozzi, Marnie Aument Loughery, Sherrie Cohen, Billy Ivery, Frank Rizzo and Isaiah Thomas. In the Republican at-large primary, incumbents David Oh and Dennis M. O’Brien and Terrence Tracy Jr., Daniel Tinney and Al Taubenberger advanced past James Williams and Matt Wolfe. Green Party candidate Kristin Combs, Independent candidate Sheila Armstrong, Philadelphia Party candidate Andrew Stober and Socialist Workers Party candidate John Staggs also ran in the general election. Gym, Green, Domb, Brown, Greenlee, Oh and Taubenberger won election to the at-large seats.[3][4]
| Philadelphia City Council At-large, General election, 2015 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic |  Helen Gym |
15.9% | 145,087 | |
| Democratic | Derek Green |
15.8% | 144,337 | |
| Democratic | Allan Domb |
15.7% | 143,265 | |
| Democratic | Blondell Reynolds Brown Incumbent |
15.5% | 141,368 | |
| Democratic | William Greenlee Incumbent |
15.1% | 137,315 | |
| Republican | David Oh Incumbent |
3.8% | 34,887 | |
| Republican | Al Taubenberger |
3.8% | 34,711 | |
| Republican | Dennis M. O’Brien Incumbent | 3.8% | 34,324 | |
| Republican | Daniel Tinney | 3.5% | 31,863 | |
| Republican | Terrence Tracy Jr. | 3.1% | 28,050 | |
| Philadelphia | Andrew Stober | 1.8% | 16,301 | |
| Green | Kristin Combs | 1.2% | 11,366 | |
| Independent | Sheila Armstrong | 0.6% | 5,466 | |
| Socialist Workers | John Staggs | 0.3% | 3,028 | |
| Write-in votes | 0.01% | 105 | ||
| Total Votes | 911,473 | |||
| Source: City of Philadelphia, "Official general election results," accessed November 23, 2015 | ||||
| Philadelphia City Council, At-large Democratic Primary, 2015 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes | ||
|
Derek Green |
10.6% | 68,505 | ||
| Blondell Reynolds Brown Incumbent |
9.8% | 62,922 | ||
| Allan Domb |
9% | 57,691 | ||
| William Greenlee Incumbent |
7.9% | 50,849 | ||
| Helen Gym |
7.7% | 49,270 | ||
| Isaiah Thomas | 7.5% | 48,000 | ||
| W. Wilson Goode, Jr. Incumbent | 7.2% | 46,555 | ||
| Sherrie Cohen | 7.1% | 45,847 | ||
| Edward Neilson Incumbent | 6.3% | 40,786 | ||
| Paul Steinke | 5.8% | 37,104 | ||
| Jenne Baccar Ayers | 5.1% | 32,637 | ||
| Thomas Wyatt | 4.7% | 30,310 | ||
| Frank Rizzo | 4.1% | 26,260 | ||
| Wilson Alexander | 3% | 19,210 | ||
| Carla Cain | 2.7% | 17,115 | ||
| Marnie Aument Loughery | 1.7% | 10,890 | ||
| Write-in | 0% | 87 | ||
| Total Votes | 644,038 | |||
| Source: Philadelphia City Commissioners, "Historical Election Results," accessed August 24, 2015 | ||||
| Philadelphia City Council, At-large Republican Primary, 2015 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes | ||
|
David Oh Incumbent |
18% | 8,960 | ||
| Dennis M. O’Brien Incumbent |
16.2% | 8,038 | ||
| Terrence Tracy Jr. |
15.7% | 7,801 | ||
| Daniel Tinney |
15.1% | 7,528 | ||
| Al Taubenberger |
13.2% | 6,587 | ||
| Matt Wolfe | 11.7% | 5,800 | ||
| James Williams | 10% | 4,979 | ||
| Write-in | 0.1% | 32 | ||
| Total Votes | 49,725 | |||
| Source: Philadelphia City Commissioners, "Historical Election Results," accessed August 24, 2015 | ||||
Campaign themes
2023
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Helen Gym did not complete Ballotpedia's 2023 Candidate Connection survey.
2019
Helen Gym did not complete Ballotpedia's 2019 Candidate Connection survey.
2015
Gym's website highlighted the following campaign themes:[5]
Education
- Excerpt: "If we are going to fix our schools, we need to re-build a culture of investment in public education. We need to end a sickening approach of austerity and deprivation for Philadelphia’s children. I’m your champion in City Hall who will bring a message of investment to boardrooms and universities, and who has a proven record in galvanizing public attention and support for investing in public education for all."
Connecting the city
- Excerpt: "If we want a modernized and thriving city, we need a connected city. I will focus on ensuring that our streets are safe, walkable and cycle-able; that we invest in our busses, subways, trolleys and trains; that we provide language access in all part of our government and service arenas; and that we finally ensure universal Internet access to all our city’s residents."
Economy
- Excerpt: "We must continue to make Philadelphia’s business taxes better targeted and more progressive through the creative use of exemptions that benefit small and local businesses and ensure that larger, profitable businesses pay their fair share. One area I would prioritize is structuring exemptions on the Use and Occupancy tax to provide some relief for small businesses and ensure that larger businesses pay toward an expanded share of school funding after receiving sizable property tax breaks under AVI reform."
Criminal justice
- Excerpt: "We need a criminal justice system that creates trust and collaboration between our police department and the neighborhoods they serve, ensures that those with criminal records can return to lives of economic independence, and partners with communities to look out for the most vulnerable among us. I support an independent review board and significant resources for the existing Police Advisory Commission and a continued focus on community policing."
Ethics & transparency
- Excerpt:
| “ | A clean government improves democracy, participation and trust. I have a deep record of success in improving ethics and transparency in my school activism:
|
” |
Noteworthy events
Arrested at protest (2021)
On June 23, 2021, Gym was arrested while attending a protest that she and other education activists had staged inside the Pennsylvania State Capitol. The protest urged state Senators to include money from federal relief in the following year's state education budget. Capitol police declared the assembly unlawful and arrested several protesters, including Gym, when they refused to disperse.[7]
See also
2023 Elections
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ LinkedIn.com, "Helen Hae-Liun Gym," accessed August 25, 2015
- ↑ Helen Gym campaign website, "Meet Helen," accessed August 25, 2015
- ↑ Philadelphia City Commissioners, "Historical Election Results," accessed August 24, 2015
- ↑ Office of the Philadelphia City Commissioners, "Comprehensive Election Calendar," accessed November 17, 2014
- ↑ Helen Gym campaign website, "Issues," accessed August 25, 2015
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ The Philadelphia Inquirer "Philly Councilmember Helen Gym was detained in Harrisburg during a protest for education funding," June 23, 2021
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