Republican eighth district council contender seeks a spot on the political map

by JAMES STURDIVANT

The first things you notice about Deborah L. Williams are her smile and her step. Striding into the noisy café at the Chestnut Hill Borders, she greets someone at a table who recognizes her, places her bag of Auntie Anne's pretzels (lunch, presumably, although she doesn't get around to eating it), cell phone and thick address book on the table, and apologizes for being a bit late. Kids, you know.

The second thing you notice is the large red pin advertising her Republican candidacy for City Council in the 8th District. As the campaign began to heat up, she came from a meeting with a prospective donor, and planned to be at Broad and Olney with her sons Cameron, 14, and Christian, seven, "handing out mommy's literature" by mid-afternoon, followed by a neighborhood rally for PAAN, the Philadelphia Antiviolence and Anti-drug Network, that evening.

The Republican Ward leader for the 17th Ward is familiar with the grind, having worked on campaigns for Chakah Fattah and Marie Delaney.

"Everybody has a story," the ebullient 34-year-old begins. "Philadelphia has had a problem with its school system forever. I remember when I was about six or eight years old, being outside with my little sign saying 'Save our Schools.' We had our 'Save our Schools' buttons. That's the kind of family I have. My uncle was a committeeman in North Philadelphia, and I actually volunteered in [state representative] W. Curtis Thomas' office. He's a great guy.

"I did voter registration when I was in high school. I was highly disappointed when I got to college and couldn't vote yet because I was too young. I was 17."

Williams credits her upbringing with shaping what she says are her core convictions: working for people first and putting issues above concerns of party. She is familiar with the city's problems and potential, having grown up African-American in North Philadelphia during arguably its most troubled years. After graduating as class valedictorian at Benjamin Franklin High School, she attended Florida A&M and Temple Universities, where she studied pharmacy and classical voice. She has since earned a bachelors and masters degree in theology from Jameson Christian College and, according to her vitae, is studying for a doctorate and a law degree.

Currently a minister at the Church of God in Christ in Germantown, the former businesswoman (who has also had stints as an actress and model) lives in the Wister section of Germantown, where her political platform has been shaped by the issues she encounters in her community: crime, prostitution, educational disparity, substance abuse and healthcare needs.

"When you're a preacher and you're dealing with the public, it’s a little different. I make baby blankets and bring them to the hospital. I feed the homeless and actually sit there and talk to them, you know, see if they want to get saved.

"Most people are reaching out for God, and they need to see God through us … [which is why] I think you should talk to everybody."
When asked how religion plays into her politics and desire to run, Williams answered carefully.

"I'm just me. People like me, and if they don't, sorry. There are issues that come up because I am a preacher, like how I feel about homosexuals. Do I think they should be denied housing? No. What does your sexual preference have to do with your living in a house? I stand on The Word, but there are so many issues that we need to look at and be objective about. [I think] you can be objective and still stay true to your faith. I try to focus on the issues."

Williams was appointed Republican Ward leader last October and chosen by other Republicans earlier this year to run against two-term incumbent Donna Reed Miller. She was unopposed in the May primary, garnishing all but one of the 618 votes cast by registered Republicans in this overwhelmingly Democratic district.

She knows what she's up against now: handicapped by demographics, her young age, her status as an unknown and, most importantly, the lack of a well-established political organization, Williams will have to draw mostly on her energy and enthusiasm for the job.

"A lot of people think that us being young people, we don’t care about anything," she says, not sounding defensive. "But a lot of the things young people do are reflections of what they see … instead of using my energies to do something negative, I'm out there trying to do something positive. I don't know many candidates who are actually out there working in the community to try to change something, but it's better to show people what you're doing instead of telling them what you're going to do. They shouldn't have to wait until you get into office to actually see whether you're worth your salt and if your word is true."

Williams started a program called Philly United, which works with PAAN to help kids avoid, or fight, drug addiction ("We would like to help these kids, because everybody can't go to jail.") The program tries to provide young people with positive mentors and messages to help them avoid getting into trouble.

"We have so many different forms of music that glamorize crime. I don't know if you've heard the 50 Cent song, 'P.I.M.P.' … watch the video. Being a pimp is popular now, it's on the rise, while I'm out fighting prostitution.

"The thing is, if I can get enough people to fight against the street, then the tide will turn the other way."

It's not a level of idealism one often associates with Republicans, even in Philadelphia, where many conservatives would be considered pretty liberal in other parts of the country.

"I was a Democrat, and I switched my party because I really did not see them doing too much. Every time I go back home to North Philly, North Philly is still looking like North Philly. Temple of course is doing a lot of building, but it shouldn't all be for the students. There are people, families who need housing.

"I'm just not happy ...[with] what I'm seeing the Democratic party do. They took over 50 years ago … [and] we're entrenched in politics. It shouldn't be about that. It's supposed to be about people, and we're not working for the people because we don't have to. They'll vote for us anyway."

Williams says she likes the direction mayoral candidate Sam Katz has said he would take the city.

"I look at what I've proposed and what Sam's proposed [for revitalization] … we need to make the cities home again. I've seen what it can be, and I know we can do a lot better.

"I talk to Sam, and I like the fact that he's trying to bring the city back together. Now, I'm not saying I don't like Mayor Street, because I do, but that's one problem I was hoping he would not escalate. Just because I'm black, I don’t want people to not want to vote for me because I'm black, and they think, OK, well she's only going to be worried about black people. Of course I'm going to worry about black people, but I'm trying to represent an entire district, and that's what I keep in mind."

By promoting better use of city funds, including more efficient implementation of the Neighborhood Transportation Initiative, faith-based after school and recreational programs for kids, community/police cooperation and local business development, Williams believes she can do more for the people of the 8th district than Miller has done. For someone new to campaigning, her rhetoric about the incumbent can be fairly hard-hitting.

"I've heard a lot about that particular office and how unfriendly, as well as oftentimes ineffective, they've been. And you can't be that way — it’s like customer service. That's what were paying for, so, what are you doing with our money? Everything can't go into Germantown Settlement and little pet projects. I've talked to a lot of people; businesspeople are not happy, because they feel like they're being ignored. Neighbors feel like nothing's getting done in their areas."

After the interview, Williams takes some time to do a bit of campaigning along Germantown Avenue, a beat she claims to know well. "I've talked to people up here, because this is where I got most of my signatures, standing outside of the Wawa and down at the Germantown Republican Club. Thank God for Chestnut Hill; they got me on the ballot," she says laughing.

She proceeds confidently down the Avenue, greeting passersby and handing out a small piece of paper with her picture, campaign platform and Clintonesque motto: "Change is good." One group of women walks by huffily, refusing to look at her.
"I don't mind," Williams says brightly. "Being rejected prepares you for anything."

One gets the sense that Williams is an indomitable “people person,” a natural campaigner. Even while watching her friendliness and infectious enthusiasm rub off on most of those she meets and greets, however, it is almost impossible to imagine this inexperienced Republican candidate standing a chance in November against a seasoned, incumbent Democrat in a staunchly Democratic city.

Williams comes up to one individual, an older black woman, who already knows who she is and seems eager to speak with her. Many are unhappy with Miller, the woman says. If the Democratic primary hadn't been a three-way contest, the councilwoman might not even be on the ballot, she opines. She is ready for a change, for things to happen differently in the eighth district. You have my vote, she tells the candidate.

Then again, maybe — just maybe — Williams can beat the odds. In politics, stranger things have happened.