Evans looks to set himself apart from the field

State Rep. Dwight Evans looks to weather a campaign that has already seen some controversy. Democratic mayoral candidate Dwight Evans, a La Salle University graduate, is quick to joke about the time when his alma mater beat Penn in basketball during his college days. But the Pennsylvania state representative says he won't hold that rivalry against the University if he is elected -- and in fact, Penn plays a major role in his vision for the city. With a crowded field where five Democrats are facing off in the May 18 primary, Evans is looking to distinguish himself from his opponents with his political experience and unique approach to the city's problems. "I think the difference [between the other candidates and myself] is the actions I've been able to show in terms of my leadership and making a difference, making things happen and getting things done," Evans said in an interview last month. According to Evans, his time as a state representative in Harrisburg has left him with many invaluable personal relationships and connections, as well as "the ability to attract some of the best people around" to the city -- two qualities that Evans says will help him if he is elected the next mayor of Philadelphia. Evans -- who represents Philadelphia in the State House -- stressed the importance of higher education for the city's future, explaining that he would like Philadelphia to become an "education center." "It seems to me that we need to understand, as a major educational institution as well as a major employer, that what happens at Penn is, in my view, very important in terms of what takes place in the City of Philadelphia," Evans noted. Like some of his competitors in this year's mayoral race, Evans said that Penn provides a deep pool of qualified people for the job market but the key to the city's growing success is to make these graduates remain in Philadelphia. "I think Penn attracts research and development dollars, it attracts students to the City of Philadelphia and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania," he said. "And obviously we now need to find a way of how we keep those students staying in the city of Philadelphia." Evans explained that as mayor he would like to organize regular meetings with the presidents of Philadelphia's higher educational institutions "so that we can work the city's agenda in conjunction with the colleges and universities." "The next mayor has to have, on his or her agenda, a higher education strategy," he added. In several polls -- including one conducted by the Annenberg School for Communication last year -- Philadelphia voters have identified crime and the economy as two of the major issues facing the successor to the outgoing Mayor Ed Rendell. Evans said he believes crime prevention will add to the economic spark triggered under the Rendell administration. "Policing, in my view, goes hand in hand when you begin talking about economic growth and economic opportunity because there must be safe streets and safe communities when you are talking about making a difference in our communities," he said. Evans explained that the next mayor will have to build on Rendell's success at a time which may prove to be even more difficult than when Rendell first took office in 1992. "I think the challenges are much more tough than when Rendell got elected because [the issues] are beyond the muscle," Evans said. "They're into the bone of the city." Many political analysts have said that race will likely be significant in this year's election, which features three African-American candidates. Some black leaders have called on one of the three -- which also includes former City Council President John Street and former Philadelphia Housing Authority head John White -- to withdraw in an effort to keep the black voting bloc behind one candidate. Evans' campaign was sidetracked last week, when one of his aides was connected to a bogus World Wide Web site that claimed to be White's official campaign page. The site contained a racially inflammatory comment from an interview with a Spanish-language newspaper. White maintains that the quote was taken out of context. Evans denied any knowledge or involvement in the scandal and he accepted the resignation of his campaign manager and fired his deputy campaign manager. Still, though he hired a new campaign manager earlier this week, it remains to be seen whether he can recover from the setback. Following the incident, Evans said that he wanted Philadelphians to look past what he called an example of "dirty tricks," emphasizing that the city has more serious business to attend to. And Evans' statements last month were consistent with this pledge to look beyond race as a major issue. "We need a new type of leadership that is about bringing people together, not pitting people against each other," Evans said. "I think in the end people will make a decision about who they think best has the ability to lead this city and lead it in a positive way."