State Rep. joins Philadelphia mayoral race

With a Gospel choir in full force and surrounded by legions of supporters chanting his name, state Rep. Dwight Evans finally declared his mayoral candidacy last night.

Evans, who had long been consided a contender in this year's Philadelphia mayoral race, officially announced his intentions to run before the largest crowd of any candidacy announcement thus far.

He pledged to devote his term to stopping the "eruption of violence" that has plagued Philadelphia.

Evans joins former Councilman Michael Nutter, U.S. Rep. Chaka Fattah and businessman Tom Knox as the declared candidates in the race.

U.S. Rep. Bob Brady and union head John Dougherty have also expressed serious interest in running.

Evans, who has represented the 203rd district of Northwest Philadelphia for 25 years, previously ran for mayor in 1999.

He was expected to make a strong showing against current Mayor John Street, but ultimately finished fifth out of six candidates.

Fattah has been hailed as the frontrunner in this year's race, though Evans drew the largest crowd to his candidacy announcement and has raised the most money of any candidate, according to campaign finance reports filed Thursday.

Yesterday, he spoke to supporters in a packed YMCA gym in North Philadelphia, drawing on his experience in tackling issues such as crime and economic development.

He opened by saying he was "frustrated by the fear that is gripping our city," citing an incident last week in which a shootout erupted outside a nearby movie theater.

Evans, 52, said that the city needed a change in leadership to successfully lower a burgeoning murder rate, which stood at 384 victims as of last evening, topping last year's 380 over the weekend.

To that end, Evans announced a series of steps he plans to take to address the problem.

He promised to modernize the Philadelphia police force and add 500 officers to its ranks. He also envisions unifying the city's various independent police forces - including Penn and SEPTA police - so as to create a "visible police presence" in rougher neighborhoods.

Evans also vowed to call a special session of City Council if elected to look for legislative solutions to the violence problem, with a specific focus on stemming the widespread possession of illegal guns, which is seen by many as a driving force behind the homicides.

Evans tied in the theme of crime reduction to his overall goals for a future administration by making the case that stopping the widespread violence is key to encouraging economic growth and fostering job creation.

At a press conference after the event, Evans also spoke about his ability to transcend racial and economic differences and said that he enjoys widespread support among all areas of Philadelphia and among unions. Members of the United Food and Commercial Workers Union and the United Transportation Union were on hand last evening to show their support.

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