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Mayoral candidate Dwight Evans, a state representative, is last in the latest poll.

Dwight Evans is no stranger to politics.

Having represented the North Philadelphia neighborhood of West Oak Lane in the state legislature since 1980, he points to a long list of accomplishments demonstrating that he has the experience it takes to be the next mayor of Philadelphia.

Throughout his career, Evans says he has "led the charge" to improve city services and make Philadelphia safer, often using West Oak Lane as a testing ground for new approaches.

When asked for specifics, he can tick off a number of accomplishments: the West Oak Lane Charter School, the Ogontz Avenue Revitalization Corp., which spearheaded economic revival for the area - even a recycling initiative.

All of which helped transform the formerly depressed, rundown neighborhood into a safe and economically vibrant area.

His experience in the legislature also gives him history and experience dealing with Penn.

In an interview, Evans noted the importance of area colleges in his plans for economic growth.

"The Penns, the Temples, the LaSalles, the St. Joe's of the world are what I consider the economic growth of the future of the city. People follow jobs, and jobs follow people," he said.

According to that logic, Evans said he would harness the research money institutions like Penn rake in and the educated workforce they churn out to make Philadelphia a more attractive place to live.

"Penn has not been used in . a way that it could be," he said.

Evans also points to his long history working with Penn - from bringing in money to the New Bolton Center, the Penn Veterinary facility that took care of Kentucky Derby-winner Barbaro, to wanting to use Penn's mortgage-incentive program as a model to lure police officers to live into the city by subsidizing their living costs.

But Evans' No. 1 focus has been and will remain crime.

He kicked off his campaign with the slogan "A safer Philadelphia - block by block" and spent a considerable time in his first speech laying out his plan for curbing a rising homicide rate.

"Government must be able to provide safety and security," Evans said. "If you do not have safe streets, you cannot grow the city. You could not attract students, you could not attract faculty."

To that end, Evans would put 500 more police officers on the street, go after illegal guns and increase cooperation between Philadelphia Police and other police forces.

The problem for Evans, though, is whether he'll get the chance to put his ideas into action.

He has consistently lagged in polls, trailing front-runners Tom Knox and Chaka Fattah by about 10 percentage points in the latest poll and behind rivals Michael Nutter and Bob Brady.

Part of the problem may be his speaking style.

Not one to speak in sound bites, Evans tends to wax eloquent on topics about which he feels passionate, making him less than media friendly.

And Evans is directly competing for votes with Nutter, who targets the same group of well-educated Center City and Northwest Philadelphia residents as he does but is better known among Philadelphians for his long service on City Council. Evans, while a mover-and-shaker of policy in Harrisburg, has played a much more behind-the-scenes role.

He also has the specter of a previous failed mayoral campaign behind him. In 1999, he finished last of five Democratic candidates in the primary.

But Evans still appears to be determined to grab the Democratic nomination this time around.

"If it was up to me, then polls would be banned," he said. "I have to go out, conduct the campaign, educate people."

About this series: This week, the 'DP' will profile each of the five mayoral candidates battling for the Democratic nomination on May 15.

Click here to read a profile of Philadelphia mayoral candidate Tom Knox

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