Running for Office with a Planning Perspective: panel with fellow Penn Planning alums, October 24, 2019

I was invited to return to my alma mater, the University of Pennsylvania City and Regional Planning Department, for a panel discussion with fellow Master of City Planning alums Samantha Whitfield and Jamie Gauthier, and panel moderator Helen Horstmann-Allen, Emerge Pennsylvania board member, to share our experiences about running for office and bringing a planning perspective to politics and policymaking. Samantha Whitfield is now a Councilwoman in the Township of Willingboro, New Jersey, and Jamie Gauthier is now a Philadelphia City Councilmember. I was able to offer my perspective from my 2017 campaign and from serving as a Councilor from 2018-2019, as well as share some of the experiences and lessons of my run for Mayor in Melrose, MA in 2019. It was wonderful to return to Philadelphia, albeit for only 24 hours!