Meet the 2019 Philadelphia City Council Candidates: An Opportunity to Network

On April 3, 2019, Global Philadelphia Association (GPA) hosted a special event, “Meet the City Council Candidates,” held at the offices of Deloitte, where we welcomed the candidates currently running for Philadelphia City Council, as well as current city council members.

GPA members were invited to this private, invitation-only event to meet and network with the candidates and were encouraged to discuss the opportunities to leverage Philadelphia’s World Heritage City status to best position our region on the global stage.

The event was hosted by co-chairs Peter Gonzales, president and CEO of the Welcoming Center for New Pennsylvanians, and Siobhan Lyons, president and CEO of Citizen Diplomacy International (CDI). Peter Gonzales spoke to the candidates in attendance how immigration in Philadelphia makes the city strong, while Siobhan Lyons emphasized the value of increasing Philadelphia’s exports, which has the potential of creating thousands of additional jobs to the city, therefore increasing economic development.

The event also included welcoming remarks from Global Philadelphia Association’s Executive Director Zabeth Teelucksingh and Board Chair, Robert McNeill, who spoke about the efforts of our World Heritage City Project.

Councilmembers and candidates received packages that explained GPA’s efforts in promoting Philadelphia’s global reach and importance thereof. One piece of the package was a postcard with the brand new 2019 GlobalPhillyTM Expo poster, which was revealed last week. The upcoming exposition will provide a grand showcase of what it means for Philadelphia to be a global city.

The remainder of the late afternoon event provided for the opportunity for councilmembers, candidates, and GPA members to network among each other and make new connections.

Article written by Kyle Purchase on behalf of Global Philadelphia Association