Now that Nov. 7th is behind us, What's Next, Civically Thinking?

First things first, let me clear up an error I made in the last edition of my SCOOP Civics 101 column. In my last column, I wrote about all the major races related to Philadelphia that took place on November 7, 2023, General Election Day. Essentially, it was a recap of who won what. I focused largely on who the winners were from election day. The one winner of a campaign that I got incorrect was the name of Reverend Nicholas O'Rourke.

- Thera Martin

Mr. O'Rourke is a member of the Working Families Party, and he and incumbent City Councilwoman At Large, Kendra Brooks, also a member of the Working Families party, won big on November 7th, claiming two seats on Philadelphia City Council that historically have been won by Republican candidates. One could definitely say that Brooks and O'Rourke have shaken up the mix of things at Philadelphia City Hall. My error in last week's column was a mistake of the brain and not of the heart. We wish all the best to all the candidates who won their elections two weeks ago in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and around the nation.

It's much more than a notion to run for political office. Then, once you've won, everyone is looking at you to see what you will do with the political seat you won. With a largely new Philadelphia City Council being sworn in, in January 2024, all eyes will certainly be on what they say, what they do, and then what they really do.

While many of us look to the New Year and look to our newly elected officials and incumbents returning to office to do a good job, to do a better job, than the last few years, prayerfully, at the same time, we have to pay attention to the next upcoming election cycle because it too is critical, just like each and every election. Once you become an elected official and if you are really good at it (sometimes even when you are not good at it), you keep running for reelection and keep winning when you run for office. The question is--what are you going to do once in office?