The Philly mayor’s race poll is coming | Morning Newsletter
The proposed Sixers arena could come down to one person.
The Morning Newsletter
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The Inquirer has another newsletter coming your way. Craig LaBan will take you on a culinary journey through an exclusive eight-part email series on Philly’s vast food and cultural landscape. Starting in July, the Taste Philly newsletter will show you how the world feeds the city — from tortellini to tamales, Jollof rice to bibimbap — every Friday. Sign up for the free newsletter today.
We have a lot of news so let’s dive in. The top five contenders in the Philadelphia mayor’s race are doing everything they can to stand out before the May 16 primary election. The first independent, public poll will drop Friday.
Our lead story explains what we can — and can’t — learn from the poll.
If you see this 🔑 in today’s newsletter, that means we’re highlighting our exclusive journalism. You need to be a subscriber to read these stories.
— Taylor Allen (@TayImanAllen, morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)
The good-government group Committee of Seventy, in partnership with a handful of other organizations, will release a survey on Friday of 1,000 Philadelphians that will show where the top candidates for mayor stand.
The Inquirer contacted the experts to tell you what to keep in mind when the poll comes.
What to know ahead of Friday:
Be aware of the margin of error. They tell you how certain or uncertain the pollster is.
It’d be better to have another poll. It’s more instructive to be able to compare polls that use the same methodology but are taken at different times so you can see how attitudes change over time.
Continue reading to learn the other two things to know about the upcoming poll.
What you should know today
More than 800 Temple University faculty members voted “no confidence” in both Provost Gregory N. Mandel and Board of Trustees chair Mitchell Morgan.
South Philly Barbacoa appears to be preparing to leave its corner location in the Italian Market after eight years.
Pennsylvania State Police issued a warrant for former Jackass star Bam Margera after an alleged assault.
The super PAC backing Jeff Brown’s mayoral campaign agreed to sit on the sidelines through the primary.
During the construction of a project designed to prevent flooding, parts of FDR Park flooded over the weekend.
PEP Bowl, and its parent organization, will stay in the same South Philly spot despite the building going up for sale.
Remember to use our guide to Philly’s 2023 Democratic primary for mayor, City Council, and more.
Philadelphia City Councilmember Mark Squilla — not the next mayor — could be the one to decide the future of the Sixers’ planned $1.3 billion arena.
He has veto authority over the project and everything that comes with it: an opportunity for a Center City investment, the future of Chinatown, the Sixers’ goals, and the unrealized hopes for the revival on East Market Street.
Why? Philadelphia has the tradition of “councilmanic prerogative,” which gives the 10 Council members who represent geographic areas the ultimate say on land-use decisions in their district. All Council members generally vote with the colleague who holds the district seat, wanting the same courtesy for themselves.
Keep reading to learn more about how Squilla is handling being thrust into one of the city’s largest debates. 🔑
🧠 Trivia time 🧠
What is the name of the 8-foot alligator that was found living in a Philly basement earlier this month?
A) Whopper
B) Big Mack
C) Alex
D) Steve
Find out if you know the answer.
What we’re...
💭 Wondering: What’s next after both Tucker Carlson and Don Lemon got ousted from Fox News and CNN, respectively. Yesterday was an interesting day in the world of cable news.
🏈 Anticipating: Our next Reddit AMA in r/eagles today at 1 p.m. We’ll be talking all about the NFL draft with Eagles beat reporter Josh Tolentino and draft expert Devin Jackson.
🎧 Listening to: Former Penn Swimmer Lia Thomas discussed her experience being the center of the topic of trans athletes on the Dear Schuyler podcast.
🧩 Unscramble the anagram 🧩
Hint: The James Beard Award-winning chef Cristina Martinez doesn’t just own South Philly Barbacoa
EXAM ISACCO
We’ll select a reader at random to shout out here. Send us your own original anagram to unscramble if you’d like. Cheers to Stacy Stone, who correctly guessed Monday’s answer: Alexander Tominsky. Email us if you know the answer.
Photo of the day
That’s a wrap from me. I’ll be back with more news, bright and early tomorrow.