Terry Gillen running for mayor
Terry Gillen, who served under mayors Ed Rendell and Michael Nutter, is announcing her candidacy for mayor on Saturday. The announcement -- to be held in Gillen’s Graduate Hospital neighborhood where she has been politically active for decades -- is the first official one in what is expected to be a crowded 2015 mayoral race.
Let the race begin.
Terry Gillen, who served under mayors Ed Rendell and Michael Nutter, is announcing her candidacy for mayor on Saturday, making her the first official candidate in what is expected to be a crowded 2015 mayoral race.
The announcement is scheduled to be held in Gillen's Graduate Hospital neighborhood where she has been politically active for decades.
"I left my job with the city in February and I've been preparing for this ever since," Gillen, 59, said. She had most recently served as the director of the city's Office of Federal Affairs. Prior to that, she served as the director of the Redevelopment Authority.
"I quit my job and have been living off my savings," she said Friday. "You have to be serious if you want to be mayor."
Gillen said she has held various fundraisers this summer but would not say how much she has raised.
"We have to file at the end of the year and that's when I'll talk finances," she said, adding that support has ranged from millennials to the elderly.
Gillen is the first to officially announce she is running in a long list of names that includes State Sen. Anthony Williams, City Council President Darrell L. Clarke, Councilman James Kenney, City Controller Alan Butkovitz, former city solicitor Ken Trujillo and three-time GOP mayoral candidate Sam Katz.
Asked what will set her apart from the rest of the competition, Gillen said: "The thing setting me apart is that I'm the only person in the race."
Gillen's ceremonial candidacy announcement will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday on the 2300 block of St Alban's Place.
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