Campaign website
www.drdee4philly.com
What is one life experience you have that voters should know about?
I am a mental health professional with over 20 plus years of experience. I understand behavior economics and how influential mental health challenges contributes to crime, poverty, and poor social emotional control. I have served in the capacity as a social worker and trauma grief counselor that serviced over 10,000 residents in the city to help them navigate through the most life changing events. I have walked side by side a single mother who lost three sons to gun violence. I have worked closely with a single father who was losing his children due to affordable housing not really being affordable as he was unable to feed, clothe and keep a roof over his family head. I went from the playground to the burial ground as I funeralized 20 of my classmates who were murdered. Lastly, my Godson was murdered shot 5 times. So, this life experience of adversity and advocacy perpetuates me to be the advocate that I am today.
What would be your top three policy priorities in office?
1. Increase Mental Health Access (Retention and Recruitment of personnel and crime reduction).
2. Education Awareness (Address Literacy epidemic, advocate for SEL curriculum across all schools from Pre-K-12 grade and CTE Curriculum usage at Martin Luther King High School).
3. Environmental Changes through Economic Development (Address the Carbon Footprint of our city advocating for more Green Spaces and More funding to Small Business and their access to this capital.
What sets you apart from other candidates?
I have the lived, work and educational experience that is evidential that I can carry out the task of being one of the next City Council At- Large members. When I graduated in 2001 from my first master's degree in clinical social work, I returned to Philadelphia with the mindset that it is my responsibility to help the residents of Philadelphia through advocacy, education, pastoral care and mental health expertise.
How do you plan to work across ideological lines to achieve shared goals?
I stand on the premise of, "be the first to listen and the last to speak". We can never say NO to progress. This is what makes us unique individuals when we have different food for thoughts. It is my goal to exhibit emotional intelligence to achieve a common goal of quality of life for the residents of Philadelphia.
The Committee of Seventy has partnered with the Carter Center to promote the Candidate Principles for Trusted Elections to improve the voting process, encourage honest leadership, and promote civic engagement. Do you support the Candidate Principles?
Yes
