Helen Gym was a second-term at-large councilmember when she resigned from office to run for mayor, but she was a known quantity in the Philly politics world well before that. Once dubbed the city’s “preeminent public agitator,” the former teacher spent years advocating for improved public schools, and was active in Philly’s Asian American community, protesting against proposed developments in Chinatown.
On Council, Gym focused her efforts on education, labor, and housing. Her mayoral campaign seeks to deliver on progressive priorities, like debt-free college and a municipal Green New Deal.
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Previous elected experience: Two terms on City Council as an at-large member, from 2016 to 2022.
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How long in Philly? Gym has spent around three decades in Philly. She went to Penn for undergrad and grad school in the ’90s, and started her teaching career at Lowell Elementary School in Olney.
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Big wins: Spearheading fair workweek legislation, passing a “Right to Counsel” bill that applies to two zip codes, and introducing an eviction diversion program. She’s the first Asian American woman elected to City Council.
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Potential eyebrow raisers: Gym’s husband, lawyer Bret Flaherty, works for pharma company AmerisourceBergen, and in 2019 she voted against a bill that would’ve required drug salespeople to register with the city. She also apologized for attending a Union League event days after denouncing the private club for honoring Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.
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What’s her network? Gym previously led Asian Americans United, and she co-founded a charter school, and the activist group Parents United for Public Education. Gym has also served on the board of Local Progress, a nationwide group of local elected officials pushing for policies that further racial and economic justice.
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Endorsements: Philadelphia Federation of Teachers, Reclaim Philadelphia, API PA, Philadelphia Neighborhood Networks, Amistad Movement Power, Free the Ballot, Straight Ahead, Working Families Party, AFSCME District Council 47, Jane Fonda Climate PAC, UNITE HERE Philadelphia, Teamsters BMWED, One Pennsylvania, Make the Road Action, AFT Pennsylvania, 1st Ward Democrats, 2nd Ward Democrats, 18th Ward Democrats, Ward 39A Democrats
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Vibe: A fiery progressive activist who’s been referred to as “Philly’s AOC.”