Photo Credit to Nipora.com

Anthony Williams’ spirited performance in NBC10’s Mayoral Debate showed that he is ready to
hold the office.

At Tuesday night’s mayoral debate, one observer said: “Good Job! Tony came across as witty, knowledgeable, articulate, quick on his feet; and comfortable in front of the camera.”

“When Abraham was passing out from the viewers’ perspective, Tony was the only one who rushed from his podium towards her. And when they came back to Tony, he acknowledged her and the situation very well. He also respectfully handled Milton well.”

Yes, you read that correctly. Lynne Abraham fainted within ten minutes of the debate. It was a troublesome scene and she was unable to finish the debate. Questions about Abraham’s health may damper her campaign going further and raise questions of whether she’s healthy enough to hold the mayor’s office.

But Anthony Williams became the statesman, showing himself to be a class act. He took the high road when prodded by Milton Street. Williams even defended Street when he was questioned about his criminal conviction. Lastly, Williams was the only candidate to propose a vision for the city that includes a growth strategy for the economy and a vision for which he calls “One Philadelphia” instead of dividing the city. Milton Street clearly wants to be mayor of black Philadelphia only. Doug Oliver and Nelson Diaz gave a doomsday picture of a divided Philadelphia, with no clear picture of how we are to unite Philadelphia.

Jim Kenney emphasizes the importance of quality pre-k and responded to questions about his temper. In particular, Kenney was questioned about whether his over-the-top and vulgar rants on twitter were appropriate behavior for a Mayor. Kenney dismissed it as passion and noted that he has been on good behavior during the campaign.

All and all, it was a very entertaining and congenial debate. A few jabs were thrown, but nothing crossed the line. Apparently, Milton Street has a plan for everything; a plan I which he never tells us about. Kenney had a decent showing, but fumbled on the question about the dark money behind his campaign. Abraham was unable to finish. Oliver was articulate as usual. And Diaz seemed to ramble a lot.

But it was Anthony Williams who stood tall above the rest. He had the right amount of poise, preparedness, and quick wit to sell this city and his vision. He was quick on his feet, gracious, and empathetic. He was mayoral.