Cindy Bass | |
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Bass in 2016 | |
Member of the Philadelphia City Council from the 8th District | |
Incumbent | |
Assumed office January 2, 2012 | |
Preceded by | Donna Reed Miller |
Personal details | |
Born | (1967-11-04) November 4, 1967 (age 57) |
Political party | Democratic |
Spouse | Divorced |
Children | One |
Alma mater | Temple University |
Profession | Politician, political assistant, community organizer |
Cindy M. Bass (born November 4, 1967) is a Democratic politician and member of the City Council of Philadelphia.
Personal life
Bass grew up in North Philadelphia and graduated from Parkway-Northwest High School and Temple University. She served as chair of the Coalition of 100 Black Women, was involved with Mt. Airy USA and worked as a community loan officer. In 2005, she started the Northwest Fund, a non-profit that funds neighborhood groups.
Bass is divorced and lives with her daughter in Mount Airy.
Political career
Bass has worked as a senior policy advisor to former Congressman Chaka Fattah, and was a special assistant to Allyson Schwartz during her time in the State Senate. She has been involved in community organizing, helping marshal funds for local projects and efforts.
She has worked as a campaign manager for former Philadelphia City Council member Blondell Reynolds Brown. She also ran unsuccessfully for Pennsylvania State Senate.
She first ran for City Council's Eighth District in 2007 with the support of Chaka Fattah and the endorsement of the Philadelphia Daily News but lost to incumbent Democrat Donna Reed Miller. She placed second in a four way primary.
She ran for the Eighth District seat again in 2011 after Donna Reed Miller's retirement. In the primary she received endorsements from Michael Nutter, The Philadelphia Tribune, The Philadelphia Inquirer, Philadelphia Daily News, R. Seth Williams and others. She won the eight-way race with 39.4% of the vote.
When she ran for re-election in 2023, The Philadelphia Inquirer endorsed her challenger Seth Anderson-Oberman. While noting Bass' achievements including advocating for LGBT adoption rights and securing resources for underserved areas of her district, the editorial board wrote that her tenure was marred by several significant missteps including appointing a board member who was later convicted of embezzlement, selecting an unqualified developer to restore the Germantown YWCA, and proposing legislation to remove bulletproof glass that could have gotten someone killed. Bass won the primary by about 400 votes, and was elected to a fourth term in November 2023.
Philadelphia City Council
Stop-and-go bill
In November 2017, Bass introduced a bill that would force establishments listed as restaurants, but do not have public bathrooms or seating for 30 people, to remove the bulletproof glass that protects employees from getting shot and stabbed by their customers. This earned controversy from the store owners – most who are Korean Americans – who felt they were being "targeted". The bill was passed by City Council prompting heated exchanges between Asian Americans, who are the primary business owner of these stores, and African Americans, who experience litter and nuisance behavior from store patrons who purchase alcohol and consume it outside the store.
See also
References
- ^ "Cindy Bass, Eighth District". Philadelphia Elections Information. Committee of Seventy. Archived from the original on 2012-01-26. Retrieved February 2, 2012.
- ^ Joseph, Gar (August 1, 2003). "Some up-and-coming talent in local politics - Our Nominees For Next Power Generation". Philadelphia Daily News. ProQuest 1899094742.
- ^ "Inquirer Editorial: Bass best for Eighth". Philadelphia Inquirer. April 25, 2011. ProQuest 864048897. Retrieved 2023-01-22.
- Edmonds, Arlene (July 27, 2011). "Northwest Fund helps make a difference". The Philadelphia Tribune.
- "About Cindy". Cindy Bass for City Council. Archived from the original on 2012-01-17.
- Bass, Cindy (April 18, 2007). "Chestnut Hill Hospital must rededicate its commitment to women's services". Mt. Airy Express (PA).
- Joseph, Gar (June 12, 2002). "Judge alters results in S. Philly ward election". Philadelphia Daily News. ProQuest 1892766836.
- McDonald, Mark (April 20, 2007). "Incumbents, as usual, have upper hand". Philadelphia Daily News. ProQuest 430401389.
- "Our Council Endorsements - Part 1: Who We're Supporting in the District Primary Races". Philadelphia Daily News. May 7, 2007. ProQuest 430405129.
- Bass, Cindy (June 6, 2007). "Bass thanks campaign supporters". Mt. Airy Express (PA).
- McDonald, Mark (May 16, 2007). "3 Council Incumbents Axed". Philadelphia Daily News. ProQuest 430406960.
- Shields, Jeff (January 15, 2011). "Donna Reed Miller will not seek 5th Philadelphia Council term". The Philadelphia Inquirer. p. B01.
- Otterbein, Holly (April 6, 2011). "Nutter to get behind Bass in 8th District Council race". Philadelphia City Paper.
- Rhodes, E Washington, ed. (May 10, 2011). "Tribune endorsements for May 17th primary". The Philadelphia Tribune. ProQuest 871801595.
- "Our Council endorsements: The 6th, 7th, 8th & 9th districts". Philadelphia Daily News. May 9, 2011. ProQuest 865387235.
- Otterbein, Holly (April 28, 2011). "Everything you need to know about last night's 8th Council District debate". Philadelphia City Paper.
- Thompson, Isaiah (May 18, 2011). "How did reality measure up to our unscientific online poll?". Philadelphia City Paper.
- ^ "In mostly noncompetitive City Council district races, we recommend Lozada, Anderson-Oberman, and Phillips | Endorsement". The Philadelphia Inquirer. April 15, 2023. ProQuest 2801901836.
- Walsh, Sean Collins; Marin, Max (January 15, 2022). "Germantown landmark at center of clash | City Council". The Philadelphia Inquirer. ProQuest 2618817157.
- Marin, Max (May 22, 2023). "Bass wins primary by 400 votes: The Democratic Council member fended off a progressive challenger and is heading toward her fourth term". The Philadelphia Inquirer. ProQuest 2817300691.
- Platt, Julie (November 8, 2023). "Who Won in Philadelphia". thephiladelphiacitizen.org.
- Controversial bill would force business owners to take down bulletproof glass, Fox 29, November 27, 2017
- Blumgart, Jake (December 14, 2017). "'Stop-and-go' bill passes Council, but deeper tensions underlie debate". WHYY.
- Stop-and-Go Legislative Task Force: Report and Recommendations (PDF). www.lcb.pa.gov (Report). Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board. October 2, 2024.
- WHYY: "A tree falls in Tioga to signal the start of an effort to clean alleyways of vegetation", 2022-10-20
- Billy Penn: "Philadelphia is open to exploring a reparations task force, city says, after advocates push for action", 2023-01-20
- Pennsylvania Capital-Star: "'A new day': Philly officials respond to ruling in Pa. public school funding case", 2023-02-07
- Philadelphia Tribune: "Local officials respond to Pa. public school funding ruling", 2023-02-08
- Governing: "Parks and Rec as Political Legacy for Philadelphia's Mayor", 2023-02-09
- Billy Penn: "Philadelphia could get an 'Office of Music' to support local artists and boost the industry", 2023-02-15
- Philadelphia Tribune: "Officials react to killing of Temple University police officer Christopher Fitzgerald", 2023-02-19
- Chestnut Hill Local: "Cindy Bass campaign: "I'm just getting started"", 2023-02-24
External links
- Councilwoman Cindy Bass official city website
- Cindy Bass for City Council official campaign website
Members of the Philadelphia City Council | |||||||||
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President: Darrell L. Clarke | |||||||||
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