Jamie Walker: Philadelphia Democrats’ influence spreads into Bucks County
It’s common knowledge that the city of Philadelphia overwhelmingly votes for Democrats. Philadelphia’s Democratic politicians don’t have to spend too much time or money campaigning against Republicans because most of their seats are safe. Any Democrat who survives a primary has an easy road to election.
Some of them, with extra time and money on their hands, use those resources to influence politics in the collar counties, making their education systems and law-enforcement policies more like Philadelphia’s. Misery loves company.
People move out of Philadelphia to beautiful Bucks County for its excellent schools, low crime rates, and peaceful communities. What many of these new Bucks Countians don’t realize is that the city politicians they left behind like to come into Bucks County to help local Democrats campaign. All the while, Bucks County is governed more and more like Philadelphia, the area so many people left because they were looking for a better way of life.
Consider the 2021 Central Bucks School Board election. Democratic ex-state Representative Brian Sims spent time campaigning for Central Bucks School District candidates. Sims is better known for berating teenage girls because they were praying in front of a Planned Parenthood location. This is a man local Democrats proudly took pictures with like he is some type of role model. No one thought twice about it.
He wasn’t the only Philadelphia Democrat interested in CBSD. In 2023, state Representative Malcolm Kenyatta (D-Philadelphia) went to a Central Bucks Democratic candidate fundraiser to speak to voters about how poorly CBSD was performing. He said our district wasn’t properly functioning. I guess he and the Central Bucks Democrats who welcomed his support think schools in North Philly are much better.
A PAC Kenyatta was heading at the time also paid for video advertisements favoring the Central Bucks Democratic slate. When Central Bucks Democratic school board candidates receive such support, it feels like they’re striving to create an education system less like CBSD’s and more like Philadelphia’s.
Another contributor to the district’s Democrats is Senator Sharif Street (D-Philadelphia), a crusader for ending life sentences for prisoners. He’s also an advocate for gender-dysphoric children to receive hormone blockers in Pennsylvania. For some reason, he donated at least $1,000 to Democrats running for Central Bucks school director. Why are Philadelphia politicians funding candidates for an unpaid elected office that oversees local education? What are local school board candidates offering in return? I guess it’s our children’s education.
It’s hard for me to understand why Bucks County Democrats want help from questionable Philadelphia politicians that advocate for taking dangerous people out of prison, promote puberty blockers for trans-identifying youth, and harass teenage girls. Are these the values the Democratic school board candidates uphold? Maybe they just want the campaign donations, or maybe they’re starstruck. Or they simply agree with these politicians, desiring their failed policies for Bucks County.
Jamie Walker is a former teacher and a Central Bucks School District mom of three.