Candidate Profile: Brian Rudnick for the 8th District City Council Seat

What started as a write-in campaign has , an independent candidate who is a member of the Green Party running for the 8th District seat.

Hailing from Chestnut Hill and having spent some time living in Mt. Airy, Rudnick said he is in touch with the local issues and the community members.

“If someone gives me a call, I call them back. I do my best to be at all of the community meetings, or at least send a representative if there is more than one at the same time,” Rudnick said. “I run my campaign in a way that reflects how I will be in office. That’s how I roll.”

There are some specific issues in the area that are closest to Rudnick’s radar. Libraries, for one. Rudnick owned a bookstore in Reading Terminal Market until a renovation of the market forced him to close shop. Now, with a Masters in Library Sciences from Drexel University, Rudnick feels that libraries are a vital part of the community, and should be protected.

“[Mayor Michael] Nutter tried to close some libraries, and to his credit, he later apologized. But there are still times the libraries do not have enough people to open. Students, senior citizens, people who come to work on resumes and use the internet, they come and see a sign that says ‘Closed due to staff shortage.’ It’s not acceptable,” Rudnick said.

Along with working to protect the libraries, Rudnick is also running on a platform of working to collect back taxes on commercial properties. He said this will give the city more money and help fill the vacancies in the area.

“No one is going to want to buy a building with thousands of dollars of back taxes. The city has close to half a billion dollars in back taxes owed, and the owners are thumbing their noses at those who are working hard and paying their taxes,” Rudnick said.

Rudnick has a law degree from University of Pennsylvania, as well as an MLS, and said his legal expertise will be an added asset in finding ways to collect the taxes.

He chose to run for City Council in the midnight hour, only a week before petitions were due for Independent candidates.

“I felt the need for myself taking a role in this district, which has suffered from neglect. I have had personal experience not getting a response from my council person, and I know how frustrating it can be,” Rudnick said.

Rudnick ran once before as a Green Party candidate in 2007, and said the experience has taught him how to make a viable run this election. He made several attempts this run to gain the Green Party nomination but after encountering some hesitation and postponement from the party, he decided to focus on other aspects of his campaign.

“There are 117 registered Greens in this district, and while I would love to have each and every one of their votes, there are 89,300 some other voters I need to connect with,” Rudnick said.