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Philadelphia's real estate community will likely have one of its own running for mayor in 2023.
Allan Domb, known for years as the "Condo King" for his history of developing for-sale apartments in the city, has resigned as a member-at-large of Philadelphia City Council, a prerequisite for Philly officials who want to run for another city office, the Philadelphia Inquirer reports.
Domb has not formally announced his candidacy, telling the Inquirer he will take time to hear from city residents and business owners before making a formal decision on whether to run.
Domb served two terms as an at-large member of city council, first winning his seat in 2015 before winning re-election in 2019. During his time in the legislative body, Domb was a persistent advocate for city tax reform, in terms of both improved enforcement and lowered business taxes. As rumors of his potential mayoral candidacy grew louder, Domb became a more frequent critic of Mayor Jim Kenney's record on public safety and crime, the Inquirer reports.
While Domb served in council, he continued to run his company, Allan Domb Real Estate, focusing more in recent years on owning rental apartments and retail space while also offering brokerage services. Domb would step back from the business if elected mayor, he told the Inquirer, saying the company is set up to run without him.
As Kenney's second term winds down, he has weathered criticism for seeming disengaged from the responsibilities of his office, while the field of rumored Democrat candidates has swelled. Domb is one of four council members rumored to be assembling teams and making preparations for a campaign, along with fellow at-large members Derek Green and Helen Gym, District 7 Councilmember Maria Quiñones-Sánchez, City Controller Rebecca Rhynhart and Jeff Brown, owner of a dozen grocery stores in the city, the Inquirer reports.
The "resign to run" rule in Philadelphia's charter requires Green, Gym, Quiñones-Sánchez and Rhynhart to leave their current offices before they formally launch a campaign.
All four would be at a disadvantage to Domb and Brown in drumming up support from the business community, with Gym and Quiñones-Sánchez having introduced or publicly supported city policies panned by the local real estate industry in the past 12 months.
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