Meet Nicolas O’Rourke, a Working Families Party candidate running for Philly City Council

The Rev. Nicolas O’Rourke is a pastor, but he proudly says that Philadelphia needs “more than thoughts and prayers” to address gun violence, housing, and climate change — all of which he sees as crises.

“We need courageous leadership,” he said. “We need a compassionate vision in our governance.”

O’Rourke thinks he has that vision.

A member of the progressive Working Families Party, O’Rourke is running for Philadelphia City Council and hoping to win one of seven seats that represent the city at-large. Voters in November can select up to five candidates, meaning the five Democrats on the ballot are expected to win, given the party’s strong voter registration advantage in the city.

That leaves the Working Families Party, which has gained traction in the city in recent years, battling Republicans Drew Murray and Jim Hasher for the final two seats. The GOP held both for 70 years, until Kendra Brooks in 2019 became the first third-party candidate in decades to win a seat on Council, stunning Republicans and the city’s political establishment.

» READ MORE: The progressive Working Families Party is gearing up to try to oust the few Republicans left in Philadelphia government

O’Rourke unsuccessfully ran the same year.

Brooks is up for reelection this year, and O’Rourke is giving it another go. The city’s Republican Party filed legal challenges to try to get both removed from the ballot for paperwork defects. The challenges were tossed out by a city judge, but the GOP appealed to the state Commonwealth Court and the case is pending.

Here’s what to know about O’Rourke and his run for Council:

O’Rourke, 34, said that coming out of the Black church, everything he does is “ultimately in service to a higher hope.” He believes the country is in need of elected officials who serve with a strong moral compass.

“We’re talking about a more compassionate voice and mind,” he said, “in that Council is not looking out for ways to make more money or save more dollars, but to save more lives and improve more livelihoods.”

» READ MORE: City Hall is about to see some serious turnover that will determine the direction of Philadelphia government

He said he hopes to build on the legislative achievements of members such as Brooks and progressive district Councilmember Jamie Gauthier. Both have prioritized changes in the Police Department, investments in city services, and affordable housing policy.

O’Rourke has also railed against the Republican Party, saying frequently that the GOP does not “deserve governing power” in Philadelphia. To beat a Republican, third-party candidates generally need to convince some voters who usually pick five Democrats to instead select fewer Democrats and vote for them.

“There are not many Democratic voters asking for more Republican representation,” O’Rourke said. “I’m going to show them that I am the better choice.”

O’Rourke said public safety is the city’s most pressing issue, and that he’d advocate for “intentional community investment” in the neighborhoods most affected by gun violence. He said that could include new initiatives, such as putting counselors in recreation centers, or adding programming for children and teenagers.

His other priorities include bolstering mental-health services, creating more opportunities for unionized jobs, and investing in city services, especially in historically neglected neighborhoods.

“When you go to 60th Street corridor, you don’t see as much greenery as in Rittenhouse Square,” he said. “These things intersect. That’s not divorced from housing and land use, or safety and crime.”

O’Rourke describes himself as “an organizer by vocation and a minister by calling.”

In 2014, he joined the staff at Living Water United Church of Christ in Oxford Circle and took over as pastor in 2018.

Over the last decade, he has organized extensively with groups advocating for social and racial justice, including POWER Interfaith and the Pennsylvania Working Families Party. He’s had a visible presence for years, especially in 2020 amid the racial justice movement and the presidential election.

O’Rourke was raised largely in Trenton, but moved all over while growing up, spending time in Florida, Ohio, and Indiana. He attended college in Ohio, then went to Bible college in Indianapolis before returning to the Philadelphia region.

He lives in West Philadelphia with his wife, Leslie.

Taxes: O’Rourke would not say how he might vote on changes to the city’s tax code without a specific proposal to consider, but said he’d favor policy that “improves the majority of people’s lives and increases opportunity and access for the least of us.”

“The mark of a city should be by how well those at the bottom of the social ladder are being cared for,” he said.

Brooks has opposed reductions to business taxes and introduced legislation to reinstate a “wealth tax,” or a levy on directly held stocks and bonds.

Public safety: In addition to investments in neighborhoods most affected by crime, O’Rourke said he’d advocate for continued increases in funding for behavioral health providers to respond to some 911 calls as a means of reducing police interactions with people in crisis.

Proposed Sixers arena: O’Rourke said he doesn’t support the 76ers’ plan for a new downtown arena “as currently proposed.”

“When I think about the two voices that really matter most in this discussion, it’s workers who will get contracts and positions, and also the people that live in Chinatown who have gone through a process,” he said. “I’ve been to some of those meetings. They made a clear statement that they don’t want an arena in Chinatown.”

O’Rourke is endorsed by the Black Clergy of Philadelphia and Vicinity and a handful of labor unions, including those that represent teachers and service workers.

“We’re still in the process of interviewing with other groups,” he said, “but those are very telling about the kind of broad city coalition we’re building.”