Is Condo King Allan Domb About to Run for Council?
Photo of Allan Domb in the lobby of Parc Rittenhouse by Laura Kicey
Developer Allan Domb, a/k/a the Center City condo king, is one of Philadelphia’s biggest movers and shakers. Is he about to run for City Council?
It sure looks like it.
Domb authorized a political action committee this Tuesday called “Allan Domb for City Council,” according to documents filed with the Philadelphia Board of Elections. The documents show he is seeking the office of Democratic City Council At-Large (check out the docs below).
An unknown person has also picked up nomination petitions for Domb, the City Commissioners’ office says.
Reached via email, Domb did not say whether he is running.
If Domb throws his hat in the ring, he could shake up what is already a fascinating City Council At-Large race. He could be a self-funded candidate and has access to numerous possible donors. Just consider the big names who came to bow down before him when he was inaugurated last year as president of the Greater Philadelphia Association of Realtors:
Almost every real estate agent in Philadelphia, eight City Council members (Jannie Blackwell, Brian O’Neill, Jim Kenney, Mark Squilla, Cindy Bass, Kenyatta Johnson, Maria Quiñones-Sanchez, and Council prez Darrell Clarke), and a number of important civic leaders gathered to celebrate developer/realtor Allan Domb on the occasion of his inauguration as 89th president.
The Inquirer reported last month that Domb met with state Rep. John Taylor, chairman of the city’s Republican Party, about the mayoral race. But he said he “had no plans to run.”
Several Democrats are running for City Council At-Large, including former Council candidate Sherrie Cohen, past Council aide Derek Green, education activist Helen Gym, former Reading Terminal Market general manager Paul Steinke, adjunct professor Isaiah Thomas and Dilworth Paxson partner Tom Wyatt. The four incumbent Democratic At-Large members — Blondell Reynolds Brown, W. Wilson Goode, Jr., Bill Greenlee and Ed Neilson — are also seeking reelection.
Allan Domb’s PAC Authorization