The Candidate Conversations Series: Meet Nelson Diaz, Latino Philadelphia’s Elder Statesman

Nelson Diaz at his campaign launch. | Credit: Diaz’s Facebook page.

Nelson Diaz is the elder statesmen of the Philadelphia’s huge and vital Puerto Rican Community and a man who’s had a trailblazing career that’s taken him from City Hall, to the White House to the executive offices of the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development. Diaz’s campaign claims he was the state’s first Latino judge, the first Puerto Rican to graduate from Temple Law, and the first Latino confirmed by the U.S. Senate as general counsel for a federal agency.

Now he wants to be mayor of Philadelphia.

Can his experiences translate to capable executive leadership? Does Diaz have the vision a changing city needs? Come meet Diaz and judge for yourself on Wednesday, March 4 at 6 p.m., at Venturef0rth’s coworking offices at 417 N. 8th Street. REGISTER HERE.

It’s the next event in Philadelphia magazine’s Candidate Conversations series. This series features in-depth, one-on-one interviews with the mayoral candidates. Informative but informal, these conversations are your best chance to get a good sense of who the candidates really are, what matters to them, and whether or not they have the stuff to lead Philadelphia. We think this is the best possible format to vet mayoral candidates. It’s a chance to get a real grip on what they can offer, in a setting that’s both more intimate and more intense than a standard mayoral forum.

Diaz will sit for a 40-minute Q&A with Citified editor Patrick Kerkstra (that’s me). Audience members will get a chance to ask questions as well, and to corner Diaz before or after for some quick face-time.

Venturf0rth, which is graciously hosting the event at its phenomenal space off of Callowhill, is providing free snacks and drinks. There’s abundant parking in Venturef0rth’s lot, and it’s just short walk from the office district. Join us!