Anti-Inertia Engine: Philadelphia's 2026 Ballot Questions

Why Run the Engine on a Ballot

On Tuesday, November 3, 2026, Philadelphia voters will answer two questions that would change the Home Rule Charter. The City's own explanation calls the Charter "the City's constitution." Ballot questions sit at the bottom of the ballot, below the big races, and they are easy to skip. But each one changes how the city works.

The Anti-Inertia Engine is the framework I use to study any system that feels stuck. It has five steps: Observe the Drag, Name the Tensions, Hit the Balance Point, Tweak and Test with Heart, and Flow into Orbit. I'm not here to tell you how to vote. I want to lay out what each question does, what supporters and skeptics say, and what to watch for either way. The choice is yours.

Question 1: Small-Business Contracting and Construction Bonds

The official wording: "Should the Philadelphia Home Rule Charter be amended to revise the City's contracting procedures to allow for bid preferences and set-asides for small businesses; modify the threshold and standards for contracts that can be set aside for small and local businesses; and grant the Procurement Department and the City Solicitor discretion on bond requirements for certain construction projects?"

The City's plain-language statement: "A 'yes' vote means the Charter would be amended so the City can give contracting preferences to small businesses and expand them for local businesses for City-funded projects."

It was put on the ballot by Bill No. 260457, which became law on June 23, 2026. Councilmember Katherine Gilmore Richardson introduced it for Council President Kenyatta Johnson.

1. Observe the Drag

Under the Charter, most city contracts for construction, repairs, maintenance and non-professional services generally go to the lowest reputable bidder. That rule is meant to protect taxpayers. It also means a small firm has to beat larger competitors on price alone.

For about four decades the city also had a goal of awarding a share of its contracts to businesses owned by minorities, women or people with disabilities. That goal was 25 percent at first, and 35 percent from 2016. The policy was challenged in federal court as a violation of federal law. In 2025 the city settled with the plaintiff, the nonprofit America First Legal, and agreed to rewrite its rules. In November 2025, Mayor Cherelle Parker signed an executive order that shifts preferences toward businesses that are small, local, or both. Her administration noted that only about 20 percent of registered minority- and women-owned businesses had actually been winning those contracts.

Bonds are the second source of drag. On construction projects the city requires performance and payment bonds. These guarantee that the work gets finished and that workers and suppliers get paid. Contractors have to pay a surety company for those bonds, and that adds to their cost of bidding.

2. Name the Tensions

• Lowest price versus local opportunity. The amendment would let City Council pass ordinances allowing contracts between $75,000 and $500,000 to go to responsible small or Philadelphia businesses even when they are not the lowest bidder. That range would rise by $1,000 each year. Supporters say this keeps more city money with neighborhood firms. Skeptics of preference programs in general say paying more than the lowest bid can raise costs for taxpayers and open the door to favoritism.
• Protection versus access. Bonds protect the city if a contractor fails. The amendment would give the Procurement Department and the City Solicitor discretion over bond requirements on certain construction projects. Supporters say bonding costs can shut small contractors out before they ever bid. The other side of that coin is that less bonding means less protection for the city if a job goes wrong.
• A race-neutral rule versus the old goals. The new approach looks at a company's size and location instead of its owner's race or gender. A City Council committee recommended this kind of framework as more legally defensible. Some Black business owners told the committee that a small-and-local focus will make it harder for firms like theirs to grow.
• Small today versus big tomorrow. Harold T. Epps, a former city commerce director who co-chaired that committee, raised the concern that small-business advantages can put a cap on growth. Under the definition he cited, a small business brings in less than $47 million over three years. The city's Office of Business Impact and Economic Advancement has said it is exploring a "middle market" program for companies that grow out of the small category.

3. Hit the Balance Point

The amendment keeps the lowest-bidder rule as the starting point and opens a defined window between $75,000 and $500,000 where Council may allow preferences. It does not write the details into the Charter. It gives Council the power to set them by ordinance. Supporters see that as flexibility. Skeptics may see it as leaving the important choices for later. In fact, Council President Johnson has already introduced companion bills. One would add an extra 2 percent bid preference for businesses that are both local and small, on top of the existing local preference of 5 to 15 percent. Another would raise the contract size that triggers bonding from $1,000 to $5,000.

4. Tweak and Test with Heart

Whatever happens on November 3, these are questions worth asking:

• How will the city measure whether preferences raise the cost of contracts, and will that data be public? The companion bonding bill would also require the Procurement Department to collect and analyze data on contractors' bonding costs.
• Who counts as "small" and "local," and how is that verified?
• When bonding is reduced or waived, what other protection will the city accept? Under the proposals, options include reducing the bond level or accepting other forms of security.
• What support exists for firms that grow past the small-business line?

5. Flow into Orbit

If voters approve it, Council gets lasting authority, written into the Charter, to build a small- and local-business preference system. Parker's executive order already points in that direction, and a later mayor could change an executive order on their own. If voters reject it, the current Charter rules stay in place.

Summary of Question 1: It decides whether the Charter should allow City Council to favor small and local businesses on mid-sized contracts, between $75,000 and $500,000, even when they are not the lowest bidder, and whether city officials may relax bond requirements on some construction projects. Supporters point to opportunity for neighborhood firms. Skeptics point to cost, risk, and the effect on minority-owned businesses after the old diversity goals ended.

Question 2: Making Creative Philadelphia Permanent

The official wording: "Shall the Philadelphia Home Rule Charter be amended to establish and define the functions of Creative Philadelphia, an office headed by the Chief Cultural Officer to promote the City's arts, culture, and creative economy sector?"

The City's plain-language statement: "The City operates an office focused on arts and culture in Philadelphia called Creative Philadelphia. The office works to increase public access to arts and culture, support creative communities, and celebrate Philadelphia's cultural resources. If you vote 'yes' on this ballot question, that means you approve of making Creative Philadelphia a formal part of the government under the City's Charter."

It was put on the ballot by Bill No. 260264-A, sponsored by Councilmember Isaiah Thomas. City Council passed it 17 to 0 on June 11, 2026, and it became law on June 23, 2026.

1. Observe the Drag

Creative Philadelphia, formerly the Office of Arts, Culture and the Creative Economy, exists today because of an executive order. That means any mayor could eliminate it. The office has about ten staff members. Meanwhile, the Philadelphia Cultural Alliance says the arts sector generates $3 billion in regional economic activity and supports 132,000 jobs. In July 2026, SMU DataArts ranked Philadelphia last in the nation for public arts funding. The city's fiscal year 2027 budget cut support for the Philadelphia Cultural Fund from $5 million to $3.5 million.

2. Name the Tensions

• Permanence versus flexibility. Supporters say that putting the office in the Charter protects it from one mayor's decision to cut it. The other side is that a Charter office is harder to reshape. Changing the Charter takes a vote of Council and a vote of the people, which is exactly the process happening now.
• Structure versus funding. The amendment defines the office and its duties. Annual funding is still decided in the city budget, and the recent cut to the Cultural Fund happened while the office already existed. Supporters hope permanence leads to more stable support. Skeptics may ask whether structure alone changes the dollars.
• Coordination versus independence. The measure would bring the Public Art program, Mural Arts and other city arts programs under the office. The Chief Cultural Officer would become a member of the mayor's cabinet. That could mean clearer coordination. It also puts more programs under one office that reports to the mayor.
• Cost. The Chief Cultural Officer's salary would be set at $205,000, which is no change from now. The office could have up to 15 staff, compared with about ten today.

3. Hit the Balance Point

The amendment keeps the office small, capped at 15 people, and it sets a salary that matches what the position pays today. It turns an existing office into a permanent one rather than creating something new from scratch. The Philadelphia Cultural Alliance supports the proposal. Councilmember Thomas's office has said it would like arts funding increased. In the words of a representative for Thomas, "We want to codify Philadelphia's commitment to the arts."

4. Tweak and Test with Heart

Questions worth asking either way:

• Will permanence translate into steadier funding, or will funding still rise and fall with each budget?
• How will the office measure its reach into neighborhoods, not just downtown institutions?
• How will Mural Arts and the Public Art program keep their own identities inside a larger office? Mural Arts' longtime leader, Jane Golden, recently retired.

5. Flow into Orbit

If voters approve it, Creative Philadelphia becomes a required part of city government with defined duties, and its leader becomes a member of the mayor's cabinet. If voters reject it, the office continues under the executive order, where a future mayor could keep it, change it or end it.

Summary of Question 2: It decides whether Philadelphia's arts and culture office moves from an executive order into the Charter, with a defined role, a cabinet-level leader, and up to 15 staff. Supporters point to stability for a sector with a large economic footprint. Skeptics may ask whether permanence alone changes funding, and whether a Charter office is the right level of rigidity.

Before You Vote

The Citizen notes that the deadline to register for this election is Monday, October 19, 2026. On November 3, polls are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Read both questions in full before you go, and check your official sample ballot from the Philadelphia City Commissioners at vote.phila.gov.

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Sources

• Philadelphia City Commissioners, 2026 General Election Ballot Questions (official wording and plain-English statements): https://vote.phila.gov/media/2026G_Ballot_Questions.pdf
• Philadelphia City Commissioners, 2026 General Election sample ballot (example division): https://vote.phila.gov/files/SampleBallot/2026_General/f7406eba-86dd-49e6-be3a-917b7d32361c.pdf
• Committee of Seventy, 2026 General Ballot Questions: https://seventy.org/get-informed/voter-guide/2026-general-ballot-questions/
• The Philadelphia Citizen, "Ballot Questions for the November 3 2026 General Election" (Sept. 18, 2026): https://thephiladelphiacitizen.org/ballot-questions/
• The Philadelphia Inquirer, "Philly panel endorses Parker's contracting overhaul as Black business owners warn of consequences" (Sept. 28, 2026): https://www.inquirer.com/politics/philadelphia/philadelphia-contracting-diversity-policies-20260928.html
• Broad and Market, "City Hall Roll Call: May 7th, 2026" (companion bonding and bid-preference bills): https://broadandmarket.substack.com/p/city-hall-roll-call-may-7th-2026
• PHL Council Votes, Bill 260264-A roll-call vote (June 11, 2026): https://city-council.org/votes/260264-a-2026-06-11-36962477

Check your official sample ballot before you vote.

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By Ronnie Patterson. Narrated with AI assistance.