David Lynn is the currently serving Democratic Ward Leader in Ward 55. We sat down with him recently for a brief interview.
Q: How did you get involved in politics?
A: I was recruited back in 1994 when I became a committee person in West Philadelphia. I was elected as a Democratic committee person in Ward 27, Division 8. I was also elected treasurer and got interested in campaign finance regulations.
Q: Besides being a committee person and ward leader, what other types of political activities have you been involved in here in Philadelphia?
A: I used to be an occasional reporter for The Philadelphia Public Record. I also created campaign finance/voter analysis software for Pennsylvania and was a Commonwealth-approved vendor for campaign finance. I gave the software away free on the Internet for more than a decade. I have also served as treasurer for several candidates and elected officials. In 2024, my wife and I had a Harris/Walz office in our home for the presidential campaign.
Q: What made you decide to get involved in the ward structure again?
A: I moved to Ward 55 in 2006. In 2022, I decided to run for committee person because I believed that the 2024 presidential election would be extraordinarily important. I believe individuals should think globally and act locally, and I wanted to maximize Democratic turnout in my division.
When I learned that our ward leader was retiring, I applied the same philosophy. I am laser-focused on turning out as many Democratic votes as possible.
Q: You recruited a number of new Democratic committee people in the ward. Can you talk about that?
A: Certainly. I began by recruiting for the election board in various divisions where we needed people. I would write to frequent Democratic voters in a division where I was recruiting and then follow up with a knock or two on the door. We filled out the election boards in Ward 55, and I met a lot of wonderful people in the process. Many of them serve as Democratic committee people in the ward now.
Q: How many doors did you knock?
A: Between 2023 and 2026, between the Presidential campaign and a few other campaigns, and recruiting for the election board, I believe I knocked around 3,000 doors.
Q: Is that a lot of doors compared to other campaign workers?
A: Not necessarily. Believe it or not, I am not the world’s greatest canvasser. I have met people who can canvass circles around me. But I am a local neighbor in Ward 55, and research shows that the best way to get someone to come out in vote is to have a conversation with them on their doorstep, person to person, face to face, belly to belly. You don’t have to be well-spoken or sharply dressed – just passionate.
Q: How do you deal with criticisms about politicians who only show up near the end of an election cycle to connect with voters?
A: You have to be a presence in the neighborhood. I canvass my division several times each year. Also, I have a huge focus on constituent service. I have assisted with getting trees trimmed, potholes repaired, streets repaved, streetlights turned on when they are not working – I even helped close down a drug house in the ward. We can’t expect people to come out and vote if we are not involved in the community, and helping with issues such as this is a great way to start.
Q: If a voter in the ward needs assistance, what should they do?
A: An individual can call Steven, who is an officer on the ward executive board. He has taken on constituent service as a project for the ward, and I am grateful for his assistance. He can be reached at (215) 463-9550. Also, I am available by cell at (215) 687-6380. I try to get back to everyone by the end of the day.
Q: Do you only work with Democrats?
A: I am extraordinarily interested in voter turnout on the Democratic side, but for constituent service, I try to be helpful to everyone. A pothole in the street affects a Democrat and a Republican the same way.
Q: What are the biggest issues you see in the ward?
A: Parking is a huge issue. There are a number of places where people are parking illegally, so we are working to do something about this on a case by case basis. Additionally, there seem to be a number of people running a business repairing cars on the street here in the ward. That is not legal, and there are steps we can take to shut that down.
Q: Is there anything else the voters in Ward 55 should know?
A: I am a big believer that we need to talk to each other more. Just talk. We need to get off Facebook, X, Fox News, MS Now, whatever, and have more face to face conversations. This will not solve all the problems our country faces, but it will do for a start. That’s why I am a big believer in knocking on doors – again, think globally, act locally.