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Violence in Philadelphia needs to be near the top of the agenda for the city's next mayor -- particularly its effect on the city's children. Philadelphia now has the highest violent crime rate of any large American city; nearly 1,500 of every 100,000 people in the city have a violent incident happen to them in any one year.

Arlene F. Bell, Esq., President & CEO Caring People Alliance

Being mayor of Philadelphia is a difficult task and it takes experience, not just vision. Our next mayor has to address violence, and as quickly as possible. Violence breeds violence, it is true, but on the other hand, help also breeds help. Our organization, Caring People Alliance, touches nearly 40,000 people every year, providing Philadelphia's children with community-based programs that aim to build character, educational opportunities and healthy lifestyles.

That is a start, but with nearly 400,000 people 18 and under in the city, and nearly 30 percent of them living in poverty, it is only a start.

It isn't just a matter of taking guns off the street, as commendable as that goal is. There has to be a more positive, all-encompassing movement toward eliminating poverty, providing enrichment and recreation, and giving long-term hope to children.

It's no longer a matter of finding blame but of pushing toward solutions. As he is trying to get guns off the street, the next mayor has to reach out to businesses and corporations to get jobs for the potential violence-purveyors; to community leaders to open playgrounds and workshops and studios for more leagues and classes and performances; to faith-based folks to bring hope in whatever form is necessary. And the next mayor should be devoting his energy to fixing the public schools, and not be sidetracked by schemes that would at best rescue a small fraction of the needy students.

The next mayor has to find ways of providing day care for kids in licensed facilities while mothers, fathers and older siblings go to their jobs to make the money that will eventually help them eschew violence in favor of economic opportunity.

The next mayor must support the Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce's Working Solutions initiative in which the business community, in collaboration with WorkReady, provides paid summer internships and mentoring opportunities.

The next mayor has to support after-school programs in the neighborhoods that so desperately need them. These programs will keep kids safe and give them an alternative to whatever is happening on a nearby street corner.

The next mayor has to lead Philadelphia out of the sad downward spiral it is in, the slide into a potentially worsening violent future. The children of Philadelphia need that leadership. There is no other choice.

Election Day in November ought to be about new beginnings.

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