Philadelphia Mayoral Hopefuls Get Grilled on Vegan Topics

Thanks to Philly.com’s vegan column “V for Veg” (written by journalist Vance Lehmkuhl), cruelty-free living became a central issue in the race for the mayor’s seat in Philadelphia as candidates responded to a vegan-centered questionnaire. While Republican candidate Melissa Murray Bailey spent “several years” eating vegan (but is now an omnivore), it was Democrat Jim Kenney who offered the most veg-friendly answers. Kenney proved knowledgeable about vegan fare by singing the praises of the acclaimed Blackbird Pizzeria (“… it’s absolutely delicious”), said he’d be open to discussing ways Philadelphia could “encourage circuses in an animal-free direction” and would “consider pushing for a non-dairy milk option in school lunches and other city-subsidized programs.” When asked about whether or not he saw a future for the carriage horse industry, Kenney said he would “not tolerate animal cruelty,” but didn’t specifically speak to the dismantling of the practice in Philadelphia. The complete questions and answers from all three candidates can be found here.