Upper Darby Township Council Member Marion Minick announced he is running for mayor in 2027. He would have to unseat Mayor Ed Brown, who said he is running for reelection.
Minick said his focus would be on improving township services, strengthening neighborhoods, and making local government more responsive and accountable to residents.
“Upper Darby is a community of hardworking people and tremendous potential,” Minick said. “I’m running because I believe we can do better, and because every neighborhood and every resident deserves a government that works for them.”
Minick was elected as council at-large in 2023 and served as president from January to August. In announcing his candidacy, Minick cited his work in the Democratic Party and as a community activist who recently proposed a responsible public investment policy addressing corporate involvement in human-rights violations in Gaza.
During his time on council, Minick said he has knocked on nearly 10,000 doors to hear residents’ needs and concerns, and his approach to leadership would emphasize listening to residents, bringing people together and delivering results.
“I hear it over and over again, residents feel they are not getting value for the tax dollars spent,” he said. “We need change here in Upper Darby.”
Minick also emphasized his commitment to ethical and accountable government. His Responsible Public Investment Policy calls for reviewing township investments in companies implicated in serious human-rights violations, including those associated with military operations in the Gaza Strip.
“Our tax dollars should reflect our community’s values,” Minick said. “We can protect taxpayers, meet our financial obligations, and still take a principled stand for human rights.”
“Upper Darby deserves a full-time mayor who will work as hard as its residents do,” Minick said. “They deserve clean neighborhoods, reliable services, housing they can afford, and a township government that makes every tax dollar count. As mayor, this will be my full-time job.
“We have nearly 90,000 residents in Upper Darby Township. We are the sixth largest (by population) in the state. We absolutely need a full time mayor and that is the type of mayor I will be,” he said in a phone conversation Thursday.
Asked about his proudest accomplishment during his time as a council member, Minick said his leadership in getting the earned income tax passed was important to bring in revenue beyond constant real estate tax increases.
Asked about the reorganization of council in August, Minick questioned the timing of that vote. He said it seemed “fishy” as just weeks earlier he had been pushing for an ethics committee.
He said the township needs better services, well maintained parks and a government that makes every tax dollar count. He said residents need to get value for their money. As mayor he would serve every resident and every neighborhood.
To accomplish those services Minick wants to grow the tax base. He would focus on revitalizing 69th Street and other business districts, expanding housing opportunities, supporting working families and organized labor, and eliminating wasteful spending.
Minick said one way he would bring in additional funds to the township is by creating a grant department focused on securing state, federal and other grants for the township.
“I’m surprised this hasn’t happened before,” Minick said. “I’m committed to having a whole department that does this.”
Minick detailed his stances.
“I’m going to grow the police, fire and sanitation. … I am pro-labor, pro-union and unapologetic about it. Labor, the unions, they do the work that no one in the work can do, they need to be utilized and respected,” Minick said.
Asked about the volunteer firefighters, he said believes as much as possible there is a place for volunteer firefighters though across the nation they’ve seen a decline.
He has been a township resident for the past 17 years and currently lives in Drexel Hill with his wife, Genevieve, a family physician, their daughter, Océane, and their dog, Finn.
Over his career Minick has been a teacher, a GED supervisor and instructor at the Temple University Center for Social Policy and Community Development, as well as a business creator, including the owner of one of the largest hat stores in Philadelphia, and years later, he co-founded and was executive director of a 501c3 nonprofit organization, specializing community arts and recreation.
Today, he is a small business owner as a tea merchant with his own registered brand.
Mayor Ed Brown said he is running for election.
As to being a full-time mayor, Brown said as per the home rule charter, the job is considered part-time, which is why it pays only $10,000 annually.
Brown said he works another job because $10,000 would not allow him to take care of his family adequately, especially as a widowed parent.