Five lawmakers in Philadelphia City Council have something in common: they each studied at Temple University—four earning their degrees and one preparing for a successful career in real estate.

In January, Councilmember Cindy Bass officially began her third term, Councilmembers Allan Domb and Derek S. Green started their second, and both Councilmembers Kendra Brooks and Jamie Gauthier took on their legislative roles for the first time. 

Today, each of these proud Owls is entrusted with the city’s most significant priorities as chair of one or more Council committees on topics including aging, finance, health, housing and intergovernmental cooperation.

We recently met up with these elected leaders to ask how their alma mater—just up Broad Street from their current offices at City Hall—prepared them for the responsibility of running one of the largest cities in the nation.

Councilmember Cindy Bass, FOX ’90, serves as chair of City Council’s Public Health and Human Services Committee and the Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs Committee.

District: 8th in Northwest Philadelphia

Year inaugurated: 2012

What did you study at Temple and why?  
“I studied at the Fox School of Business because I entered college uncertain about my career path. I knew that Fox had an excellent reputation and would give me the skills and background needed to succeed in any field.”

What is your favorite memory from your years on campus?  
“Hanging in the Student Activities Center, student protests and Temple basketball games.”  

How did Temple prepare you for the work you do today? 
“Temple taught me focus, tenacity and hard work.”

Councilmember Kendra Brooks, CPH ’00, serves as chair of Council’s Intergenerational Affairs and Aging Committee. As a member of the Working Families Party, she is the first third-party candidate elected to Council in modern city history.

District: At large, citywide

Year inaugurated: 2020

What did you study at Temple and why?  
“I studied therapeutic recreation because I enjoyed working with young people, I enjoyed working with people with disabilities and the therapeutic aspect was very compelling to me.”

What is your favorite memory from your years on campus?  
“I had some wonderful experiences at Temple. Because of my major, I did a lot of stuff with wheelchair sports at a place that isn’t there anymore, before they renovated McGonigle Hall. I also used to help Temple students with disabilities navigate campus as my college work-study. I thought it was really fascinating to see people with disabilities navigate the Temple campus—it's much more accessible now than it was 20-something years ago.”

How did Temple prepare you for the work you do today? 
“One thing I love about Temple is Temple folks look out for Temple folks. I'm still in close contact with some of my professors, because when I was a student they were my professors, when I became a working professional they were my colleagues and now as a councilperson they have become my supporters.”

Councilmember Allan Domb, who studied and taught at Temple’s Real Estate Institute in the 1970s and 1990s, respectively, is chair of Council’s committee on Fiscal Stability and Intergovernmental Cooperation. Prior to Council, he founded a renowned real estate brokerage firm and served as the president of the Greater Philadelphia Association of Realtors.

District: At large, citywide

Year inaugurated: 2016

What did you study at Temple and why?
“I studied real estate—fundamentals, practices, investments, property management and appraisal. I studied initially to get my license and then to learn more about the subject. I also taught at Temple's Real Estate Institute in the ’90s.”
 
What is your favorite memory from your years on campus?
“My memories are learning from Jay Lamont who was the founding director of Temple University’s Real Estate Institute and all the professors from Barry Ludwig to Skip Weber—he now owns Polley [Associates]—and Harvey Levin and Mike Frolove. I learned at Temple that you make a living selling real estate, but you create wealth by owning it.”
 
How did Temple prepare you for the work you do today?
“I attribute a lot of the success I had in real estate and in my role today to what I learned at Temple. It was also the mentorship I got from Jay Lamont and the other professors throughout my career where I could contact them if I had questions, and they very kindly were ready, willing and able to answer. So these were not just professors, these were people who took an interest in my career.”

Councilmember Jamie Gauthier, FOX ’00, is chair of Council’s committee on Housing, Neighborhood Development, and the Homeless. Previously she worked as executive director of the Fairmount Park Conservancy and executive director of the Sustainable Business Network of Greater Philadelphia.

District: 3rd in West Philadelphia

Year inaugurated: 2020

What did you study at Temple and why?
“I majored in accounting at the Fox School. I was good at math and enjoyed problem solving—I thought I could build a good career working in that field.”
 
What is your favorite memory from your years on campus?
“My favorite memories are of living in Johnson and Hardwick Hall with my cousin, who is also my best friend. We just had such a great time with the people that we met, being college students and having fun in and around Philly. I have lifelong friends from Temple.”
 
How did Temple prepare you for the work you do today?
“I learned how to be an independent adult at Temple. It was the first time that I lived away from my parents, and the first time that I was in control of my education. I also learned how to network. Temple connected me to the Inroads Program, which placed minority students as summer interns in companies with the idea of getting hired after graduation. Inroads exposed me to my first professional job environment, which allowed me to hit the ground running in my first job out of college.”

Councilmember Derek S. Green, LAW ’98, is chair of Council’s Finance Committee and Disabled and Persons With Special Needs Committee. He has also used his legal experience to serve as special counsel to a predecessor on City Council and deputy city solicitor and assistant district attorney for the City of Philadelphia.  

District: At large, citywide

Year inaugurated: 2016

What did you study at Temple and why?  
“I chose Temple for law school because it has a history and reputation for training the best public servants and lawyers.”

What is your favorite memory from your years on campus?  
“One of my best memories from Temple’s Beasley School of Law is my two terms as Student Bar Association Treasurer. In this role, I was able to meet and get to know many of my classmates. This experience also provided me with my first exposure to the responsibility of adopting a public budget for our various student organizations.”

How did Temple prepare you for the work you do today? 
“Through its outstanding faculty, rigorous coursework and diverse student body, Temple Law School was an excellent training ground for my work as an At-Large member of Council. As a public servant representing more than 1.5 million people, I am challenged, on a daily basis, with developing solutions to difficult problems with limited resources. Being Temple made, I feel ready and equipped to confront the issues facing Philadelphia.”
 

—Andrew Lochrie