City & State Pennsylvania
May 24, 2017
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Helen Gym
Keith Leaphart
Bruce Kraus
Helen Gym has only been on the Philadelphia City Council for a little over a year, after filling Mayor Jim Kenney’s vacancy in January 2016, but her tenure has already been marked by her advocacy for Philadelphia public schools. The former schoolteacher and University of Pennsylvania graduate has brought a progressive vision to Philadelphia city politics and has been a high-profile supporter of a number of education and poverty issues in the city.
A North Philadelphia native, Keith Leaphart’s influence now stretches to all parts of the city. He is a physician by trade, but currently serves as the president and CEO of Replica Creative, a design and print firm located in Center City that doubles as a coffee shop. He is also the protégé of billionaire media mogul and philanthropist H.F. “Gerry” Lenfest, after being taken under Lenfest’s wing many years ago. He has served as board chairman of The Lenfest Foundation since 2013.
Bruce Kraus was elected to the Pittsburgh City Council in 2008 and elevated by his peers to president in 2014. He is the city’s first openly gay elected official and has been at the forefront of promoting civil rights issues and legislation aimed at combating discrimination. His influence extends beyond municipal lawmaking as a member of the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh board of trustees and the Carnegie Mellon University board of trustees, among others.
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Philadelphia City Councilwoman
Board Chairman The Lenfest Foundation
President Pittsburgh City Council
Brian Fitzpatrick
D. Lee Carlson
Art Rooney II
Brian Fitzpatrick is a new face in Washington, D.C., after winning his first election in November and replacing his older brother, Mike, who retired due to self-imposed term limits, as the Rep. for Pennsylvania’s 8th Congressional District, covering Bucks and part of Montgomery counties. The GOP lawmaker is a former FBI agent who focused on counterterrorism. He rode into Washington with a wave of other GOP newcomers and finds himself in friendly territory with the majority as he attempts to implement a conservative vision for his district.
D. Lee Carlson has been president of PA Media Group, which owns The Patriot News, Harrisburg’s newspaper that publishes three times a week, and PennLive, a website covering Central Pennsylvania since 2014. The two publications share a newsroom. Previously, as interim president, Carlson oversaw the digital changeover. Now, she continues that role, keeping PennLive apace of the ever-changing journalistic landscape and keeping everyone interested in central Pennsylvania news informed in the process.
Following the death of Dan Rooney in April, Art Rooney II is the last of the five Rooney brothers to still retain a share of the Pittsburgh Steelers, the team their father, Art Sr., founded 84 years ago. The three other brothers have sold most of their pieces of the franchise pie since 2009, slowly ceding what used to be an 80 percent family majority interest in the team. The Rooney family has also been philanthropically involved in western Pennsylvania for decades.
U.S. Representative
President PA Media Group
President Pittsburgh Steelers