Councilmember Mike Driscoll has "unique qualities" to bring to a City Council President role, and is committed to doing his utmost to champion the Irish community in Philadelphia at every turn, he has insisted.
The Democrat, whose Irish roots can be traced back to Co Cork, Co Mayo, and Co Galway, was elected to the Pennsylvania House of Representatives in 2014 and has represented the 6th district since 2022. He also served as deputy secretary of the Department of General Services under fellow Irish-American Senator Bob Casey.
A member of the Irish Society of Philadelphia, the St. Patrick's Day Observance Association, the Delaware Valley Irish Hall of Fame, and a founding member of the Ancient Order of Hibernians Division 25, Mike also owned Finnigan's Wake Irish pub for 17 years, frequented by the Wolfe Tones, Thin Lizzy, The Cranberries and Sinn Féin politicians.
"Getting involved in campaigns and fighting for different causes in my neighborhood definitely drove me off my front porch and motivated me to study a related degree," Mike told IrishStar.com. "I wanted to improve things in my neighborhood and make it safer by providing better schools, roads, and playgrounds.
"My time in the House of Representatives was very enriching. I got to know both Democrats and Republicans who were fighting for their area of the commonwealth. I got a chance to explore rural Pennsylvania and find out how issues different from a big city like Philadelphia. It was good for me to learn how diverse this commonwealth is.
"Guests in my pub included Paddy Clancy, Paddy O'Reilly, Wolfe Tones, who we hosted over 20 times, The Cranberries, and Thin Lizzy. We also welcomed Gerry Adams, Martin McGuinness, Michele O'Neill, and Alex Maskey. I've been involved in supporting Sinn Féin since 1996 and would like to see a united Ireland in my lifetime."
Mike had "a calling" to enter politics from a young age. He earned his undergraduate degree at La Salle University before completing his master's in government administration at the University of Pennsylvania.
Following his victory in the special election for the 6th Council District seat held in May 2022, Mike resigned from his PA House seat but while there, focused on fostering living wage jobs, educational funding parity, personal pension savings security, and development of the Delaware River riverfront.
Mike lives in Torresdale with his wife and five children but makes an effort to visit Ireland as much as he can. He still has friends in Co Clare from time spent in the village of Doonbeg in the late 90s, when he was trying to build a hotel spa with an investor group. There, he stumbled across Our Redeemers Well, built by Saint Senan in the fifth century.
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The well was said to have healing powers so he brought some of the water back to the US. When his friend was diagnosed with cancer, and Mike himself found a tumor in 2019, he used the water, and the results were astonishing.
"A woman was saying the rosary around the well when I visited," Mike said. "She told me the water had cured her brother of an ailment he had when he was younger, and she had been giving it out to people over the years.
"I was a little sceptical but I brought it back on her advice and the first person I gave it to was a friend who was going in for cancer surgery. When he went in for it, though, they couldn't find the cancer.
"The surgery I underwent to remove the tumor went successfully, too, and as well as a great surgeon, I like to think it was due to the holy water. I've been giving it out for 24 years. It's just another story of the magic of Ireland."
Mike was one of several councilmembers to express interest in the Philadelphia City Council president role last year, which ultimately went to Kenyatta Johnson, a four-term City Council member and a former state representative. Johnson became the second-most powerful city official in January after Mayor Cherelle L. Parker was inaugurated.
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On the prospect of taking the top job, Mike previously said: "I was born and raised in northeast Philly, and we've never had a council president. We're a bit forgotten even though a third of tax-payers are from the Northeast. I want to put northeast Philly on the map.
"I'm not new to government. I've served on the council for 16 months, been trained at Harvard Kennedy School, and was fortunate enough to secure my first government position working for Senator Bob Casey. The beautiful thing for me was that Senator Casey came from Scanton, full of Irish people.
"Strengthening business corridors in all Pennsylvania neighborhoods and securing good quality jobs for young graduates so they don't need to leave Philadelphia would be a major focus for me if I got city council president."
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