| March 24,
2006 Section: LOCAL Edition: 4STAR Page: 08 Memo:CLOUT! PEOPLE, POWER AND POLITICS
Staff writers Gar Joseph, Dave Davies, Mark Mc- Donald and Chris Brennan contributed to this report. While Dougherty's attempt to fill party committee slots in the May primary has gotten the attention, several civic groups are fielding candidates as well. The result could be a freshman crop of younger, more liberal Democrats in the lower ranks."We didn't officially recruit anyone, but we have about 120 people running around the city," said Temple prof Marc Stier, head of Neighborhood Networks. "I think the reason you're seeing so many new people run is people are becoming hopeful about politics in the city. De Tocqueville said revolutions occur not when things are at their worst, but when they start to get better." Hannah Miller of Philly for Change, whose roots are in Howard Dean's 2004 presidential campaign, said at least 30 of her members filed for posts. Philadelphia Young Democrats filed candidates as well.Says Miller, "Hundreds of people poured in from nowhere, and it became this out-of-control big viral thing." It's a good virus. There are 3,362 committee posts, two per division. City election officials have only 2,909 names on file, suggesting nearly 500 vacancies. And that doesn't include members who are listed but inactive.Miller's group is also pushing the candidacy of Anne Dicker, a candidate in the wide-open race to succeed retiring state Rep. Marie Lederer. Are these novices ready for Philadelphia's smash-mouth democracy?"When we were forming her campaign committee, we went around the room and made sure there was at least one of us with a permit to carry," Miller said. "It's not the easiest thing to find, with liberals."
Before you fire off a nasty e-mail, we're simply talking about organization, not deeds. Their missions are quite different. |
| The party promotes democracy (of a sort), and the mob promotes crime. And yes, we know the two intersect in the 70th Ward (federal prison), but most pols are good guys and gals dedicated to public service. Still, the hierarchical order, with subgroups, captains, lieutenants and soldiers (elected officials, ward leaders and committeemen), is the same.Democratic chairman Bob Brady, the capo di tutti capi, tries to maintain peace among the five families: The Dougherty family, the Fumo family, the Blackwell family, the Tartaglione family and the Gray family (now called the Northwest Alliance.) Pols and mobsters often use the same language. When state Rep. Andrew Carn challenged Brady for his congressional seat not once, but twice, Brady said, "I had to take him out."And he did. A Brady-backed candidate dumped Carn in the next primary. When ward leader John Sabatina was troubled by an aide to then-Rep. Alan Butkovitz, he called the aide "a sword in my side" and asked Butko to remove it.On Monday, we had actual violence. Roxborough ward leader "Lights Out Lou" Agre dropped party lawyer Ira "The Puppy" Shrager with a punch. "Sucker-punching Ira was akin to kicking a puppy," said Frank Keel, a Dougherty soldier. "It was a gutless and reprehensible act."This matter will be settled "within the family," said ward leader John O'Connell. You can visualize him cracking his knuckles. And this is the leader from genteel Chestnut Hill.Brady already has a lot on his plate. Carol Campbell, a top Brady capo, is feuding with the Blackwells and the Tartagliones. Carlos Matos, a Tartaglione capo, is trying to take out state Rep. Angel Cruz.John "Johnny Doc" Dougherty, who had a long-running feud with state Sen. Vince Fumo, has lately annoyed the other families with incursions into their turf. What happens if this isn't settled "within the family" by June, when Doc comes up for re-election as party treasurer?Bada-bing! Bada-boom! Quotable"What we've learned in this town is that you can be bought for a gym membership." - Zack Stalberg, Committee of Seventy CEO, at a City Council hearing Monday. "Five, four, two, one. That's Dick Cheney by the numbers. Five deferments, four heart attacks, two DUIs and one drive-by shooting." - James Carville, Democratic consultant, at a Bob Casey fund-raiser Wednesday night.Tumar's car: Gun victim A city car assigned to the managing director's office was caught in a crossfire at 9th and Spring Garden streets on March 11.Several parked cars, including one driven by Deputy Managing Director Tumar Alexander, were hit by gunfire. Managing Director Pedro Ramos, who lives nearby, said Alexander had told him he came home to find the car in the middle of a crime scene.The car, recuperating from a bullet hole and a smashed window at Fleet Management, is expected to make a full recovery. Flo Co ralliesFlorence Cohen, 88-year-old widow of City Councilman David Cohen, and daughter Sherrie rallied supporters outside City Hall yesterday, calling for a special election in May to fill her husband's seat. Cohen wants to be a candidate. But Council President Anna Verna says there's enough at-large Council members to meet the needs of Cohen's constituents.If Verna sticks to her guns, the election won't happen until all of Council is elected next year. Sherrie Cohen said she'd consider a run then. * |
| Florence
Cohen, widow of Councilman David Cohen, at a City Hall rally yesterday. |