Endorsement - Philadelphia City Council

Oct. 24, 2007
The Philadelphia Inquirer

Philadelphia is at a critical juncture. It could be America's next great city or its progress could stagger from how badly it handles business.

The next City Council, working with a new mayor, must make smart decisions on fighting crime, further improving public schools, creating more jobs, raising ethical standards for public officials, revising the tax system, and polishing the city's assets.

As voters get ready to elect their next Council, several important factors are worth noting.

First, there is the Democrats' steel-grip on city politics, which won't change unless Republicans can field better candidates.

In some races, Republicans put up no opposition at all. In others, the GOP candidate rarely was seen or knew little about issues.

If the best candidates and most competitive races involve people of the same political persuasion, then why not make Council elections nonpartisan?

Another factor that has affected how Council operates will change with the election of a new mayor.

Even though he once presided in that chamber, Mayor Street has had a hostile relationship with many of its members. You can feel a thaw already between Council and Street's likely successor, Democrat Michael Nutter, also a former councilman.

Better cooperation between Council and the mayor would be good for the city. Two other changes also would help.

Council members need to practice clean government that shuns even the appearance of corruption and cronyism.

They also must be able to rise above the narrow interests of their particular districts when necessary and act like true city leaders. They must defy the tradition of councilmanic privilege when it stymies important projects, such as construction of a new Youth Study Center.

With these factors and needed changes in mind, the Editorial Board offers the following recommendations for Council district seats. Recommendations for the at-large Council seats will be made tomorrow.

Newcomers worth supporting are the REV. JESSE W. BROWN JR. in the Eighth District, MARIA QUIÑONES SÁNCHEZ in the Seventh, and CURTIS J. JONES JR. in the Fourth. All three know the city's challenges and have long records of civic activism.

Brown's success is especially important because he faces the least effective district Council member in Donna Reed Miller. Eighth District residents deserve a more responsive, aggressive and inclusive representative.

Brown, 51, pastor of Christ Evangelical Lutheran Church and a Tioga resident, properly believes that district Council members must be able to both represent their districts and be willing to defer to the needs of the entire city on some issues. Miller has failed on both scores.

Two Council members who have done a solid job are unopposed - DARRELL L. CLARKE in the Fifth and MARIAN B. TASCO in the Ninth.

District incumbents recommended for reelection to Council, some with reservations, are: FRANK J. DICICCO in the First, ANNA C. VERNA in the Second, JANNIE L. BLACKWELL in the Third, JOAN L. KRAJEWSKI in the Sixth, and BRIAN J. O'NEILL in the 10th.

O'Neill's opponent, Democrat Sean McAleer, has potential but needs to present deeper solutions for the problems he identifies.

Verna has been steady, if unspectacular. Krajewski has had some serious health problems and perhaps should consider this her signature term of public service.

Blackwell has been holding up a project to build a new Youth Study Center in her West Philadelphia district. The tradition of councilmanic privilege says she must introduce zoning changes needed for the project, at 48th Street and Haverford Avenue, to proceed. But she won't do it.

Blackwell has gone beyond raising legitimate concerns over the project. No answer from the mayor's staff has been enough to move her. Now, she wants $11 million in unrelated projects for her district in exchange for her cooperation.

So the project remains stalled. Not even at-large Council members are willing to cross Blackwell. Their passivity hurts the city. It hurts Blackwell's constituents as well, who risk losing the economic development the project could spur.

Unfortunately, Blackwell faces no credible opposition. And her passion for the district she represents cannot be denied.

DiCicco also faces lightweight competition and, like Blackwell, he is passionate about his district. The councilman has been working overtime to protect his constituents' interests as they prepare for the opening of one of the city's two casinos.

Would that DiCicco was as assiduous about strengthening ethical standards for Council members. Despite all of the investigations, allegations and convictions of city officials, DiCicco doesn't think ethics rules for local public officials need to be stronger. That's not the right attitude at a time when the city craves dramatic change in ethical conduct by its elected officials.

This election, from the mayor's race to the Council level, is about positive change. Voters have some obvious choices in that pursuit as they choose their next Council, but making the right decision in some races will require more thought.