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As it appears now, 11 Democrats will be participating in the City Council-at-large race next month.
Five of those candidates — and five more Republicans — will make it to the November ballot. They will fill seven at-large seats, five of which will be reserved for the majority party in Council, most likely the Democrats. The remaining two spots will go to the candidates with the two highest vote totals from remaining parties, most likely Republicans.
The field consists of incumbents, plus six challengers. Two of the politicians are from South Philly; a third is renting space here.
The leader of the pack is Councilman James Kenney, who debated whether to run because of his frustration with the administration but ultimately chose to seek his fourth consecutive term, and will almost certainly get it.
When he is not playing the thorn in Mayor Street’s side — questioning the administration’s political motives and battling to preserve Council’s independent voice in the legislative process — Kenney, 44, is among those leading the charge to keep residents in the city and attract new ones.
The second South Philly candidate vying for an at-large spot is Peter Fiorentino. The 34-year-old attorney would appear to be running an aggressive campaign judging by the volume of literature he faxes and e-mails. However, he could not be reached for comment.
According to his releases, he is married and lives in the Italian Market area. Fiorentino is familiar with the inner workings of City Council through his most recent job on the staff of Council President Anna Verna and, if elected, he promises to fight to reduce the city wage tax to 3 percent.
The guys were to be joined by Dawn Marie Tancredi, who had been one of only two women vying for an at-large seat, along with incumbent Blondell Reynolds-Brown.
Tancredi, a 29-year-old family law attorney, withdrew her name from the race a week ago, explaining she did not want to contend with the incumbent candidates endorsed by party leadership.
"I do not believe a contested primary battle is in the best interest of the Democratic Party at this time," she stated in a press release issued April 3.
Juan Ramos is not from South Philly, but he has some powerful allies here, and on Saturday, he opened his campaign office at 1116 S. Ninth St.
Ramos, 51, who lives near Northern Liberties, most recently worked as Street’s director of labor standards until he resigned to begin his campaign in February.
Street reportedly hinted at supporting Ramos during a fundraising event over the weekend, but came short of endorsing him. Officially, the city Democratic Party has endorsed all the incumbent Council candidates.
"I would welcome his support any day of the week," Ramos said of Street.
Democratic Party treasurer and Local 98 business manager John Dougherty is openly supporting Ramos, the candidate said, as is Second Ward leader Tony Palmiere, who attended Saturday’s event in the Italian Market.
Although the nature of the Council-at-large race does not pit one candidate against another, Ramos’ presence in the primary poses the most serious threat to Council’s lone Hispanic member, Angel Ortiz.
Three Hispanic ward leaders have endorsed Ramos over district councilman Ortiz, and Ortiz failed to earn the endorsement of the Democratic City Committee.
"There is a high degree of disappointment among Hispanic voters with the Hispanic incumbent," Ramos said.
If elected, the candidate is promising to help close the gap that has divided members of Council. He also said he would practice an open-door policy, remaining accessible to constituents.
Ramos previously ran for an at-large seat in 1999, finishing seventh among Democrats in the primary.
None of the five GOP candidates on the ballot hails from South Philly, unless one were to count adopted son Frank Rizzo Jr., who is seeking his third term.
Anastasio still off ballot
Vernon Anastasio’s City Council campaign received a second and likely fatal setback Tuesday when a panel of Commonwealth Court judges upheld an earlier decision to kick him off the ballot.
Anastasio had been First District Councilman Frank DiCicco’s challenger in the Democratic primary.
Last month, Common Pleas Judge Pamela Pryor Dembe ruled that an inaccuracy on Anastasio’s financial statement involving a question about his income in 2002 constituted a "fatal defect," according to state election laws.
Sarah DeRose, a Democrat registered in the First District, had filed the complaint and was represented by attorney Ralph Teti. Attorney George Bochetto represented Anastasio during Tuesday’s proceedings. Judges James Collins, Charles Mirarchi and Rochelle Friedman presided over the appeal.
Anastasio did not return calls for comment, but reportedly is planning another appeal to the state Supreme Court.
Councilmen tackle parking fees
Council members James Kenney and Frank Rizzo introduced a resolution last week authorizing the body to hold hearings on the cost of parking in the city of Philadelphia.
The purpose is to end the perception of parking as an obstacle to shopping, dining or even attending a sporting event in the city, Kenney said.
"You come in town to shop and in two hours, you can spend anywhere from $19-$23," the councilman said. "That’s just taking advantage of people who are a captive audience."
Conversely, businesspeople who park in lots all day benefit from "early-bird specials" and are charged as little as $7.
"The shopping people are subsidizing the commuter workers," Kenney said, "and when you couple that with the fact that there are 1,200 free parking spaces at the King of Prussia Mall and at Depford Mall, it puts our retailers in Center City at a disadvantage."
But this is not just a Center City problem, Kenney said. Drivers parking at the stadium complex pay high fees that only get more exorbitant for special events like concerts and postseason sporting events, causing them to seek refuge on neighborhood streets in the past.
Hearings should be scheduled for later this month. Kenney wants to look at parking policies now in place in San Francisco and Portland, Ore. The city also could consider regulating the parking industry, but Kenney said that would be a last resort.
He feels the best option would be for the city to buy a substantial number of privately owned lots, lower the rates and drive down prices at the remaining private lots.
"It’s forced competition," he said, "but it may come to that."
