CITY HALL SAM: Building Philly’s Support In Harrisburg

ON SAME SIDE OF AISLE for once, Republican Gov. Tom Corbett, left, and State Sen. Anthony Williams share pew at induction of Rev. Terrence Griffith as President of Black Clergy of Phila. & Vicinity in S. Phila. last Sunday.

MAYOR MICHAEL NUTTER paid a special visit last weekend. He stopped by Bliss Restaurant to visit with eight State Senators. The Senators were in town to dine and attend the highly acclaimed show Memphis at the Academy of Music. STATE SEN. JUDY SCHWANK is the newest member of the Democratic Caucus. She was elected after political icon STATE SEN. MICHAEL O’PAKE passed from heart-related complications last year. Schwank is a former Berks Co. Commissioner and has made an impressive early showing in Harrisburg. Also in attendance were STATE SENS. JOHN YUDICHAK from Luzerne Co., JOHN BLAKE from Lackawanna Co. and Northampton Co.’s own LISA BOSCOLA. They joined STATE SENS. SHIRLEY KITCHEN, LeANNA WASHINGTON, LARRY FARNESE, MIKE STACK and TONY WILLIAMS.

It was a smart move by the Mayor. The anti-Philadelphia feeling has grown more intense lately and Nutter will need all the votes he can find for Philadelphia funding. Also encouraging is the fact Philadelphia Senators are building friendships and alliances outside the city. The Southeast part of the state accounts for approximately 70% of the state’s GNP. The region continues to grow outward in influence and the northeast part of the state is a natural partner. CONGRESSMAN BOB BRADY also joined the party at Bliss. Brady is a master at building relationships and he too needs to help in the effort of making friends for the city.

The trial of former Democratic House SPEAKER BILL DeWEESE is under way. He may be the last of the Bonusgate defendants. DeWeese is a likeable character and may give the jury pause, particularly in light of growing concern about the objectivity of the Attorney General’s Office. More folks are asking why it took former ATTORNEY GEN.TOM CORBETT so long to move against his Penn State friends. The office is perceived as more political than previously thought. But DeWeese still has a number of hurdles to jump. All the defendants of Bonusgate with the exception of the first case resulted in guilty verdicts or pleas.

BOB HENON moved quickly to establish himself as the new Northeast Councilman. He stood with Brady, STATE REP. MIKE McGEEHAN and Sen. Stack at Holy Family University on Friday. Henon and the other legislators are pushing for the old Liddonfield public-housing eyesore to be turned over to the University. The plan calls for Holy Family and a local development team to build dorms for nursing students, an assisted-living facility, retail stores and restaurants, and a number of state-of-the-art athletic fields in Upper Holmesburg. This is Holy Family’s latest innovative expansion project. Under the leadership of SISTER FRANCESCA ONLEY, the University has expanded and flourished. This project will help the community and is supported by the community, but is that enough to win the support and approval of the Philadelphia Housing Authority? It should be.

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