POLS ON THE STREET: School Choice Triggers Brawl In W. Philly

BY JOE SHAHEELI/ A lively candidates’ night staged by the 27th Ward Democrat Committee erupted with charges and countercharges Monday night, revealing a sharp split between two factions which have long dominated West Philadelphia politics.

The well-attended meeting featured two top-of-the-ticket statewide candidates for Attorney General, assistant DA Kathleen Kane and former Congressman Patrick Murphy. But it was a State Rep race – and one candidate who didn’t show – which triggered a major controversy.

Ward Leader Carol Jenkins had met challenger Fatimah Muhammad in Clark Park, where public life takes place in University City, and invited her to address the 27th Ward’s candidates’ night alongside veteran incumbent State Rep. Jim Roebuck of the 188th Dist., minority chair of the House Education Committee. Muhammad’s name was on the program, but the candidate was a no-show. In her place sat her campaign consultant Barbara Chavous, who repeated a charge made by Muhammad in a letter to Jenkins dated Friday that Jenkins had denied her equal time.

Muhammad wrote, “Because you informed me that it was your intention to allow Mr. Roebuck to speak for 30 minutes and provide me with just 10 minutes to speak, I have concluded that it is not your intention to host an honest, legitimate forum.” Muhammad continued Jenkins had “never gotten a confirmation from me” that she would attend the meeting – a claim Chavous firmly insisted on during the meeting, often interrupting the presentation to protest.

Jenkins disputed Muhammad’s account of their conversation. “I told her there would be no debate, but both Roebuck and she would get 10-15 minutes to present and then could take questions afterward.”

27th Ward Committeeman Kevin Scott defended his ward’s history, saying, “We have always offered fair and open access to all candidates at our events.”

Muhammad’s letter had been circulated in advance to some of the committeepersons of the 27th Ward. Many attendees came prepared to hammer Roebuck with hard-hitting questions.

This race reveals a rivalry between two political teams who disagree fiercely over education policy. Muhammad, a 27-year-old University of Pennsylvania graduate, is backed by State Sen. Anthony Williams of the 8th Dist., an outspoken supporter of school choice who has authored ambitious legislation that would allot students in failed public schools vouchers to attend private schools, or public schools in other municipalities.

Roebuck, by contrast, opposes voucher programs, which he says would hurt education overall. So does Councilwoman Jannie Blackwell, who chairs a similar Education Committee in City Council as does Roebuck in the State House. Blackwell also addressed the ward meeting briefly Monday night.

This wasn’t the first time hostilities have broken out over school choice in this neighborhood. Williams’ team has leafleted Roebuck’s district door to door in the past, belaboring him for opposing Williams’ measure, SB 1, which stalled in the General Assembly last year after getting a strong release.

Look for this State Rep race to receive outsized attention and investment in the coming month; there is more at stake than a State House seat.

PENNA. A.F.L.-C.I.O. ENDORSES OBAMA’S REELECTION

Both the National AFL-CIO General Board and its joint member, the PA AFL-CIO General Board has voted “proudly and enthusiastically” to endorse President Barack Obama for a second term.

“We are pleased with this announcement as we are gearing up our political program,” Pennsylvania AFL-CIO President Richard Bloomingdale said. “To ensure working families’ voices are heard and social values are shared in an economy that works for all.”

Pennsylvania has over one million union members throughout the Commonwealth.

“This election is all about who is on your side,” Pennsylvania AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer Frank Snyder adds. “Ultimately, the road to the White House goes through Pennsylvania.”

The Philadelphia AFL-CIO, said its president Pat Eiding, “is already on board.”

CASEY CONTINUES TO LEAD G.O.P. CANDIDATES

Former State Rep. Sam Rohrer continues to lead the GOP US Senate field heading toward the Apr. 24 primary, but he trails Casey by 15 points. Though polls show Rohrer is the strongest candidate in the five-man Republican field to take on Bob Casey, he runs behind Casey leads Rohrer 49% to 34%. Rohrer presently holds double-digit leads over his primary opponents.

Peg Luksik, who challenged Pat Toomey in the 2010 GOP primary for US Senate, has formed a super PAC to boost Rohrer.

Though Casey approval holds steady, the latest Quinnipiac poll reports he still hasn’t cracked the magic 50% threshold.

Quinnipiac also puts Santorum over Romney 36%-22% in the Keystone State. Santorum has the support of about a third of his former Republican constituents and comes within one point of President Obama in a matchup here, compared to a 6 point deficit for Mitt Romney.

Santorum will speak to the PLC Conservative Conference at its conference in Harrisburg, Mar. 24.

Hoping to catch up, Romney will be airing TV commercials showing he has a strong commitment from former Gov. Tom Ridge, who was also the first Secretary of Homeland Security.

VOTER PHOTO-I.D .BILL STIRS POT

A broad-based and diverse coalition of citywide organizations – organized by the non-partisan Committee of Seventy and former city Managing Director Joe Certaine – has launched a rigorous non-partisan campaign to educate every Philadelphia voter what the new photo ID state law will require of them.

City Council Majority Leader Curtis Jones, Jr. and Pete Matthews, President of AFSCME District Council 33 participated in the coalition’s initial planning session.

“It will take an army fanning out across the city to get the word out,” said Zack Stalberg, Seventy’s President and CEO. “Voter ID is not a Democratic or Republican issue. It doesn’t matter which candidate you support. No one should be denied the right to vote because they lack an acceptable voter ID.”

Groups and individuals interested in participating should contact Dan Bright at dbright@seventy.org or (215) 557-3600, ext. 124.

All 17 members of Philadelphia City Council have designated a liaison to work with the coalition.

ARE GLOVES OFF IN 182^ND PRIMARY?

State Rep. Babette Josephs (D-S. Phila.), who earlier felt assured her opponent Brian Sims’ pledge to keep the campaign for the Democrat nomination in her legislative district on the issues, believes the gloves have come off.

While Josephs was in Harrisburg battling for voting rights, women’s reproductive health and same-sex marriage, she reports Sims sent an edited version of the video to reporters in an attempt to embarrass her. The video ended with an exhortation to call Josephs and ask her to debate. She called this the second negative assault from the Sims campaign in less than a month.

 “While Brian was e-mailing YouTube movies and whining about debates, Babette was in Harrisburg fighting for same-sex marriage,” said Julia Ramsey, Rep. Josephs’ campaign manager. “On the eve of a critical vote on a constitutional amendment that would ban same-sex marriage, Brian Sims told his followers to call Babette’s Harrisburg office and ask her to pay more attention to Brian Sims. There’s something wrong when the issues he claims to hold dear take a back seat to his own ego.”

“There were so many people in that committee hearing who had traveled there to fight for the right to marry,” said Rep. Josephs. “After the vote was canceled, I spoke to several stake holders, many of whom represented organizations dedicated to equality, and I encouraged them because the fight is not over. I looked for Mr. Sims, because he says he’s an advocate for same-sex marriage, but he wasn’t there.”

Josephs and Sims will participate in a debate organized by Center City Residents Association and other local organizations on Apri.17th.

N.O.W. INVOLVED IN 202^ND PRIMARY

The Philly chapter of the National Organization for Women PAC has endorsed State Rep. Mark Cohen’s (D-N.Phila.) Democratic primary challenger Numa St. Louis. This comes as a surprise.

Terri Falbo, its local president, said, “Numa St. Louis is unequivocal in his support for women’s rights — especially of women’s access to health care.”

WILL MEGA ALMOST GOT HIS WISH

State Rep. Louise Williams Bishop (D-W. Phila.), who is seeking a 13th two-year term, will remain on the Apr. 24 Democratic primary election ballot despite admitting she signed as the circulator on some nominating petitions that were really circulated by a friend.

Commonwealth Court Judge Renee Cohn Jubelirer ruled Bishop could withdraw those petition pages, which still left her with enough valid signatures to stay on the ballot. Will Mega, her perennial challenger, will now have to campaign among the voters in his efforts to unseat her for the 192nd Legislative Dist.

KRALLE PLAN COMBATS CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE

Believing he has as lock over his GOP primary opponent John McCann, Denny O’Brien’s former aide is looking ahead to the general election, releasing a plan that seeks to give actual meaning to laws currently on the books and further the battle against perpetrators of child sexual abuse in Pennsylvania.

“For too long, Pennsylvania’s laws have not served our children. Sexual predators routinely escape justice through technical loopholes in the current law. My plan will ensure these individuals cannot hide from the law and our children and their families can hopefully begin to realize a little bit of justice” said Kralle.

If elected, he would remove the criminal statute of limitations for sexual abuse against children and remove the civil statute of limitations for sexual abuse against children among other loopholes.

CITY G.O.P. NAMES MORE WARD LEADERS

Republican City Committee has announced new ward leadership positions. Expected to take the helm of the 49th is former mayoral candidate Karen Brown. Others named include Mike Bowells in the 16th and Lee Buchanan in the13th.

Mark Collazzo has been named to the Republican leadership in the 58th Ward.

SOME CAUCUSES HAVE NOT ENDORSED

Chairman John Sabatina called the endorsement caucus for the 172nd State House district, but did not come up with an endorsement for State Rep. Kevin Boyle (D-Northeast), indicating the ward leaders needed to hear presentations from Boyle and his challenger Daniel Collins.(See City Hall Sam).

At press time, the 186th had endorsed former State Rep .Harold James for the Special, but no one in the general. Ward leaders were waiting for challenges to two of the aspirants for the Democrat seat to end before coming up with an endorsement. Jordan Harris seems to have the edge.

In the 179th, no caucus had been convened with State Rep. Tony Payton (D-Kensington) expected to get the endorsement over James “Scoot” Clay, who had given signs he will be a feisty contender.

On Thursday, though, a bombshell rocked Kensington political circles: Payton abandoned his race for reelection after his petitions had been successfully challenged.

The last time this happened to an incumbent was in 2008, when State Rep. Tommy Blackwell was thrown off the ballot for forging his own petition signatures. Payton ran into a patch of the same difficulty that very year; many of his petitions were challenged by his primary opponent Dan Savage, but not enough to knock him off the ballot. Payton went on to serve two terms in the State House, where he has been generally respected by his colleagues as a creative and hard-working lawmaker.

Not hard-working enough, though, to collect 300 valid petition signatures, it now appears. Thus, the door is opened for Clay.

Clay was born, raised, and still lives in the 179th Legislative Dist.’s Frankford neighborhood. As the son of Rev. James, Sr., an associate minister of Second Baptist Church, and the late Francis Clay, the former President of the East Frankford Civic Association, Scoot has been involved in his neighborhoods from an early age.

Scoot is a  graduate of Smedley ES, Harding MS and Frankford HS. He has cultivated a network from his days as a player with the Frankford Chargers, Northeast Boys and Girls Club, Wissinoming, and Hunting Park Recreation Center and for Frankford HS. He has coached basketball at Northeast Boys and Girls Club, the PAL, the Salvation Army, and currently coaches basketball for Deni Playground. Scoot also serves on the 2nd Baptist Church Van Ministry.

He and his wife Shakeya live in Frankford with their four children.

In the 197th, still without an endorsement and by ballot order are Jose Miranda, Kenneth Walker, James Johnson, Ms. Jewel Williams and Jamil Ali.

Ms. Williams has the support of her dad, Sheriff Jewel Williams who vacated the seat the beginning of the year of the 16th Ward. Jose Miranda has been active in the city’s census efforts.

TRACEY GORDON’S TRIAL TOMORROW

Whether or not a ward leader can ostracize and ignore a newly elected committee person is the question at stake as the Court weighs in on the 40B Ward’s right to not recognize Tracey Gordon, the 24th division committee lady as a member of its Executive Committee. Hearing was postponed from Tuesday until tomorrow at 1 p.m. in City Hall Room 682.

LABOR DOLLARS HELP MURPHY CLOSE GAP

Patrick Murphy’s contributions from labor unions have helped him close the gap with Kathleen Kane, his opponent in Democratic primary for Attorney General.. Though he still trails Kathleen Kane by over $800,000, that gap is expected to close.

DeLISSIO CAMPAIGNS WITH MEET-&-GREETS

State Rep. Pam DeLissio (D-Northwest) announces dates and themes of “Meet and Greets” though she is favored to win over longshoreman Ray Bailey, who is underfunded for this campaign, but is known as a community activist in his neighborhood.

DeLissio’s Meet and Greets are in homes of voters, attended by neighbors, similar to the old-fashioned Coffee Klatches.

70 FROM AREA GET WHITE HOUSE INVITE

Democrat Progressives Sue & Hal Rosenthal will be among 50 Philadelphians and 20 from Montgomery County invited to meet with top “White House officials and an unnamed high official” to answer questions already posed by the group this Friday. Group leaves Thursday, returns Saturday. Any bets as to who the unnamed high official will be? Great way to convert zealous get out the vote coordinators!

The Republicans are using another tactic. This one is a mailer questionnaire which congratulates the recipient as being one of the select few receiving their Congressional district census. It’s dressed up as an “OFFICIAL” document with all sorts of tracking numbers. It will excite some receivers as well as track what is on the mind of GOP voters.

INVESTIGATION RANKS STATE CORRUPTIBILITY

State Houses remain ripe for corruption and self-dealing. This is the discouraging picture that emerges from the State Integrity Investigation, a first-of-its-kind, data-driven assessment of transparency, accountability and anti-corruption mechanisms in all 50 states.

In the ranking, not a single state received an A from the months-long probe, which is a collaboration of the Center for Public Integrity, Public Radio International and Global Integrity.

Only five states got a B grade, 19 states received a C, 18 got D’s while eight states received failing grades of 59 or below from the project.

The F’s went to North Dakota, Michigan, South Carolina, Maine, Virginia, Wyoming, South Dakota and Georgia.

Unlike previous government rankings, the State Integrity Investigation does not rely on a simple tally of scandals. Rather, it measures the strength of laws and practices that encourage openness and deter corruption. The State Integrity Index measures the risk of corruption. States with well-known scandals often have the tough laws and enforcement that bring those to light. “Quiet” states may be at higher risk, with few means to surface corrupt practices.

The top five most transparent and accountable states are: New Jersey, B+(87); Connecticut , B  (86); Washington, B- (83); California, B- (81) and Nebraska, B- (80).

New Jersey tops the list?  Here’s why: States with histories of corruption tend to have more recent and robust laws in place to deter such behavior. The investigation found that scandals often propel states toward improved transparency and accountability. In the Garden State, lawmakers have acted to pass some of the toughest ethics and anti-corruption laws in the nation.

Pennsylvania received a “C” rating, just ahead of Delaware, Indiana and Wisconsin. Georgia is last.

WELCOMING A.G. hopeful Kathleen Kane, center, to University City are community leaders, from left, Councilwoman Jannie Blackwell, Democrat 27th Ward Leader Carol Jenkins, Friends of Clark Park President Erin Engelstad and Past President Ed Halligan.

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