CITY HALL SAM: Ducky Birts Gala Draws City’s Leading Lights

DUCKY BIRTS, right, and his son David confer Medallion Award on State Sen. Mike Stack.

The annual DUCKY BIRTS scholarship fundraiser was once again a smashing success. This is the seventh time Ducky has held the event which raises money for students who will attend Cheney and Lincoln University.

This year’s honorees included highly regarded LYNETTE BROWN-SOW, legendary Power 99 and other stations radio icon PATTI JACKSON, STATE REPS. MARIA DONATUCCI and MICHELLE BROWNLEE, COUNCILMAN DAVID OH and Laborers’ DAN WOODALL, as well as SUE & HAROLD ROSENTHAL and STATE SEN. MIKE STACK.

All of the honorees have supported higher-education assistance for primarily young people of African American background. Ducky and his son DAVID held a fantastic event featuring live music and tons of food. Also in attendance were a number of judicial hopefuls including VINCE GIUSINI and MARNIE AUMENT LOUGHREY.

Among other VIPs attending were STATE SEN. ANTHONY HARDY WILLIAMS, CONGRESSMAN BOB BRADY, STATE SEN. SHIRLEY KITCHEN and STATE SEN. LeANNA WASHINGTON.

The Clover Club held its annual dinner at the Union League. The Clover Club elected as president well-known Philadelphia defense attorney WILLIAM BRENNAN, who was elected by a failure of foresight. The president of the Clover Club is not present when the election takes place. Brennan missed a luncheon and so, by time-honored tradition, was unable to refuse the nomination, to the pleasure of all present.

Brennan was a superb master of ceremonies and introduced with great fanfare and eloquence a number of VIPs. Among them were Common Pleas Court JUDGES ED BRADLEY and JAMES MURRAY LYNN, President Judge of that court PAMELA DEMBE, JUDGE JIMMY DELEON, COMMISSIONER AL SCHMIDT and Republican City Committee CHAIRMAN VITO CANUSO.

Also present and active with the Clover Club were PICO’s ED McBRIDE, Former PICA boss JOE VIGNOLA, trial attorney ROY DeCARO and attorney NICK CLEMENTE, who is getting around better on his broken foot.

McBride and Brennan have similar features and McBride refers to Brennan as “his brother from another mother.” Brennan refers to McBride as his doppelgänger. Each has been told by numerous folks they resemble each other. They made each other’s acquaintance by saying, “Aren’t you the guy everybody says looks like me?”

On hand at the Clover Club was Republican Court of Common Pleas JUDGE WEBSTER KEOGH, who is under consideration for the vacant Supreme Court slot. He is one of the smartest and most-likable Republicans in Philadelphia and Democrats would surely find him acceptable to fill the vacancy left by the conviction of JUSTICE JANE ORIE MELVIN.

Republicans recently criticized STATE SEN. DAYLIN LEACH who purportedly sent GOV. TOM CORBETT a list of acceptable Republican candidates to fill the Supreme Court vacancy. Apparently the list was compiled only by Leach without any input from other Democrats. It appears likely names on Leach’s list would immediately start with negative ratings from the Republican leaders including STATE SEN. JAKE CORMAN, the Appropriations Chairman, and MAJORITY LEADER DOMINICK PILEGGI.

Apparently Leach is feeling his oats now that he is a candidate for Congress. But this kind of overreach may end up severely hurting his chances for the seat as well as damaging his precarious relations with his Democratic colleagues and most certainly his Republican colleagues.

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