In Some State House Races, Three’s A Crowd
BY TONY WEST/ Philadelphia’s 28 House and seven Senatorial seats in the General Assembly are projected to see the bulk of their incumbents return in November. That’s the call, since “all politics is local” and the most local of all are the House and Senate seats. They are almost impervious to the coattails, or lack of same, attached to Washington and global issues. Bill O’Reilly and Keith Olbermann won’t be riling up their voters.
All the same, with additional candidates popping up each week, several races will be fiercely challenged. Most contentious is the 194th Dist. in Lower Merion Township and West and Northwest Philadelphia, where five candidates from Roxborough – Democrats Lou Agre, Josh Cohen, Pam DeLissio, Bill Morris and Keith Newman – are vying to succeed retiring State Rep. Kathy Manderino. (See our story above.)
Elsewhere, two other House Districts have erupted into three-way races, while a third is teetering on the brink. Such contests are inherently volatile and unpredictable, especially in off-year primary elections. That’s because turnout may be as low as 6,000. When as little as 34% can, in theory, carry a three-way race, it may only take a couple of thousand votes to win.
To sharpen the fray, all three of these seats are held by first-termers. Evidently, it is unclear to some in these communities if the incumbents have consolidated their power yet.
In the 186th Dist. that spans South and Southwest Philadelphia, freshman State Rep. Kenyatta Johnson is beset by two challengers. Dyheim Watson, a pastor of New Life Christian Fellowship Church, tried to take a shot at then-incumbent State Rep. Harold James in 2008 but his nominating petitions were disqualified, leaving Johnson alone to do the honors. Expect Watson to be savvier and more disciplined this time around. The 30-year-old executive director of Young Black Minds, Inc. is married, with three children.
Also in that District, Tim Hannah, a veteran campaigner with deep roots in Point Breeze, is raising money for Haiti with a simultaneous birthday party and campaign announcement this Saturday at Landreth Venture Community Room, 1201 S. 23rd Street, 4-8 p.m.
First-termer State Rep. Mike O’Brien in the 175th Dist., which sprawls along the Delaware River from South Philadelphia through Center City and the River Wards, was already facing one challenger, in the form of Daryl La Fountain. Now a fellow South Philadelphian of his, Pete Fiorentino of Queen Village, has joined the contest. He has laid out a theme of making his District, much of which is buffeted by development and gentrification, livable for families. Along with his wife, baby girl, family members and supporters, he will start a three-month “Door-to-Door Tour” topped off with “Coffee and Cannoli” gatherings at a neighbor’s home. “I am determined to meet every registered Democrat in the district before the primary. Our ‘Door-to-Door Tour’ is a great opportunity to meet more voters,” Fiorentino said.
Fiorentino has a weekly radio show on 1360AM, “This Week – Philadelphia”. He is also committed to helping the aging as he has a significant background in senior services. He cites jobs and health care as vital issues for his community. In addition to his two post-graduate degrees, Fiorentino is proud to have studied directly under Vice President Joe Biden during law school.
Whomever Councilwoman Jannie Blackwell throws her support to in the 190th Dist., which straddles West and North Philadelphia, would have a strong edge as a challenger to freshman State Rep. Vanessa Lowery Brown. Attorney Sharif Street has been campaigning rigorously in that District, often seen in the company of the Councilwoman. Tommy Blackwell, whose flawed petitions caused him to lose the seat in 2008, has indicated he wants to run, but hasn’t communicated that effectively with the good Councilwoman. She won’t make a decision on whom she is supporting until the final nominating petitions are in and the deadline for withdrawal is over. But she is reportedly leaning toward Street.
Fairmount attorney Chris Rooney formally announced his candidacy for the 195th House Dist. He will be the third to enter the race to succeed retiring State Rep. Frank Oliver, who has 37 years of service under his belt. Michele Brownlee, a longtime associate of Oliver’s, has already announced for that seat, as has community activist Warren Bloom.
“For too long, the State Capitol has been too friendly to corporate lobbyists and Harrisburg insiders,” Rooney said. “Our District deserves a representative who will fight for them and not for special interests.”
His platform focuses on job creation, access to quality education and preserving our environment. He also promises to support measures to bring marriage equality and universal health care to the Commonwealth.
“I’m looking forward to meeting more of my neighbors and to a vigorous exchange of ideas in the coming weeks and months,” Rooney said.
Rooney is the son of a nurse and a nonprofit executive who taught him early on the importance of serving others and giving back to the community. His father died when Rooney was only 12, forcing him to learn hard lessons about growing up in a one-parent home. Working since the age of 15, Rooney has held jobs as varied as supermarket cashier, research assistant, dishwasher, camp counselor and nonprofit executive. He is an alumnus of the University of Pennsylvania and Temple University’s Beasley School of Law.
In two other Districts, incumbents have announced they’ll stand for reelection without opposition.
State Rep. Angel Cruz is seeking another two year term for his 180th House seat in North Philadelphia. He received the endorsement of the majority of the ward leaders in his caucus. Not voting, however – because he had not been notified of the caucus – was 19th Ward Leader Carlos Matos. “As far as I know, according to Party rules the chairman of the caucus had the responsibility to invite all the ward leaders. The 19th Ward was not notified. So there was not a unanimous vote as far as I am concerned, as was reported in the Public Record,” Matos said.
Last Saturday, another freshman, State Rep. Brendan Boyle, made it official he intends to serve another term. In 2008, Boyle became the first Democrat ever elected to the 170th House Dist., which is based in Northeast Philadelphia and includes parts of Montgomery Co. President Barack Obama narrowly carried the 170th House Dist., while Boyle defeated Republican Matt Taubenberger by 20 points. No one has expressed a wish to test Boyle in the May 18 primary.
In office, Boyle has already made a difference. In October, Boyle’s bill to provide a full survivors benefit to the families of fallen police officers and firefighters became law. “The families of police officers or firefighters who are killed in the line of duty deserve to be supported,” said Boyle. Boyle’s bill to reform the State’s broken parole system passed the House Judiciary Committee in June and his bill to modernize the State’s insurance laws passed the State House in July.
For his next term, Boyle pledges to continue fighting to make higher education more affordable, to lower the cost of prescription drugs, and to improve efficiency in government.
In his 2008 race, Boyle enjoyed the support of the Philadelphia Fraternal Order of Police, Philadelphia Fire Fighters, Philadelphia Teachers, most labor unions and the Chamber of Commerce.
