Hall Monitor

No Latecomers: Verna (left) says she won't tolerate council members' tardiness,
which went unpunished under Street's (right) tenure.

She means business

Terry Gillen, the Democratic leader of South Philadelphia's 30th Ward, announced her candidacy for City Council on Wednesday at the entrance to the former Philadelphia Naval Shipyard. As director of the city's Office of Defense Conversion, Gillen played a vital role in converting the base to the Philadelphia Naval Business Center, future home of shipbuilder Kvaerner. The job didn't exactly make her a household name, but it raised her profile in political circles. Mayor Ed Rendell is a supporter, and it stands to reason that State Sen. Vince Fumo will be too. Like Rendell, Fumo was intimately involved in the Kvaerner deal, and in earlier efforts to lure German shipbuilder Meyer Werft. ("She means business for all of Philadelphia" is Gillen's campaign slogan.)

No waiting

Before she was voted president of City Council last Thursday, Anna Cibotti Verna gave Council a taste of what to expect during her reign. In a pre-hearing caucus, Verna chided Council members about their lack of punctuality, which went largely ignored during John Street's tenure. "It's a disgrace," said an implacable Verna. She insisted that councilmembers' lateness "come to an end." Then Councilwoman Augusta Clark arrived. … Not everything was scripted last week during Verna's nomination and inaugural speech. (And thank goodness. It was getting boring listening to Council members trip over the their rehearsed lines.) The bright spot of spontaneity came midway through Verna's speech when she reminded colleagues that "we cannot spend money we do not have," a reference to her opposition to the controversial pension bill, which the administration says could bankrupt the city. Union members, who packed Council chambers to support an override of the mayor's veto, reacted with jeers. But the interruption did not sit well with Verna. She paused and, in the tone of an irritated school teacher, said, "Ex-cuse me. Ex-cuse me."

Tumor-less campaign

Cell phones have become as indispensable as the bumper sticker during political campaigns. But mayoral candidate Marty Weinberg promises that he will be cutting down the time he presses this cancer-causing luxury to his head. That's because he recently discovered a cell phone adapter that allows the user to keep the phone far from his or her brain. "I'm running a brain-tumor-free campaign," he said before a recent media luncheon. But by the end of lunch, Weinberg had already broken the promise, pulling out a cell phone and fearlessly placing it to his head to call for a driver. … Last week Weinberg avoided taking a position on a the controversial pension bill. Four of the six mayoral candidates sent letters to Mayor Rendell supporting his veto of the bill. Rendell's formal statement and the supporting letters were distributed at last Thursday's Council hearing. Though no one would have expected State Rep. Dwight Evans to send a sappy letter (he supported the bill), noticeably missing from the lot was a letter from Weinberg. Though Weinberg believes that "workers and retirees have a right to a decent pension," he feels it is up to the mayor and City Council to work things out. "We just did not think that was appropriate," said Weinberg spokesman Bill Miller. "These were very tense and serious negotiations. There's a fine line between campaigning and—particularly for an unannounced candidate—stepping across the line. It would not be responsible of us to inject ourselves into a situation that has been going on" for some time. Besides, Miller added, "at the end of the day what did [the candidates'] letters mean? Nothing."