July 17–24, 1997
political notebook
Mary Frangipanni's Political Notebook
Jerome Lukowicz
Mayoral possible George Bochetto.
George In The Jungle
"I would be doing the same thing if no one knew who I was either."
That's Councilman Frank Rizzo'stake on the commercials being aired by fellow Republican George Bochetto this week.
Bochetto, a potential GOP mayoral candidate, has launched a campaign called Solutions 99: "99 practical solutions for a more workable Philadelphia." Bochetto started airing commercials last week on primetime TV and radio.
Rizzo added that he felt Bochetto was doing what he needed to do to test his popularity.
"George is bright and he is doing what he needs to do," said Rizzo, who is also rumored to have mayoral lust in his heart. Rizzo, however, cannot make even the slightest reference to any future plans for another office or he must resign from City Council.
"But I can run a good campaign and I can raise a lot of money," said Rizzo. "Running a good campaign is based on more than a big ego or name recognition."
And what does Bochetto say?
"The strength of any campaign is the expression of new ideas. It makes no difference if the candidate is known or unknown," said Bochetto.
Meanwhile, Bochetto is busy preparing for phase two of his Solutions 99 project.
Bochetto's plan is to eliminate the wage tax. In his commercial, Bochetto says, "We can get more jobs and make things better. When the wage tax is eliminated this city can really move forward."
Republican leadership is pleased that Bochetto is going out with his plan and message, but is concerned that he will not be taken seriously.
It was, after all, just a few short years ago that another GOP mayoral candidate unveiled a similar plan.
In 1995, Joe Rocks ran against Mayor Ed Rendell.
He called for a tax plan which reduced the wage tax by only 50 percent.
Despite Rocks waging an aggressive campaign against Rendell, Rocks was not taken seriously because he failed to prove how he would implement his plan.
Bochetto says he will prove he can eliminate the wage tax and intends to hold a press conference later this month with full details.
Bochetto says he has the economic forecast and all the numbers ready; he's just finishing up the narrative.
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Ben Heard
And just down the block from Bochetto's law office is the office of another Republican attorney and mayoral candidate, Ben Paul.
Rumors have been circulating that since Bochetto is acting serious, Paul is dropping out of the race.
"What dummy said that?" queried Paul.
"I am in no way dropping out. I'm in it for the long haul, until the end," he continued.
Paul started airing his commercials as early as January.
"I wanted people to know who I was before they went to Miami Beach for the winter," said Paul.
Paul said he is looking forward to hearing about Bochetto's tax plan.
"I am anxious to learn how he's going to do it," said Paul. "I'm for anything that helps the working men and women of Philadelphia."
Paul said he is continuing to successfully raise money. His last fundraiser was in mid-June where he said he went home with $10,000 in cash and $25,000 in pledges.
"Frank Rizzo gave me $1,000," said Paul.
"The pledges will come if I am the endorsed GOP candidate."
Paul added he is spending money for the campaign as fast as he can raise it.
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Democrats on the Move
Who was that man in the dark suit trucking down Chestnut Street in 97-degree weather on Monday afternoon?
Why it was none other than State Rep. Dwight Evans, beating the streets for money.
"I'm asking everybody for money. From $5 to $5,000," said Evans.
Evans has been working full force on his mayoral campaign since his announcement in May.
The State House is in recess until the fall, which gives Evans all summer to campaign for mayor.
Evans is fortunate because he does not have to resign from the House to run.
So far, Evans and Philadelphia Housing Authority Executive Director John White are the only Democrats that have announced they are running for mayor.
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Going To Townes
The NAACP is standing behind Betty Townes in her decision to petition the court to contest the primary election.
Townes pulled in more votes than Fortunato Perri for one of the three openings in Traffic Court in the recent primary election.
Because the vote was close, Perri demanded a recount and beat Townes.
Now Townes is claiming that the election is invalid. One part of Townes' petition deals with the "alternative ballots" that were used in the vote count. An alternative ballot is akin to an absentee ballot, only for use by the elderly and handicapped and others who cannot physically vote at their polling location.
According to Dennis Kelly, the Supervisor of Elections, the open Traffic Court judgeship has not been certified pending the court's decision.
According to NAACP President Jerome Mondesire, Townes is asking the court to no longer recognize alternative ballots in any election and therefore that they not be used to determine the outcome of her election.
According to City Commissioner Alex Talmadge, there is a definite need for alternative ballots.
"Out of the 1,681 polling places in Philadelphia, only 44 are accessible to the handicapped," said Talmadge.
Townes' petition stated that the alternative ballots are illegal because they have never been made law by the state legislature.
In September 1994, Brenda Mitchell, the secretary of the commonwealth, sent a memo to the chairman of the County Board of Elections, which discussed the implementation of the Federal Voting Accessibility for the Elderly and Handicapped Act (VAA).
VAA was again implemented by the next secretary of the commonwealth, Robert Grant,in August 1994.
According to Mondesire, Townes says that the secretary of the commonwealth has no authority to make alternative ballots into law; laws must be introduced by the state legislature before they can be voted into law.
If the court rules that the secretary of the commonwealth has no power to implement an alternative ballot law, all alternative ballots become invalid.
