Also this issue: The Bye Line Was Lundy forced to Walker the plank? -Deborah Bolling Eighth Wonder The battle for this Northwest Council seat is anything but friendly. -Daryl Gale The Commish A look at who's running for City Commissioner. -Mary F. Patel The Jury's Out A roundup of judicial candidates in Tuesday's primary. -Mary F. Patel Gale Warning: SEPTA-fied The French Rejection The Bell Curve City Paper's weekly gauge of Philly's Quality of Life Bite the Ballot

May 14-20, 2003

city beat

At-Large and In Charge

Grace under pressure: Candidate Joe Grace (right) still has a few days left to garner support.

by Daryl Gale

It's down to the wire. Months of fundraising, jockeying for position, mudslinging and endless stumping have come down to next Tuesday, when Philadelphians get to pick which five Democrats and two Republicans will be the front-runners for City Council at-large seats in the general election in November. A few weeks ago, we profiled these folks in some detail, but here's a quick recap: Five seats go to the majority party, in this case, of course, the Democrats; and two seats are reserved for members of a minority party. The two seats don't have to be occupied by Republicans, just any other party.

For weeks, pundits and political insiders have speculated about who's going and who's staying, and most of the papers have made their endorsements. While we're abstaining from endorsements in this race, here's a rundown: Democratic incumbents Blondell Reynolds Brown, W. Wilson Goode Jr., Angel Ortiz, Jim Kenney and David Cohen will try to hold on to their seats, while challengers Juan Ramos, Joe Grace, Peter Fiorentino, Mike Driscoll and Dan Pellicciotti will try to see to it that the incumbents get to spend a lot more time at home with their families.

Juan more time: Juan Ramos takes a second shot at an at-large seat after coming up short in 1999.

Due to the recent death of City Council legend Thacher Longstreth, Frank Rizzo Jr. is the only Republican incumbent. Hoping to join him are Republicans Jack Kelley, Jamie McDermott, David Oh and David Hardy. Will Mega of the Education Party and John Hogan of the Green Party round out the field.

By now you've probably done all the research on the candidates and the issues and figured out for whom you're going to vote. At least you should have. The incumbents want you to vote based on their records, and the challengers want you to vote based on the need for change. That Philadelphia City Council is a tough room with tough people and big egos is a given. This election is to decide which of those tough people and big egos can get along well enough for the betterment of the city. Mike Driscoll probably said it best: Public officials are most often our own worst enemy. Reasonable people can disagree, but the manner in which elected officials treat each other transcends party and even transcends politics. People notice, and base their decisions on that.

Get up early Tuesday, head to the polls and make your decision. Choose wisely, because we're going to have to live with these folks for four long years.