December 16-22, 2004

political notebook

We'll Take Manhattan

by Mary F. Patel

The mad crush of holiday parties began last weekend as the 106th annual confab of the Pennsylvania Society convened at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel on Park Avenue.

Once a social gathering of blue bloods, the social elite and wealthy businessmen, the event is now primarily attended by politicians, elected officials, lawyers, lobbyists, bankers and leaders of energy companies.

One constant is the fact that the society continues to meet in New York and not Pennsylvania, a condition imposed years ago by the late steel industrialist Andrew Carnegie, a founding member of the society who also built the Waldorf.

Friday began with an afternoon of drinks and scrimmage at the ESPN Zone reception hosted by Klett Rooney Lieber & Schorling with the Pittsburgh Steelers, Ceisler Jubelirer, Deloitte Consulting and Microsoft, just to name a few.

Moving into the evening, Blank Rome's popular party was stationed at the InterContinental Hotel. Blank Rome Chairman David Girard-diCarlo took his usual roost at the door greeting guests while Blank Rome partner Carl Singley partied inside.

Attendees observed that former Pittsburgh Steeler Lynn Swann appeared that evening because he is thinking of running for governor in 2006—speculation was that his base consists of black Republicans. Ken Lawrence, a young black lobbyist, was not impressed. "Lynn Swann can't beat Ed Rendell and black Republicans are limited," he said.

At the Waldorf, the Gov. Thomas Mifflin Society met for drinks and desserts. This increasingly popular party, now in its third year, is hosted by developer Gary Silvi, attorney and television personality Gregg Melinson, lobbyists Eric Weinberg and David Urban, and attorney P.J. Stapleton, among others. First begun as a younger, hipper group, the Mifflin Society has now expanded to encompass more high-profile types like U.S. Attorney Patrick Meehan.

At the Metropolitan Club on Saturday, the Pennsylvania Manufacturers Association (PMA) annual seminar and luncheon was resurrected by Wachovia, its new sponsor.

The speaker was former Gov. Tom Ridge, now outgoing homeland security secretary.

Ridge talked about his recent experiences "merging" different agencies and "acquiring" departments—it sounds like he's hoping someone will get the hint and offer him a job in finance.

The zenith of the weekend came Saturday night with the black-tie dinner in the Waldorf Grand Ballroom honoring Ridge with the Gold Medal of Distinguished Achievement.

It was a big night for the Attorney General's Office, since former AGs Ernie Preate and Mike Fisher, outgoing AG Jerry Pappert and incoming AG Tom Corbett were making the rounds.

More interesting than the dinner speeches was the fact that gift boxes of Shane's chocolates were strategically placed in the bathrooms and handed out by the coat-check attendants. A card stating, "Seasons Greetings—Compliments of Drafting John J. Dougherty, 2007" was affixed to the box.

Local 98 political director Bob Henon said the chocolate drive was organized by a large coalition of Philadelphians who are urging Dougherty, the business manager for 98, to run for mayor.

Henon said that he surmised that funding for the pricey sweets came from the fund-raiser held for Dougherty recently. (Henon supports the idea of Dougherty's running, but the union is not involved.)

After dinner, the governor's reception was clearly the place to be. Hosted jointly by S.R. Wojdak & Associates and Ballard Spahr, the party has grown so large that it had to be moved to a larger facility outside the ballroom. The post-dinner party was lavish and guests enjoyed the chilled shrimp and the bite-sized spoons of lobster.

Gov. Rendell circulated while his wife, Third Circuit Court Judge Midge Rendell, drew her own crowd, looking stunning in a black gown.

City Council members Michael Nutter and Marian Tasco (the latter appearing very Oprah Winfrey-ish) attended, as did several of Mayor John Street's appointees: Bonnie Grant, Stephanie Naidoff and George Burrell.

Despite the new ruling from the city's Board of Ethics stating that city officials cannot receive gifts or attend free parties, they all had special permission from the mayor since they were promoting the city, according to Street spokesperson Luz Cardenas.

U.S. Rep. Chaka Fattah dropped in with his wife, Renee Chenault-Fattah. Word is that Fattah is not interested in running for mayor himself, but is trying to raise the profile of his assistant, Cindy Bass, who is seeking the senate seat vacated by U.S. Rep.-elect Allyson Schwartz.

Meandering through the crowd was high-profile defense attorney and former state Boxing Commissioner Jimmy Binns -- who is currently defending Imam Shamsud-din Ali in the federal probe.

When asked if potential clients were seeking him out, Binns replied, "It's not if they want me, it's if I want them."

Hardy partyers could also head upstairs, where Sunoco held a reception featuring Albert Baker Knoll, insurance tycoon Chuck Volpe hosted a party with a five-piece orchestra and Pennsylvania Energy held a doo-wop party.