The Rep Schlep

Your primer on state House races to watch.


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Published: May 13, 2010

Look, we don't blame you for unplugging the alarm when it comes to the races for the state House of Representatives and Senate: the bodies that, along with the governor, make up what everyone of every political persuasion spits out contemptuously as they say it — Harrisburg. "The shark tank," as one legislator describes it, is a place of cutthroat partisan politics and behind-the-scenes legislative trickery, where money, power, clout and favors are often the preferred currency of trade, where Mr. Smith gets locked in the men's room before the vote.

But shark tank though it may be, what happens there matters. Lucky for you, Committee of Seventy, Philadelphia's nonprofit political watchdog, is on the job. Their website (seventy.org) features guides telling you what district you're in, who's running to represent it, and a page describing some of the more interesting races in the Philadelphia area. Here, in brief, is some of the juicy stuff from local state House races. (Thanks to Seventy's Leah Pillsbury for taking us through it.)

District 172 (Northeast Philly):

This gerrymandered district has been represented by Rep. John Perzel — who has been charged with theft for running a campaign machine with public money — for three decades. Three Democrats and a Republican see opportunity in disaster, including Republican Joseph Gaynor and, among the Dems, two former City Council aides, Tim Kearny and Kevin Boyle, and a schoolteacher, Dan Collins.

District 180 (East North Philly, Kensington):

Latino representation in the state House currently consists of a single person in a single seat: five-term Rep. Angel Cruz, who now faces a primary challenge from Jonathan Ramos, also Latino. Ramos is a former Marine and police community relations officer, and managed to get 45 percent of the vote the last time he challenged Cruz, so this should be a good one.

District 182 (Bella Vista, Gayborhood):

This race might not make the must-watch list — incumbent Babette Josephs has been there for 25 years — except that Josephs has accused opponent Gregg Kravitz of pretending to be bisexual.

District 190: (Belmont Plateau, Mantua):

This is a Philly story. Freshman incumbent Vanessa Lowery Brown has two challengers from old-time Philly political families: Sharif Street, son of former Mayor John Street, and Audrey Blackwell Watson, stepdaughter of Councilwoman Jannie Blackwell. Here's the rub: Blackwell is supporting Sharif. Don't ask.

District 195 (Fairmount, Spring Garden, North Philly):

This second open seat has belonged for many, many years — 37, to be exact — to octogenarian Frank Oliver, who announced his retirement suddenly in February. Contenders rushed in, but sloppily, and Oliver staffer-turned-candidate Michelle Brownlee was able to knock all but one opponent off the ballot: Anthony Ingargiola, a former staffer to Rendell and Councilman Rick Mariano, and a former analyst for the Pennsylvania Intergovernmental Cooperation Authority.

(isaiah.thompson@citypaper.net)