Willie Singletary Trying to Exchange Favors for Contributions

http://youtube.com/watch?v=g32KtX3HU28

This is the Democrat Nominee for traffic court - cross over in the election and support one of the Republicans - We support Scott Cummings, but anyone is better than Willie Singletary.
He had thousands of dollars in traffic tix, a suspended license till 2011 and bench warrant out for his arrest. He also has number one ballot position on the Democrat side for the coming November General Election.

In this snippet after asking for money for his campaign, he states, "Y'all gonna need me in traffic court."
He later says, "Y'all gonna need my hook up right?"

Vote No on Singletary!

Scott Cummings for Traffic Court

With the May Primary less than two weeks away, it is time to look to a proven leader for Traffic Court. Scott is President of the Mayfair Civic Association and 15th Police District Advisory Council. He has long been active in the community and the city and will be a great addition to the bench.

Michael Nutter Can't Have It Both Ways

Today on 1340-AM WHAT, the Voice of the African-American Community:



Mary Mason was talking about Michael Nutter calling for John Street to declare a State of Emergency in high crime areas throughout the city (this is something we agree with as we feel John Street has not done enough, if anything at all. Text Messages and curfew are not going to cut it). A caller called in and said the Michael should be careful calling people out because he is STILL USING HIS CITY ISSUED CELL PHONE FOR PERSONAL BUSINESS. Mary was trying to get to the bottom of this and then went on to say that she is not sure if he is still using it but she had the number and as a matter of fact Michael uses that number on Election Day when he was going about the ward on election day to handle ward business.

While we find it appalling that he is still using the cell phone after he resigned, it is even more appalling that he uses it for Democrat Ward Business. Michael Nutter can't have it both ways. One day he is a holier than thou, man of the people, uber-progressive and the next day he is a ward leader and riding the status quo.

While Michael has done some good things in Council, he has to decide which Michael Nutter is running for Mayor. One day he is lobbying on behalf of Carol Campbell to get an $80K contract from the Sheriff's office and the next day is he is asking Bob Brady not to endorse a candidate (read Carol Campbell) for his vacant seat (we believe that Michael did this to appease his new liberal base, all the while realizing that this was done for publicity).

Michael, where do you stand? Are you a ward leader, a member of the Democrat City Committee and a proponent of business as usual or are you man of the people, progressive, and outside the establishment? You are either one or the other, you can't have it both ways.

Ed Dixon's Letter on Brendan Boyle's Inconsistency in Yesterday's Northeast Times

A little consistency

please, Brendan

While reading the recent media coverage regarding the state House rematch between Rep. George Kenney and Brendan Boyle, I find a recurring item quite amusing.
Brendan consistently challenges Rep. Kenney due to his vote in favor of the controversial state pay raise, but he fails to mention that his boss, state Sen. Mike Stack, took the raise after not voting for it.
Personally, I find the politics behind not voting for the raise but still accepting it a more offensive issue. The public has been heard, the raise revoked, and now Rep. Kenney has to defend his vote. But apparently, according to Brendan (and Stack), voting against the raise but reaping the rewards anyway is somehow acceptable?
Although I disagree with the subject raise and how it was conducted, at least Rep. Kenney is holding himself accountable due to his vote. And as a result of the aforementioned, Boyle continues to spin the issue in his favor despite his boss’ acceptance of the same monetary benefit.
Since both parties accepted the raise, both are equally liable. Voting "for" or "against," in this particular instance, is effectively irrelevant.
Please let the hypocrisy rest.
Ed Dixon
Bustleton resident, member of Neighborhood Civic PAC

Daily News: "Cummings Continues to Climb"

Dan Gross
Cummings continues to climb

Mayfair Civic Association President Scott Cummings is gaining some support in his bid for the late David Cohen's at-large City Council seat. The Republican candidate met Sen. Rick Santorum for breakfast at the Mayfair Diner Sunday morning before they attended church together at St. Matthew's, on Cottman Avenue.
They later joined Sen. Arlen Specter over at North Philly's Bright Hope Baptist Church.

ACORN Turns in over 3000 Bad Voter Registrations to Philly City Commissioners

Allegations Trip Up Voting Rights Group
Voter Fraud Allegations Still Tripping Up Voting Rights Group Weeks Before Election

Oct 2, 2006 (AP)— An advocacy group that registered more than a million voters two years ago is facing new allegations of voter fraud and sloppy work just weeks before crucial midterm elections.
Philadelphia's municipal voter registration office has rejected about 3,000 cards submitted by ACORN the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now since April because of missing information or invalid addresses...

10/3/06 A Party On The Precipice

The Republican Party in Philadelphia is at risk of being demoted from concerned bystander to rounding error unless concerted action is taken to revive it as a viable alternative to Democrat one-party rule.
Over the past 12 years (from November 1994 to September 2006), the Republican Party has suffered a net loss of more than 28,000 registered voters [187,276 to 159,116] despite the addition of nearly 200,000 total voters to the voter rolls [799,470 to 994,884]. It now accounts for only 16 percent of registered voters in Philadelphia County. Surprisingly, the Democratic Party has been unable to directly capitalize on this decline, having held steady at approximately 75 percent of the registered electorate [581,189 to 746,596 or 73 percent to 75 percent]. The beneficiary? The number of voters registered as "Other" has tripled over this same period to nearly 10 percent; an increase of nearly 60,000 voters [31,005 to 89,172].
While maximizing voter participation regardless of party in elections is always a commendable goal, non-aligned voters as a whole agree on no platform and, therefore, can provide no organized counterbalance to absolute power absolutely corrupting City Hall.
This 12-year period is also important because it covers the time since the National Voter Registration Act, also known as the "Motor Voter Act," has been in effect in Pennsylvania. Republicans may blame "Motor Voter" for packing the voter rolls with more phantoms than Eastern State Penitentiary on Halloween, but it is not to blame for the net decline in Republican Party registration.
Though it is no secret that "Motor Voter" has done great harm to the maintenance of accurate and current voter registration lists due to onerous and expensive requirements that must be met before removing even the demonstrably deceased and fraudulently fictitious from the voter rolls, neither it nor the much talked about Democratic National Committee's grassroots party-building efforts have apparently resulted in any noteworthy increase in the percentage of Philadelphians registered Democrat. If there is a silver lining for Republicans, this is it.
The decline of the Republican Party, however, should be of concern to all Philadelphians, regardless of one's positions on national-level foreign or domestic policy. The same assumption supposedly motivating voters to divide power in Washington, D.C., is theoretically no less applicable to our own city. It is the responsibility of the Republican Party to offer a viable alternative, rather than serving as a wholesale supplier of sacrificial lambs, or a platform for disaffected Democrats to make an end-run for higher office when they find their way blocked by other Democrats.
So what is to be done? Three things: First, learn to love the political machine and use it before it rusts solid. Unless you can think of a better way to turn out the vote block by block, division by division and ward by ward election after election, start by filling those vacant committee person spots with likeminded friends and neighbors. If you are reading this and live in a division where a vacancy currently exists, approach your ward leader and volunteer to fill the spot. Remember, committee persons choose the ward leader, not the other way around. Second, appeal to party leadership to agree on a consensus-driven platform for our Party. I know what I believe, but I'll be damned if I can tell you what the Philadelphia Republican Party's position is on a host of concrete and timely issues. Republicans need to be more than "not Democrats." And third, support those who are keeping our Party alive and doing our work for us. Joe DeFelice, for example, is a veritable Atlas carrying the Philadelphia Republican Party on his shoulders. Contact Joe at electionday@pagop.org and find out how you can help share the load.
The sooner Republicans get this message across to their fellow Philadelphians, the sooner Philadelphians will realize that they need the Republican Party as much as the Republican Party needs them.
Albert Schmidt, Ph.D., is a former Senior Analyst for the United States Government Accountability Office. He is currently a Republican Committeeman in Fairmount.

Inquirer: "Vote Republican" in Special Election; Scott Cummings, Most promising

Editorial Your Ward Leaders Know Best

A most undemocratic party

Decades of dominance have made the Democratic Party in Philadelphia fat and arrogant.
This fall would be a good time for voters to send the city's complacent and corruptible power structure a little message.

The Democrats' method of choosing their three candidates for City Council recently highlights the problem. As the only real political power in town, Democrats had an obligation to city residents to conduct an open process to pick party nominees for this special election to fill three vacant seats.

The party's leaders know full well that their candidates will win in November, so the Democrats' nominating process was the only chance for the people to have a say.

Instead, U.S. Rep. Bob Brady, the city's party boss, and his lieutenants went back to their tired playbook. In a closed meeting of Democratic ward leaders, they anointed three candidates - Carol Campbell, Daniel Savage and William Greenlee. All three are ward leaders.

When a political system lacks a viable opposition party, corruption becomes more likely. Perhaps a stronger city Republican Party could have acted as a check against the pay-to-play abuses that have so weakened the Street administration. Instead, hampered by its national party's bad behavior and its long history as a complacent junior partner in City Hall patronage, the city GOP is a weakling.

Voters sick of corruption and arrogance need to take steps to shake up the city's Democratic cliques.

Here's one possible way: Vote Republican in this year's Council elections, simply as a protest against the fossilized status quo.

The Republican candidates are Scott Cummings, Mayfair Civic Association president; Joseph Gembala III, a lawyer; and Gary Grisafi, a former candidate for the state house.
Full disclosure time: The GOP chose its candidates in the same undesirable fashion - a meeting of its ward leaders. But given the Republicans' long history of futility in city races, the Democrats' selection process held bigger implications for the future of city government.

The Democrats' nomination of Campbell is the most troubling. A longtime ward leader from West Philadelphia, Campbell has repeatedly demonstrated arrogance and bad campaign-finance habits.

In 2003, Campbell finished a year of probation for breaking state campaign-finance law, an offense for which she paid a $1,250 fine. Now she is again facing questions about how a political action committee she founded, Genesis IV, spent its cash. The PAC has ignored inquiries from the state Bureau of Elections since Jan. 31.

Last week, she paid a $1,700 fine to the city Board of Elections regarding late campaign-finance filings from her City Council race in 1999. Campbell's belated attempts to clean up her record should fool no one. If she hadn't done so, she would be ineligible to be sworn into Council.

These are the actions of someone who is paying attention to the law only because she sees the brass ring within her grasp. She has already inquired where she will sit in the Council chamber as representative of the Fourth District. Michael Nutter resigned the seat to run for mayor.

Savage, leader of the 23rd Ward, is running for the seat vacated by Democratic Councilman Rick Mariano, who is serving a 61/2-year sentence in federal prison for corruption and fraud. Greenlee is hoping to win the at-large seat of his longtime boss, the late Councilman David Cohen.

The Republican candidates know they face long odds. The most promising is Cummings, who leads one of the city's largest civic groups. A father of three, Cummings, 44, has a laudable record of trying to improve his community.

Gembala is an attorney and part-time law professor who has waged uphill battles before, for Common Pleas Court judge and city controller. Grisafi, a professional musician who lost two bids for the state House, appears to be the least attractive of the GOP candidates.

It would be a political miracle for any one of these Republicans to win the special election, and they know it. In all likelihood, the city's Democratic machine will again prevail.

But voters who are tired of the way Democratic leaders have taken them for granted should strongly consider voting for Republican Council candidates - as a wake-up call to leaders who regard democratic process as their personal plaything.

Next year, when the entire Council is up for election, let's see some real, open competition in the Democratic primaries, particularly in the Council districts where this fall's insider trading occurred.

"SHAME OF A CITY" TONIGHT

The Philly YRs , the Neighborhood Civic PAC, the Evening Bulletin and several Philadelphia area Republican Candidates are screening Tigre Hill's acclaimed "The Shame of a City". This film shows the Democrat Party undermine our chance to take back City Hall via deceit and spin. We will also be using this event to raise money for several Philadelphia area Republican Candidates, including Bob Mannino, Tom Rolland, Troy Bouie, Lindsay Doering, Ron Holt and Scott Cummings. Date: Tomorrow September 28th 2006Time: 7PM Doors Open at 6PMLocation: International House at U Penn 37th and Chestnut StPrice: $15 but feel free to give more to help the candidates. You will hear from Director Tigre Hill as well as our Republican Candidates. Bring literature if you have it. Other campaigns will be there to provide literature as well. After the event feel free to join others at the New Deck Tavern. For more information email mara@philadelphiayr.com

Scott Cummings for City Council

Scott Cummings is running for the City Council At-Large Seat that was vacated by David Cohen. Hee will most likely face Bill Greenlee in the Special Election held the same day as the General Election.http://www.neighborhoodcivicpac.com/

GOP Looking For A Few Good Mayoral Candidates

Philadelphia - Political talk fills the papers and airwaves in the City of Brotherly Love these days.
Most of the yowling and yammering at the moment has to do with the growing confidence the Democrats are feeling in the statewide elections coming in November.
While the bright hope lies with Republican Senator Rick Santorum rapidly closing the once double-digit lead of his Democratic challenger, Pennsylvania Treasurer Bob Casey, down to low single digits, most of the other Republican incumbents in this area are finding themselves in the fight of their political lives.
The general election in the fall will be followed by an important city primary election in spring. In most cases, in most races, it will be without doubt the winner of the May Democratic primary who will win the city office in the fall general election.
The last Republican Mayor in Philadelphia, Bernard Samuel, was first elected in 1944 and served until 1952. Democrats have been elected to that office ever since.
When City Council had a full body of 17 members serving in 2005, 14 members were Democrats. Three members, all Democrats, are now gone from their offices. When special elections are held in November three more Democrats are virtually guaranteed election, though Republicans note disgraced City Councilman Rick Mariano's seat was Republican before he came along.
For most observers' money, if the council numbers change at all next year it would likely change in the Democrats' favor not the Republicans.
Talks with Republican leadership in the city confirm the difficulty of finding Republicans willing to run for office in Philadelphia. The effort required to even get on the ballot, never mind winning, is so enormous most people who even think about running Republican are intimidated and give up the idea.
Local Republican Party Counsel Michael Meehan claims there are "two or three people" who have spoken with him about running as GOP candidates for mayor.
When talking with GOP ward leaders, a few Republican names come up as "interested" in the mayoral race. They include Councilman Frank Rizzo, Al Taubenberger, President of the Greater Northeast Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce, and the Republican candidate for City Controller in 2005 Hillel Levinson.
There is also some talk of the Republican Party cross-endorsing Democratic Congressman and Democratic Party Chairman Bob Brady if he throws his hat in the mayoral ring.
Meehan says Rizzo has told him he has "some interest" in running.
Many Republicans hope that when the crowded field in the Democratic primary race shakes out one of the candidates on that side will come over and run Republican in the general election in November 2007.
That's what Rizzo's father, Frank Rizzo Sr., did a decade ago.J
oe DeFelice is an attorney from Mayfair who worked on John Perzel's campaign.DeFelice wants to see the apparent Democratic Mayoral hopeful and powerful union leader John Dougherty run for Mayor on the Republican ticket:"I'm open to other candidates, but Dougherty believes in family values and supports our neighborhoods," DeFelice asserts. "He often says that 'The only way to not forget where you come from is not to leave.' And I strongly believe in that too. I want my kids and my kids' kids to able to grow up and live here."
Meehan is more enthused about Republican chances in the at-large council seats where, he says, at least "eight to 12 people" have spoken to him about running for the seat.
Meehan also notes there is some talk about 6th District Councilwoman Joan Krajewski retiring. He believes if that happens the Republicans could run a strong candidate in that area.
Meehan acknowledges the difficulty of running Republican in City Council elections in most of the city. In many cases just getting enough signatures on the nominating petition to get on the ballot can be a huge challenge."In some districts there are only 3,000 registered Republicans," Meehan remarked. "We understand the plight of some of these candidates."
David C. Thomsen is the Republican Chairman in the 15th Ward. This past year he assisted in an effort to get Temple graduate David Corbett on the ballot to run against Frank Oliver in the 195th legislative district. The campaign came close to getting 300 signatures, but wasn't near enough."
Third parties get three or four months to gather signatures. We only get three weeks." Thomsen complained.
David Oh is the GOP Ward Leader in the 3rd Ward and a former candidate for City Council at-large in 2003. He's a former Assistant District Attorney and served in the U.S. Army Special Forces. He's now an employment attorney in his own law practice.
Oh is currently exploring another run for an at-large seat in 2007.
"I find that the barrier that arises is that people don't want to do this because they feel that everything is against them," he mused. "You've really got to want to run. You have to have a reason to run, present yourself, and be sincere about it."
I believe this would be a better city if people wouldn't discount the Republican Party. It would be a good city if there was strong competition between the parties."
Matt Wolfe is a Republican ward leader in University City and a Center City attorney.
He's optimistic about a 150 percent increase in Republican registrations in his 27th ward and attributes it to having better ward leaders in place.Still, he admits, "We are hopeful we will get enough signatures to run somebody against [Councilwoman] Jannie Blackwell. If we do run somebody it will be difficult to win."
Wolfe acknowledges getting enough signatures just to get on a the ballot is difficult, and a Republican candidate for mayor is likely going to be merely an exercise in party building next year - unless somebody decides to switch parties."
All too often," Wolfe notes, "days before circulating the nominating petition we are sitting around wondering who we are getting to run. That's not a formula for success. Citywide there will be no problem getting anyone to run for City Council-at-large. A few will be disappointed when they don't get the endorsement."
The problems, of course, are not all at the top.
DeFelice works for the Pennsylvania Republican Party in Philadelphia helping ward leaders staff election boards.
He notes, "Most people don't care. There are not enough Republicans in certain areas. And the few who are around you have to get them to want to work, but you need ten signatures to get on the ballot and sometimes there are not even ten Republicans in the division. The only way to get through is to have a big presence in the city and [Republican Gubernatorial Candidate and Hall of Fame football player] Lynn Swann is the man who's going to do it. He's already helping us reach areas we normally wouldn't be able to reach.
DeFelice's message for Philadelphians: "Give us a chance and we'll give you a choice. We won't let the Democrats take your neighborhoods for granted."

Philadelphia Police to Enforce Curfew in Mayfair

PHILADELPHIA POLICE TO ENFORCE CURFEW IN MAYFAIR

In response to several incidents over the last few weeks, please be advised that The Philadelphia Police Department has been requested to strictly enforce the curfew laws in and around Mayfair. Philadelphia Police Department’s new captain of The 15th District Frank Bachmeyer has meet with members of The Mayfair Civic Association, Mayfair Community Development Corporation and Mayfair Townwatch as well as many neighbors concerning crime and the quality of life issues. The overwhelming response from the neighborhood was enforcing the curfews laws in Mayfair. Captain Bachmeyer agreed with the community leaders and has a special team of officers assigned to the Mayfair area to strictly enforce the curfew laws. You will also notice an increased police presence in the Mayfair area.
Any person age 17 and under must be off the streets by 10:30 pm Sunday through Thursday and 12:00 midnight Friday and Saturday. We are asking that the parents of children 17 and under assist your community as well as The Philadelphia Police department in assuring your children are home and under your guidance according to the above listed times. We hope to continue this program until Labor Day and the start of the new school year . This new program will assist in keeping Mayfair a great place to live and work as well as keeping a high standard of the quality of life. Thank you for your continued supported of Philadelphia’s greatest neighborhood, Mayfair.

Sincerely,

Scott Cummings Reese Hardy Art Dettra
President President President
Mayfair Civic Association Mayfair CDC Mayfair Townwatch

Mayor Rizzo?

Mayor Rizzo?
Meanwhile, a Republican with great name recognition and popularity among Democrats is still mulling a mayoral run. City Councilman at-large Frank Rizzo Jr. said he is talking to advisors and will make a decision shortly. Rizzo, the son of the popular mayor, was first elected in 1995 after garnering more votes than incumbent GOP Councilwoman Joan Specter. His office is known for its constituent services. "It would be difficult to jump into a Democratic field," said Rizzo. "I would have to study the logistics and work out a strategy. If I ran as Republican, I know that Mike Meehan would endorse me."
Meehan said he would look favorably on any elected Republican official that wanted to run for mayor but had not yet had the discussion with Rizzo. "I think he may have some more work he wants to do in City Council," he said.
Still, Rizzo theorizes that he would do well in a crowded Democratic-primary field and would ask his Republi-can supporters to register Democratic for the primary if he ran in that party. "I do very well in the African-American community," he stated. "I would do better than Michael Nutter and Dwight Evans in the primary."
He may be right: In a recent poll conducted for a client of the firm Ceisler Jubelirer, Rizzo polled the highest. Larry Ceisler said he could not reveal the client or the poll questions, but the poll dealt with rating various elected officials in the city.
Speaking of Ceisler Jubelirer, congrats to firm co-principal Jeff Jubelirer and his wife, Tracey, on the birth of daughter Sofie Brett.

A Two-Party Town by '08?

A Two-Party Town by '08
by Mary F. Patel
Kevin Kelly is on a mission. In an op-ed in last week's Inquirer, Kelly, chairman of the Philadelphia Federation of Young Republicans, slammed the local GOP party for laying down on the job. "If the city's Republican Party hopes to rise from the ashes of mediocrity, it better get into the business of providing the best ideas on each and every topic, and then finding a vehicle for delivering those ideas," wrote Kelly.
As a spin-off, he then organized the Philadelphia Leadership Project, a gathering of civic-minded young people that aims to change the incestuous climate of City Hall deal-making. Their first meeting was scheduled for Aug. 9 at a large cocktail party at the Vesper boathouse. Kelly, an Air Force Reserve fighter pilot who returned a few months ago from Iraq, planned to outline his frustrations with the city.
"We need poll watchers. There is not enough of a Republican presence and there is voter fraud where people vote multiple times," he said during a recent interview. "We live in a great city that is run by a machine that hands out patronage jobs. There are no ideas and no vision. We could be a first-class city, but we're not because of bad leadership."
Kelly added that the Republicans are part of the problem because they accept the status quo as long as they get jobs. "I want to start on the grassroots level and get people involved," he said. "Sunlight is the best antiseptic."
While Republicans in the city have not held power for 50 years, there are some out there. GOP City Committee General Counsel Michael Meehan, whose grandfather Austin, and father, Billy, held the reins of power when the Republicans had control, disagrees with Kelly's assessment that Republicans are shadow Democrats.
"Kevin should be recruiting committee people and candidates rather than hosting wine-and-cheese parties," said Michael Meehan during an interview from his office at Wolf Block. "The Republican Party is not going to gain power overnight. It takes time — and that time will come."
Meehan said the perception that he works with U.S. Rep. and Democratic Party Chairman Bob Brady is correct; the two of them get along and often cooperate. "I will work with anyone to move this city forward," Meehan explained.
Meehan agreed that voter fraud has been, and could again be, a problem since it is not required to show ID when voters appear at the polls. "This is one issue that the far right and far left agree on," he said.
The theory that maintains local Democrats and Republicans are similar may not be too far off and Meehan pointed out that many well-known Democrats were once Republicans.
"Frank DiCicco, Joan Krajewski, Russell Nigro and Jonathan Saidel were all Republicans once," said Meehan.

Back Channels | How to lose the hangdog attitude

Commentary Philadelphia Republicans
Back Channels How to lose the hangdog attitude
By Kevin Ferris
Commentary Page Editor
Believe it or not, there are Republicans in Philadelphia who would like to try to win elections. Not just show up for the annual ballot-box slaughter. Actually compete for votes. Offer alternatives on issues. Give Philadelphians a choice of policies when it comes to solving the city's problems.
Some Republican candidates have done that, most notably Sam Katz in his tries for mayor. But too often, such campaigns are built around one candidate, and when that race is finished, it seems the party is, too. The momentum dies. The GOP gets put up on a shelf, to be dusted off in two or four years to back the next elephant-riding Don Quixote.
Some would like to change that dynamic.
In January, 400 to 500 people turned out for a candidate night sponsored by the Philadelphia Federation of Young Republicans at the Crystal Tea Room in Center City. When the first candidate rose to speak, the fire alarm sounded, clearing much of the room. Fortunately, there was no fire, fueling speculation that it was really a "GOP alarm" - that is, if 500 Republicans gather that close to City Hall, it trips a switch somewhere that puts Democrats on full alert.
Since then, some of the folks at the candidate night have stayed in touch, by phone, e-mail or in person. They've been asked what they think of next year's mayoral election. Specifically, what does the city GOP need to do to get in the game? So far, the media attention is going to six or seven Democrats who are running or considering a run. The Republican candidate-development plan seems to be to hope for one of the other party's rejects, like electricians' union leader John J. Dougherty.
One result of those conversations is today's impassioned commentary by Kevin Kelly, who organized the Crystal Tea Room event. He's not speaking for his group, but he's not alone in his concerns.
To start, considering recent events in the city, some Republicans have recently said they couldn't believe all the talk of Democrats' having a lock on winning again next year.
Joseph M. McColgan of the Northeast says, "When a corruption scandal within the walls of City Hall is firing on all cylinders, and you hear nothing from any Republican in the City of Philadelphia, that is not a good thing."
Robert S. Nix of Fox Chase agrees: "The local Republican Party is not yet taking full advantage of the opportunities presenting themselves through widespread disgust and distrust of longtime local Democratic Party control... . The Republican Party leadership is simply too resistant to change and too comfortable with the role of being the minority party."
McColgan says, "Questioning our leaders is the most important thing... . I'm not saying challenge the ward or committee structure or be disrespectful or obnoxious. But I am saying challenge them to do better, to think differently, and to accept that change is good and should not be perceived as a threat."
Republicans agree that there is no shortage of issues to campaign on. Nix says the priorities have to be crime and youth violence. McColgan has those on his list, but also stresses education, business development, job creation, lower taxes, and restructuring city government. ("Do we really need seven at-large Council seats?" he asks.)
Mara Toukatly of Fairmount says the party needs specific policy proposals that reject the a la carte approach to tackling issues. For example, she suggests a "full-blown initiative" that puts education, business, jobs and taxes on a continuum. First, she wants a push for a majority of city high school graduates to attend college, a local college. She believes businesses would be drawn to that local talent - if there's a sensible tax structure in place - and would create jobs that would keep local grads local. After some work experience, she wants those young people starting their own businesses - and then hiring local grads.
Local Republicans also emphasize finding, mentoring and training people to go out and compete - for mayor and other offices as well.
Jeff Jubelirer of Center City says: "The Republican Party needs to take baby steps. We need to convert a Democrat with moderate points of view who will show Philadelphians that the world isn't going to fall down because they vote Republican. Electing a mayor would be wonderful, a home run, better than we could hope for. But if we can't get mayor, why not go for Council districts or state representative?"
Of course, this is partisan talk, spoken by people who want to see one party replace another in City Hall. But these people are also Philadelphians who want to see their city succeed, who believe an election should involve more than a backroom deal that allows a mayor and a congressman to switch jobs.
As McColgan says, "It boils down to one thing: leadership, not only from the party in power, but from the party not in power - the desire to do good, not for yourself or your friends, but for the people."
Contact Commentary Page editor Kevin Ferris at kf@phillynews.com or 215-854-5801.