Bonus Clout: Green, Katz making plans for the fall?

Former School Reform Commission chairman Bill Green sent the tea leaf-reading crowd into a frenzy earlier this week by changing his voter registration to "no affiliation."

Some read the move as a sign that Green is mulling a run for mayor—or for an at-large City Council seat — in the fall as an independent.

"I think it's highly unlikely that I'll run for anything," Green said yesterday.

But he quickly added: "Often, when one door closes, another door opens."

When asked if he ever missed serving on City Council, Green said he mostly missed his friends. (Insert sitcom-worthy "Awww" sound bite here.)

However, missing his old pals might not be enough to keep the SRC member from unseating one of the two vulnerable Republicans. The city charter states that two council seats are reserved for minority parties, but it doesn't specify any particular political party.

Meanwhile, David Oh and Denny O'Brien have drawn their own party's ire for supporting "Democrat issues" like scuttling the PGW sale. The Philly GOP declined to endorse either incumbent. And, for what it's worth, O'Brien didn't even bother setting up a campaign website (Oh at least bothered to post a fresh JPEG directing people to vote for him on his site).

Sam Katz, who is also thought to be weighing a mayoral run as an independent, took note of Green's party affiliation switcheroo.

"I think Bill created an option for himself, but I don't have an opinion of what he's thinking," Katz said.

Katz raised eyebrows yesterday by posting an ambitious 12-page plan to close the city's perpetual school funding gap. (Worth a read, over at citizensam.net)

Katz demurred when asked if the policy paper could be seen a step toward jumping into the race.

"The only step that will matter will be the one I take after the primary, and I can't honestly tell you what that will be," he said.