City Democratic ward leaders set to endorse Brady

Tomorrow, the 69 ward leaders of Philadelphia's Democratic Party are poised to do something they haven't done in more than 35 years: Endorse a mayoral candidate in an open primary.

That candidate is widely expected to be U.S. Rep. Bob Brady, the party's chairman for the last 21 years. After all, he was the only one of his four rivals to get a $20,000 campaign donation from a political committee run by the party. And, until yesterday, signs touting his name were the only ones hanging in the party's Walnut Street headquarters.

Getting an official endorsement would likely mean more of the same, but magnified.

For instance, campaign records show there are at least five political action committees registered to or otherwise tied to the party, and each of those could donate thousands of dollars to Brady's mayoral account.

As the endorsed candidate, his name would also be printed at the top of tens of thousands of official party ballots expected to be distributed on May 15, the day of the primary election. And who stands to be billed for the printing of those ballots? The party.

In an interview yesterday, Brady made little excuse for what was expected to occur tomorrow. "Maybe in the past one candidate didn't stand head over heels over the other candidates," he quipped.

The endorsement is considered such a fait accompli that several ward leaders supporting other candidates said they won't bother to show.

"If it's an endorsement for him, I'm not going to be disruptive, so there's no real reason to be there," said 3d Ward leader State Sen. Anthony Williams, who is backing State Rep. Dwight Evans.

"Since this is a done deal, what is the point?" echoed another Evans supporter, 50th Ward leader City Councilwoman Marian Tasco.

She also raised questions about the impact of a party endorsement for Brady. "What happens to Election Day money?" she asked, referring to money the party gives ward leaders each Election Day to pay for sandwiches, gas and other needs for poll workers. "Will they give Election Day money to those of us who don't support Bob Brady?"

Letters and phone calls notifying ward leaders about tomorrow's meeting went out two days ago. And yesterday Brady's four mayoral rivals also received invitations.

They, like Brady, will make their case before the party's seven-member policy committee, which in turn will make an endorsement recommendation to the 69 ward leaders. The ward leaders will convene, and vote, in a meeting immediately afterward.

Businessman Tom Knox, who along with Evans asked Brady in a letter last week to resign his party job while running for mayor, won't be at the endorsement meeting. "Unfortunately, we're unavailable on such late notice," his spokeswoman Susan Madrak said.

U.S. Rep. Chaka Fattah and former City Councilman Michael Nutter were both unsure. "I'm checking my schedule, but I'm a little busy running for mayor. . . trying to raise some money," Nutter said. Evans, however, had every expectation of being there. A vice chair of the party for 11 years until 1993, he said, "I will go and I will make my point of view known."

That view, he said, is this: "If they like the idea that Brady can put posters in the window and give himself $20,000, then I would say the party is in a different place than the voters they represent."

He continued, "I think the city needs to be reformed, and I think the party needs to be reformed, and I think they're both connected."

Brady stressed yesterday that the ward leaders might decide to endorse nobody for mayor - the same action they've taken in every open primary election since Frank Rizzo's election in 1971.

"Hey, it's up to them what they want to do," Brady said. "They'll choose to endorse, or they'll choose not to endorse."