Roberts' exit may not do what he intended in 2d
Heard in the Hall: Attorney Damon K. Roberts bowed out of the race for Anna C. Verna's Second District City Council seat in South and Southwest Philadelphia last week, but he may have been too late to avoid hurting the man he is now backing, Kenyatta Johnson.
Attorney Damon K. Roberts bowed out of the race for Anna C. Verna's Second District City Council seat in South and Southwest Philadelphia last week, but he may have been too late to avoid hurting the man he is now backing, Kenyatta Johnson.
Roberts was told by the Board of Elections that his withdrawal came too late to have his name removed from the ballot or even to have a sticker placed over his name. A court order would ensure only that votes for him would not count, said Fred Voigt, deputy city commissioner.
So people could still vote for Roberts, and that potentially could hurt Johnson, who is competing with Barbara Capozzi and Tracey Gordon for the seat.
In a district that is 49 percent black and 35 percent white, Johnson's supporters had feared that three black candidates - Gordon, Johnson, and Roberts - would split up the black vote, leaving a clear path for Capozzi, who is white.
"Although it is still possible for people to vote for me, we will not be continuing to actively campaign," Roberts said.
Whether that's good enough for Johnson remains to be seen.
- Jeff Shields
Raising summer-job funds with bid-ness lunch
It turns out Philadelphia's reform mayor is for sale - on eBay.
Last week, the public had an opportunity to win a lunch with Mayor Nutter in an auction to benefit a summer-jobs campaign managed by the Philadelphia Youth Network.
Businesses and foundations are still donating to the program, which last year helped place 11,000 young people in jobs, but government aid is expected to nosedive this summer. (Read about it at http://savesummerjobs.org.)
"What is it like to be the Mayor of the fifth-largest city in the country? How does one prioritize all the issues facing the city on a day-to-day basis?" read the eBay promotion for the lunch.
Nutter spokesman Mark McDonald said the mayor frequently offers to help educational institutions and nonprofits raise money, be it via a meal, photo opportunity, or freewheeling conversation.
Alas, after seven days, it turns out only three people were enticed to lunch with Nutter - a lunch being donated by the Water Works Restaurant. From a total of 16 bidders, some lucky person won with a final bid of $275.
Publicly unknown, though, is the name of the auction winner, who on Friday still had not given permission for his or her name to be released.
- Marcia Gelbart