As Ramsey backlash lingers, Williams doubles down

The terrible, horrible, no good, very bad week continued for State Sen. Anthony Hardy Williams after he campaigned for mayor by calling for the firing of Police Commissioner Charles H. Ramsey.

Ramsey on Thursday said he was disappointed that Williams used a televised debate Tuesday to air what should have been a private conversation.

Nutter, who on Wednesday suggested that Williams "probably isn't smart enough" to be mayor if he wants to fire Ramsey, said Thursday that candidates should wait to see if they win the mayor's race before announcing whom they would hire and fire.

"I was humbled by the mayor's response and a little disappointed by what I heard from the senator," Ramsey said, "only because I would just prefer for those to be private conversations."

Nutter and Ramsey spoke after appearing at a town-hall meeting on My Brother's Keeper, an initiative launched by President Obama to improve the lives of young men of color. One topic in that meeting was stop-and-frisk, the police tactic of patting down people suspected of carrying weapons.

Williams and the five other Democrats running for mayor said they would end the practice. Williams said Ramsey should be fired for overseeing stop-and-frisk in Philadelphia.

The Rev. Terrence Griffith, president of the Black Clergy of Philadelphia and Vicinity, also backed Ramsey on Thursday.

"Commissioner Ramsey has the confidence of President Obama and is maybe the most popular commissioner in the country at this time," he said at a City Hall event. "I would not have taken on the commissioner."

Ramsey cochaired Obama's Task Force on 21st Century Policing, which issued a report in March that included recommendations for stop-and-frisk.

Williams has campaigned on adopting the report.

The Black Clergy's political committee voted last month to endorse former City Councilman James F. Kenney for mayor, but Williams won the group's endorsement when it went to a vote by the full membership.

Nutter also took issue Thursday with the Democratic primary's lone negative TV commercial, an ad run by Williams criticizing comments made by Kenney in 1997 complaining about restrictions on use of force by Philadelphia police officers.

Williams started running that ad Tuesday, the day he went after Ramsey in the primary's final debate, aired on 6ABC.

"Let's not have the last two weeks devolve in a race to the bottom," Nutter said. "Let's not try to slaughter each other or slit people's throats to score points, as opposed to talking about really important issues to the city."

The Williams campaign, meanwhile, kept up the criticism of Ramsey and Kenney.

"The next mayor and his administration will have to restore the trust between the community and the police," his campaign said in an e-mail. "You simply can't do that if you support stop-and-frisk or complain about restraints on the use of police force, as James F. Kenney has."

While Williams deals with the backlash, Ramsey is having what appears to be a great week.

The Greater Philadelphia Chapter of the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives will hold its 34th annual awards banquet Friday evening. Ramsey is the guest of honor.

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@byChrisBrennan