Why a Philly union leader was missing from his own stage as President Biden visited Monday

Picture this: You’re the leader of a Philadelphia labor union with serious political juice. You’re also a candidate for City Council. And the president of the United States of America is coming to your union hall to speak to a huge Labor Day crowd.

If you’re Gary Masino, who heads Local 19 of the Sheet Metal Workers Union, you want some space on your own stage to say a few words and to snap a picture with President Joe Biden — right?

However, Masino was not on stage Monday with Biden for the Philadelphia AFL-CIO’s big Tri-State Labor Day Parade and Family Fun Festival.

Clout can now explain why, after initially exploring two different theories — not mutually exclusive — floated about how and why that might have happened.

The first was that the city’s Democratic Party frequently holds events in Masino’s union hall and he almost never gets up on stage.

Public speaking — it’s not for everyone.

The second has to do with Masino running against Republican Brian J. O’Neill, who is seeking a 12th four-year term in the 10th District in Northeast Philly.

Former President Donald Trump in 2020 won two of the four wards that make up the district, home to many of the city’s’ Republicans and quite a few Democrats and independents willing to back GOP candidates.

Maybe Masino didn’t want to be photographed with Biden, who is less popular in that district than in other parts of the city?

Masino knocked down both those theories, telling Clout he planned to speak but was later informed he would get no stage time. Masino said he also wanted a picture with Biden. That also did not happen.

Biden did give him a shout-out, noting the amount of work it takes to host a president. He also shouted out Cherelle Parker, the Democratic nominee for mayor, who also did not speak and was not on stage.

And there is the actual explanation: This was an official White House visit, not a Biden campaign stop. The Democrats who spoke before Biden — including U.S. Sen. Bob Casey and U.S. Rep. Dwight Evans — are not on November’s ballot.

This way, the White House sidestepped the city’s politics while partying at the local Democratic Party’s most popular venue.

Philadelphia’s Democratic City Committee now has three “magic seats” to fill on November’s general election ballot for the Court of Common Pleas.

As Clout explained in June, magic seats become available when current judges seeking to be retained for another term decide instead to drop off the ballot.

The party can replace them; the 10-year judicial terms also come with an annual paycheck of $212,495. Those candidates don’t have to raise money for an expensive primary run, deal with political consultants, or hit the campaign trail.

Judge Rayford Means withdrew from the ballot in June and Judge Joel Johnson dropped out in July. Judge Genece Brinkley withdrew Wednesday afternoon.

Brinkley’s lawyer in June told Clout she had no intention of dropping off the ballot and was “surprised” when we asked about it.

Times change.

Brinkley’s current 10-year term was consumed in a whirlwind of controversy, including her 2017 decision to jail rapper Meek Mill for probation violations. She was transferred to Civil Court in December and had all of her criminal cases reassigned. She filed a legal challenge that was struck down in June by the state Supreme Court.

Clout hears the three leading contenders for the magic seats are James Eisenhower, Raj Sandher, and Elvin Ross III.

Eisenhower, who ran twice for state attorney general and is a former president judge of the Pennsylvania Court of Judicial Discipline, represented Democratic Party chair Bob Brady in a 2017 federal investigation that resulted in convictions for a pair of Brady aides. Brady was not charged.

Sandher has done legal work on behalf of Democratic ward leaders and committee members.

Ross runs a law firm that includes a partner, Jeffery “Jay” Young Jr., who is expected to win a City Council seat in November, and two of-counsel lawyers, State Rep. Donna Bullock and State Sen. Art Haywood.

Three other names — former State Sen. Larry Farnese and attorneys Will Braveman and Wade Albert — are also in the mix.

While the party has more contenders than magic seats, two or three judicial posts may open early next year as some sitting judges are expected to resign. Gov. Josh Shapiro, with input from the city’s Democratic Party, would appoint judges to those seats.

Clout told you last week that Janelle Stelson, a news anchor at NBC affiliate WGAL in Lancaster, is rumored to be considering a run in the Democratic primary for the 10th Congressional District as Republican U.S. Rep. Scott Perry of York County seeks a sixth term.

We noted that Stelson owns a house in Lancaster, which is in the 11th Congressional District.

A longtime Clout fan alerted us that Stelson posted on her WGAL Facebook page two weeks ago a picture of herself with the caption: “Loving the Capital City … right around the corner from my first Harrisburg apartment.”

The 10th District, of course, includes Harrisburg. Stelson has been on something of a 10th District reunion tour recently, all documented on Facebook for fans (and voters) to see.

Clout provides often irreverent news and analysis about people, power, and politics.