Bill Greenlee

If successful in November, Greenlee says he'll focus on preserving "core government" services.

"If we could cut taxes that would be the ultimate," he says, "but my priority would be making sure government services are there."

Cohen felt the same way. Greenlee says he differs from his predecessor largely in style. "Dave, God bless him, had a way of blowing up the bridges and building them back up again." Greenlee says he hopes to be more cooperative.

As for being part of the Democratic machine, Greenlee makes "no apologies." The ward system, he believes, is an effective way of giving citizens access to the government.

"Ward leaders serve a good purpose in the party and in the community. Sometimes people want to put certain connotations on ward leaders and party people in general. I reject that. I think overall the ward leaders do a pretty good job in this city."

The Democratic nominee and presumptive councilperson for the next 13 months is Danny Savage. When I sat down with Savage at Mozaic, a new restaurant on dilapidated Frankford Avenue, he emphasized economic development of commercial corridors as a way to bring the district back. He supports the reduction of the Business Privilege Tax.

Danny Savage

Although he's the party guy, and the son of former ward leader Tim Savage, Savage somewhat avoids the insider stigma by being so young (he's 35). Still, when the May primaries roll around, he'll face several serious challengers.

John Sabatina, a ward leader himself, is a party guy who on several occasions has taken on the party (including challenging Rick Mariano for the Seventh District's seat). He had hoped to win the nomination in the special election, but couldn't muster the ward leader support — he actually ended up casting his own vote with Savage.

Faced with questions about policy, Sabatina tends to say it's too early in the process to have a platform.

Maria Quinones-Sanchez is a former Council aide, and the founder of a charter school in the Seventh. She has taken to giving tours of the district, to show how run-down it is in parts, all the while talking up her ideas and credentials for making it better. She speaks of freezing property tax assessments of people on fixed income, ending tax abatements and funding the redevelopment of vacant housing. Quinones-Sanchez has wanted this council seat for some time. She ran against Rick Mariano in 1999, and had begun planning on a 2007 run before the special election was called. The Seventh is heavily Latino, and many people in progressive reform groups would like her to have it.

The other name in this hat (for now) is Marnie Aument Loughrey. Aument's mother, ward leader Donna Aument, is pushing the younger woman's candidacy by arguing that Sabatina and Savage, who both have relatives in politics, are trying to keep it in the family (huh?). The candidate is emphasizing her history in the neighborhood and her personal experience with economic hardship.