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Quinones-Sanchez, Savage duke it out
Last night, Councilwoman Maria Quinones-Sanchez and Dan Savage duked it out in a fiery debate hosted by the Committee of Seventy. At one point, Savage praised former Mayor John Street as being better on crime than Nutter ... and than Quinones-Sanchez.
Quinones-Sanchez, Savage duke it out
The 7th City Council District isn't just gerrymandered (intentionally carved into an odd shape to include or exclude certain voters) — it's super-gerrymandered.
Encompassing parts of Kensington and Eastern North Philly, then mysteriously narrowing to the width of (literally) as little as a couple of blocks in some places, it eventually winds its way up to parts of to the diverse neighborhood of Frankford. It's worth nothing that the 7th and other abutting districts have been carved up in such a way as to prevent the city's large and growing Hispanic community in North Philly from voting as a bloc.
The district is extremely diverse — not just racially (though it is racially diverse, encompassing white, black, and Hispanic neighborhoods), but also economically.
It is a very difficult district to represent — and, last night, it showed. Councilwoman Maria Quinones-Sanchez is fighting for her political life against challenger Dan Savage, a Frankford ward leader who briefly inherited the seat after former Councilman Rick Mariano went to prison on bribery charges. Savage ran to take the seat, but was defeated by Quinones-Sanchez, who is now the only Hispanic representative on Council.
The contest is white hot and bitter. In a church on Tioga Avenue & B Street last night, supporters loudly applauded their candidate and (especially on the part of Savage supporters) jeered at the opponent.
While the event was framed as a debate, this race (as is true of most, if not all, of the races in the upcoming primary) is less a contest between different plans and policy positions than between greater, deeper forces. This is a battle of neighborhoods, demographics, and politics.
Neighborhoods and demographics: Savage can win only with a strong vote from Frankford, — especially white voters who live there, (although last night saw a smaller contingent of black residents supporting him.) Some of the Frankford residents who showed up to support Savage last night said that Sanchez has neglected their neighborhood — "None of the people I spoke to even know her," said Tony Peron, a committeeman volunteering for Savage's campaign.
Quinones-Sanchez, on the other hand, can win only with a strong showing from the district's large Hispanic population, especially in Kensington and the Centro de Oro section of North Philly. Most of her vocal supporters last night were Hispanic, and applauded her with visible passion.
Vivian Ortiz, a Quinones-Sanchez supporter whose father lives in the Norris Square neighborhood said that she saw Sanchez doing a lot for that neighborhood and didn't appreciate Savage's many attacks on Sanchez. "I am not a person for negativism," she told CP. " [Savage] persuaded me that I will not support him."
Politics: Politically, the fix is in. Quinones-Sanchez is not being supported by ward leaders (very unusual for an incumbent) or by other power brokers, like State Rep. Angel Cruz. Philadelphia is a city dominated by machine politics, and the machistrene has decided not to support Quinones-Sanchez. Why is unclear.
The issues: As in any district, but especially in this one, crime ad drugs are a major issue. Savage attacked Sanchez last night on the issue, saying the latter hadn't done enough to improve crime. "The 7th District is number one in narcotics ... there has been no reduction, it's still number one."
Sanchez touted her work with police on various community policing initiatives, including a pilot program called Philly Rising and an increased police presence York St.: "We reduced crime in that area and didn't have a shooting in almost 18 months," she said to applause.
Savage also blamed the continued high crime in the district on Sanchez' relationship with Mayor Nutter, saying that things were better under former mayor John Street — a line that won him some applause, especially among black audience members. [Watch the video here]
Savage also attacked Sanchez on her (and Councilman Bill Green's) efforts to change the Business Privilege tax. Sanchez' bill would have shifted the tax burden from income to "gross receipts," or sales, exempting the first $100,000 of business — a tax which would have increased the tax burden on large, out-of-state corporations which do not pay income tax, and helped small businesses — all points which Savage disputed, calling her bill a "job killer."
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