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John Street, Arlene Ackerman and racial tension in this election
Among a few strange moments at the Committee of Seventy's 7th Council District forum last Thursday, none was as strange as the unexpected invocation (as if he were some sort of political genie) of former Mayor John F. Street by candidate Dan Savage.
John Street, Arlene Ackerman and racial tension in this election
(From the ElectionEar column in this week's print edition)
Race to Finish Among a few strange moments at the Committee of Seventy's 7th Council District forum last Thursday, none was as strange as the unexpected invocation (as if he were some sort of political genie) of former Mayor John F. Street by candidate Dan Savage. [Of course we got it on video.] The 7th District, currently represented by Councilwoman Maria Quiñones-Sánchez, is profoundly gerrymandered, and proving profoundly difficult to represent. The bottom half of the district, a blob encompassing parts of Kensington, eastern North Philly and the city's "El Centro de Oro" section, is heavily Hispanic. As the district meanders upward into Frankford, its residents skew increasingly black and then white. Quiñones-Sánchez, who is Hispanic and from the lower part, faces a tough challenge from Savage, who is white and from the upper part. Get it? More complicated still, Quiñones-Sánchez has been hung out to dry by local ward leaders . But while Quiñones-Sánchez's main task will be to mobilize her base, Savage appears to face a more complicated feat: He needs, or thinks he needs, to woo black voters — hence the magic lantern. The question was what to do about crime. Quiñones-Sánchez touted various local successes and defended her record, saying she'd help bring every police pilot program available into the district. Savage countered that crime had not improved — in part, he asserted, because of the "relationship between the councilwoman and the current mayor," and then he noted, "Mayor Street had a much better drug task force" and "under Mayor Street [drug dealers] would be in jail." Debate host Gar Joseph of the Daily News then asked whether the audience would support John Street running as an independent for councilman at-large — to what the Daily News later reported was "a hearty round of applause." The applause, this author confirms, was indeed hearty, but almost exclusively on the part of black audience members (including at least one boisterous committeeperson) who had come to support Savage. That was Thursday. On Monday, Mayor Michael Nutter — the same politician, we'll point out, whom Street once said did not seem like a "black mayor" — threw his support behind Quiñones-Sánchez along with Congressman Chaka Fattah. That race matters in big city politics is not shocking. Still, these tidbits offer glimpses into how complicated and convoluted Philly's racial politics can get. Take, for example, another political bottled genie: Schools Superintendent Arlene Ackerman. Last week, this author mentioned a candidates' forum held for residents of the 2nd Council District (South Philly west of Broad, currently represented by Councilwoman Anna Verna), at which candidates Barbara Capozzi, state Rep. Kenyatta Johnson and Damon K. Roberts sat down to answer questions. While they differed little on most issues, they seemed to occupy opposite worlds when it came to one question in particular: "How do you feel about the performance of Schools Superintendent Arlene Ackerman?" Capozzi, who is white, said that she could "never, ever, forgive the way she handled [South Philadelphia High School]." Johnson and Roberts, who are both black, answered differently: "I support Dr. Arlene Ackerman," said Johnson. "I know it's an uphill battle she's fighting." Roberts split the difference, but not quite evenly. Ackerman has made "some mistakes," he said, "but I don't know any one of us who hasn't made mistakes." Interestingly, at another candidates' forum for the 1st Council District that was being held just a few blocks away, none of the four candidates voiced support for Ackerman. They were all white. Did I mention that another Street — mayoral candidate T. Milton Street — recently called on Mayor Nutter to "take a stand" on Ackerman because of his "lack of visible support" for her? Street, in the same press release, didn't express outright support himself but said he could "imagine it must be stressful and troubling" for Ackerman's private tax troubles to be. The ElectionEar is a good listener; send tips here
