Mariano’s ready for re-election

By Tom Waring
Times Staff Writer

City Councilman Rick Mariano thinks experience counts. Mariano (D-7th dist.) is asking voters to reject his opponents and send him back to Council for a third four-year term so he can continue to work with Mayor John Street.
“I have the experience and the tenure,” he said. “I’ve made inroads with this mayor.”
Mariano announced his re-election bid last week at the Rhawnhurst Recreation Center. He’ll be back there in a month or so when crews break ground on a combination gymnasium/Northeast Older Adult Center.
Delivering the funding for such a large-scale initiative is one of the factors Mariano hopes voters look at when casting their votes in the May 20 Democratic primary.
Mariano is expected to face two opponents, both Northwood residents Ñ attorney Fran Hanssens and Kathleen Fitzpatrick, who works in computer network support for the First Judicial District of Pennsylvania.
The incumbent isn’t scared. Four years ago, he was challenged by the Democratic leader of the largest ward in the district and a Hispanic community activist.
Before the election, Mariano boasted that he’d receive a mandate of more than 50 percent of the vote. He was right. He captured 55 percent, with Maria Quinones-Sanchez the distant runner-up with 23 percent and John Sabatina third with 21 percent.
This time, Quinones-Sanchez isn’t running, nor is any other Hispanic Democrat. Sabatina is supporting Mariano.
The Sabatina-Mariano political marriage is interesting. The two had a nasty battle in 1999, and Sabatina ended the year by supporting Republican Sam Katz for mayor.
The Democratic City Committee ousted Sabatina from his post as ward leader for supporting a Republican, but his wife Lisa was elected as his replacement with help from Mariano’s key ally, International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 98 boss Johnny Dougherty.
John Sabatina was elected ward leader again last year. At Mariano’s Feb. 27 announcement, Sabatina said his committee people Ñ many of them elderly Ñ would begin working for Mariano once the weather improves and predicted a big turnout for the incumbent on the day of the election.
Mariano is predicting an easy victory. How much of the vote will he win?
“More than I got before,” he said.
The winner of the primary will face Republican Nestor Gonzalez, GOP leader of the 19th Ward.
The incumbent wants to model himself after Councilwoman Joan Krajewski (D-6th dist.) and Councilman Brian O’Neill (R-10th dist.), both of whom were elected in 1979. When constituents call those offices, he said, they get results because the staff is experienced.
Mariano, who lives in Juniata, likes the makeup of his staff.
“My staff is a bunch of constituent service pros,” he said.
In terms of legislation, Mariano thinks he has had a successful second term.
He points to bills he sponsored that halted distribution of a brochure discussing safe needle and sex procedures for prostitutes, raised the fine for abandoning a vehicle to $300, made tattoo parlors and body-piercing shops a regulated use, renewed the Frankford Special Services District and allowed disabled veterans to park free at meters.
In the next term, Mariano wants to bring the Community Life Improvement Program (CLIP) to his district and preserve the 20-percent senior citizen discount offered to Philadelphia Gas Works customers.
There have been a couple of rocky moments for Mariano since the last election.
Staffers were caught in an on-camera investigation by NBC-10 news delivering cookies for his former wife’s business. When anchorman Larry Mendte confronted Mariano with the tapes, the councilman told the newsman he “would be sorry ÐÐ personally and professionally.”
Mariano said no crime was committed, and there was no proof that the staffers were working on city time.
Councilman Frank DiCicco accused Mariano of calling residents of the 31st Ward in Kensington “trailer-park Irish trash” in a closed-door discussion over Council reapportionment. DiCicco passed a lie detector test. Mariano refused to take one.
Mariano labeled the accusation a “figment of DiCicco’s imagination.”
The incumbent showcased a variety of backers at last week’s announcement.
City Controller Jonathan Saidel hosted the event. Councilwoman Jannie Blackwell and Councilman Darrell Clarke also attended. Democratic ward leaders present were Sabatina, Chris Solomon (53rd) and Chris Drumm (63rd).
Saidel backed Mariano in the 1995 primary against incumbent Dan McElhatton when then-Mayor Ed Rendell was with McElhatton.
“He can stay in Council as long as he damn well wants,” the controller said of Mariano.
Other supporters included veterans, community activists, Council at-large candidate Dan Pellicciotti, developer Jerry Batoff, Common Pleas Court Judge Leslie Fleisher and the Rev. Anthony Janton, pastor at St. Martin of Tours.
Of course, plenty of union folks were there.
Pat Gillespie, head of the Philadelphia-area building trades, thanked Mariano for his support of the two new sports stadiums for the Eagles and Phillies.
Dougherty, the electricians boss, credited Mariano with performing non-traditional Council duties such as helping feed the needy as part of an Ancient Order of Hibernians fund-raiser, arranging repairs following vandalism at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial and taking part in a blood drive and delivering resources to Ground Zero after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
Dougherty praised Mariano for working with Street on neighborhood issues and blasted Street critic Councilman Jim Kenney for opposing the mayor while “sitting on the beach in North Wildwood.”
“It’ll be a better Council with Ricky in it,” he said. ••

Reporter Tom Waring can be reached at 215-354-3034 or twaring@phillynews.com