Editorial for March 15, 2007 edition:


Bye, bye, Brady

As far as we know, Mayor John Street has never taken a bribe, offered a bribe or murdered anyone. As far as we know, the worst he’s ever done was falling behind in paying utility bills and going bankrupt in his younger days.
Nevertheless, thanks to corruption convictions of some of Mr. Street’s associates in recent years and the stain of corruption of a host of City Council members in the recent and distant past, Philadelphia municipal government has a reputation for being corrupt.
The latest mess involves mayoral candidate Bob Brady, who broke the rules by failing to list his city pension on a financial-disclosure form filed with his nominating petitions. Whether it was an honest mistake on Mr. Brady’s part or he thought he could get away with it in the City of Brotherly Lawbreakers, the fact of the matter is he did it and he must suffer the consequences.
That Mr. Brady may be an otherwise decent man who, as one of the two white guys in the crowded Democratic primary is likely to do very well in heavily white Northeast Philly on Election Day, is absolutely irrelevant. The fact remains, he messed up. Candidates for lesser office have been tossed off the ballot, and kept off, for similar transgressions. Should Mr. Brady be held to a lesser standard just because he knows everybody who’s anybody in Philly politics? Certainly not.
To avoid any cloud of illegality, and for the good of the city, its image and its future, Mr. Brady should withdraw from the mayor’s race today. So should any other candidate who overlooked the rules — i.e., thumbed his nose at the law.
Is it really so impractical and unfair to expect, and demand, that only squeaky-clean people need apply for the job of mayor? We think not. We urge the citizens to accept nothing less.
Yo, this is Philly. Play by the rules or get out of the game. ••

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