Northwood hears from
its City Council hopefuls

By Tom Waring
Times Staff Writer

City Councilman Darrell Clarke thinks he’s doing a good job representing Northwood, but Haile Johnston and John Longacre beg to differ.
Clarke (D-5th dist.) is seeking his third four-year term. He faces Johnston and Longacre in the May 15 Democratic primary.
All three appeared last week in front of the Northwood Civic Association. No Republican filed to run in the overwhelmingly Democratic district.
The 5th Councilmanic District includes four divisions in the 23rd Ward in Northwood. They had been in the 7th Councilmanic District until the last Council redistricting after the 2000 census. Then-Councilman Rick Mariano, a very close Clarke ally who is now in federal prison on a corruption conviction, gave up the divisions in a process critics contend protects incumbents from serious challenges.
Clarke reminded neighbors that he secured two signs for Northwood Park, was instrumental in helping to bring a curfew center to the area and is monitoring conditions at Greenwood Cemetery, which he called an "abomination." He is involved in talks with Cancer Treatment Centers of America, which wants to expand, perhaps into the decaying cemetery.
Overall, Clarke cited his 100-percent voting record.
"I’ve never missed a session of Council," he said.
Clarke is vice chairman of what he considers Council’s two most powerful committees, Appropriations and Rules, which governs zoning.
The councilman wants to add video surveillance cameras to deter crime and blames "bums" in the state legislature for not doing enough to address the illegal gun issue in Philadelphia. He said an individual’s ability to buy an unlimited number of handguns is the "most ridiculous thing I’ve heard in my life." Many of those guns, he said, are resold to people who commit crimes with the weapon.
"We can’t allow it to be the Wild, Wild West," he said.
Clarke sparred with a couple of people in the crowd who said law-abiding citizens should not have their right to own guns limited. They noted that the overwhelming number of murders in Philadelphia are committed by people using illegal guns.
Johnston, of Strawberry Mansion, believes his neighborhood is underrepresented, along with Northwood.
"I’ll serve you to my fullest," he told residents, adding that he would assign an aide to work out of the office of state Rep. Tony Payton.
If elected, Johnston would support public health initiatives and improve neighborhood health-care services. He would back additional funding for police, job training and youth programs and lower business and wage taxes.
As co-founder of the non-profit East Park Revitalization Alliance, he favors programs such as tree plantings, community gardens and murals to beautify communities.
Longacre, a Mayfair native who lives in Fairmount, is dismayed by the city’s reputation as "Killadelphia."
"How’s that for the business environment?" he asked, adding that he thinks the state should allow Philadelphia to make its own gun laws.
Active in civic associations and community development corporations, he favors lowering the wage tax and eliminating the business privilege tax to create jobs.
As he knocks on doors in Northwood, he senses a disconnect between the neighborhood and Clarke’s office. He said many neighbors tell him they call the office of Councilman Dan Savage (D-7th dist.) for service.
"I will engage Northwood," Longacre said.
In his office, he would implement a "rapid response" technique to build a good constituent-service operation.
"Your phone call will be returned in one hour," he promised.
The following campaigns were also represented at the April 17 civic meeting:
• Savage, Democratic leader of the 23rd Ward, offered his support for Clarke, but indicated he will take back the four divisions in the next redistricting.
Savage faces Maria Quinones-Sanchez and Marnie Aument-Loughrey in the primary.
Since being elected in November to replace Mariano, he has made improvements to local recreation centers, tried to clean up Frankford Avenue and supported efforts to bring surveillance cameras to the avenue. He has introduced legislation calling for more parole and probation officers and to make carbon monoxide detectors mandatory in homes.
• Marc Stier, a community activist from West Mount Airy, is running as a Democratic for an at-large Council seat. He’s a transit advocate who has fought for a higher minimum wage and ethics reform and brought economic development to his neighborhood. He believes that residents have the right to appeal zoning decisions to the courts.
Pointing out that Philadelphia leads New York in murders despite having five times fewer people, he favors stronger handgun control legislation. He thinks that, if police arrest people for relatively minor crimes, they will find illegal guns on many of them.
In office, he wants to redevelop commercial corridors and recruit and retain public school teachers.
"I want to bring innovative ideas that are working in other cities to this city," he said.
• Greg Coleman, a veteran lawyer from Mount Airy and son of the late Council President Joe Coleman, is stressing his experience, integrity and commitment in his race for a seat on Common Pleas Court.
"I think I offer all three of those things," he said.
• Blair Talmadge, a campaign consultant and boxing referee, is one of four Democrats running for two nominations for city elections commissioner. His brother, Alex, is a former commissioner.
• Representatives spoke on behalf of Democratic mayoral candidate Dwight Evans and Diane Thompson, an Olney lawyer running for Municipal Court.
Parkwood’s John Fritz, who led the group in a moment of silence for the victims of last week’s shootings at Virginia Tech, praised Evans for economic development initiatives he’s brought to his state legislative district. He also credited Evans with being a leader on crime and education issues. ••
The Northwood Civic Association will meet again on Tuesday, May 15, the night of the primary, at 7 p.m. at St. James Lutheran Church, at Castor Avenue and Pratt Street. ••
Reporter Tom Waring can be reached at 215-354-3034 or twaring@phillynews.com