Endorsement for May 10, 2007 edition:


Quinones-Sanchez
for Council

Nobody knows better than the voters in the 7th Councilmanic District that the rough and tough, plain-spoken, disgraced bribe-taker Rick Mariano is a tough act to follow.
When the district’s Democrats step into their voting booths on Tuesday, they’ll have somewhat of a tough choice to replace that tough act.
Dan Savage, leader of the 23rd Ward, has been on the job for five months, having been essentially appointed by his fellow ward leaders last November in a special election to replace the imprisoned Mariano.
Mr. Savage has done some good things in his short time in office — he’s lobbied to get funding for the Frankford business corridor, he’s held a hearing on understaffing in the city Adult Parole and Probation Department, he’s pushing for mandatory carbon monoxide detectors in homes, and he’s working with area civic associations and police districts.
If he prevails in the primary and defeats Republican Gary Grisafi in the general election, Mr. Savage could be a councilman for a long while — if he plays his cards right.
Marnie Aument-Loughrey, an employee of the city’s Board of Revision of Taxes and community activist from Kensington, is focusing on issues that matter in the 7th district — absentee landlords, drug dealers and what she calls "unmentionable people" committing crimes in the area. Her call for the Zoning Board of Adjustment to hold hearings at night in city neighborhoods is laudable and should become reality as soon as possible, whether she wins or not. So too should her suggestion that SEPTA allow its passengers that use transfers to spend time shopping in neighborhoods before using their transfers for the second part of their trips.
If elected, Ms. Aument-Loughrey’s activist ways would likely serve the folks well.
Clearly, though, the third candidate in the primary, longtime neighborhood activist Maria Quinones-Sanchez, is the best-qualified to serve the ridiculously gerrymandered, sprawling, diverse 7th district.
The Times endorsed Mrs. Quinones-Sanchez in her first run for the seat in 1999, and she is more worthy of victory than ever before.
The regional director of the Puerto Rico Federal Affairs Administration is a former aide to another disgraced councilman, Angel Ortiz, who lost his seat after disclosures that he had been driving a car without a license for 25 years, but don’t hold Mrs. Quinones-Sanchez’s past affiliation against her. If she wins the seat, her leadership abilities, zest for change, grasp of the issues and rich background as an activist — along with a specific, proactive plan to revitalize struggling neighborhoods including Frankford — most assuredly would serve the 7th Councilmanic District’s residents and businesses in an exemplary fashion.
Her potential to be a great councilwoman is so great that it’s earned her the endorsement of Gov. Ed Rendell, who’s been curbing his official enthusiasm in most other contests.
"We need a champion and an advocate. The district doesn’t need someone who’s going to learn all this stuff," says Mrs. Quinones-Sanchez.
We totally agree, and we wholeheartedly recommend Maria Quinones-Sanchez for the Democratic nomination in the 7th Councilmanic District. ••

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