7th Councilmanic District endorsement
for November 1, 2007 edition:


. . . In a much closer call,
it’s Grisafi in the 7th

Unlike the office of mayor, whose occupant should need no on-the-job training, being a novice to city government is not necessarily a liability for rookie Council members.
In the 7th Councilmanic District, voters have a choice between a Democratic lady who is the outsider’s insider, a Republican gentleman who is 100 percent outsider, and an independent candidate, Luis A. Pineda, who is no threat to either.
Maria Quinones-Sanchez, the Democrat, is a longtime civic activist who once served as an aide to ex-Councilman Angel Ortiz. Having run for the seat eight years ago, she is quite familiar with the sprawling district as well as the movers and shakers in city government, and she has some good ideas for revitalizing Frankford, a portion of which is in the perversely shaped district. She also wants Community College of Philadelphia to be a stronger partner with the city’s public schools, and she correctly points out that City Council is widely perceived as the "laughingstock of the city."
Quinones-Sanchez is heavily favored to win the race, and if she does prevail, she likely will represent the entire district very well.
Her ideological blemishes, however, should not be overlooked. She supports same-sex marriages and sex-change operations for gay city employees, and her support for terminating the lease of the Boy Scouts’ Center City headquarters because the Scouts ban gay leaders shows a disdain for justice. Her extreme views are not nearly as American as mom and apple pie.
The Republican in the race, Gary Grisafi, is a bit like ex-Councilman and convicted felon Rick Mariano — with much cleaner language and a lot more character.
A $23,000-a-year music teacher, Grisafi might just be the voice needed to push for more after-school programs in art, music and dance. Grisafi would likely work his tail off for his $110,000 Council salary, and he pledged to vote against legislation that would hike Council salaries. Grisafi’s promise to forego a city-owned car may be just a gimmick, or it may be sincere. Either way, Philadelphia taxpayers will benefit if he manages to win the race.
And just as we said last week that Brian O’Neill continues to be a good fit for the 10th Councilmanic District, his fellow Republican, Grisafi, is a good fit for the sizable portion of the 7th district that lies in Northeast Philadelphia.
Grisafi would like the city’s hated wage tax to be reduced to 2 percent; the revenue shortfall could be filled in by eliminating mismanagement, cronyism and corruption, reducing spending, and by bringing more jobs to the city, he says. As an outsider, Grisafi can help bring a new attitude to City Hall.
If Democrat Michael Nutter shocks nobody by getting elected mayor on Tuesday, and if O’Neill and Grisafi win their races, at least four of Council’s 17 members would be Republicans, which conceivably would make the opposition party a bit more of a force to be reckoned with.
If Grisafi awakens next Wednesday morning as the 7th district’s councilman-elect, he will be shocked. If the music man whistles a happy tune, so will the city. ••

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