Costello, Kearney
vie for 172nd seat

By Tom Waring
Times Staff Writer

Tim Kearney is asking voters to look at his quarter-century of experience before heading to the polls on Tuesday.
Kearney, a Democratic candidate in the 172nd Legislative District, worked for six years for the Action Alliance of Senior Citizens and served as an aide for three members of City Council. He’s also been involved in anti-war and fair housing causes.
"I have much more of a government background," he said. "I could be effective from day one and hit the ground running."
Rich Costello is a retired police captain and former president of Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 5. He’s making his first run for office and said he entered the race to improve the community.
As for his opponent, Costello notes that Kearney moved to the district specifically to challenge Republican Rep. John Perzel. He disagrees with Kearney’s call for legalizing marijuana and questions his ties to the local Communist Party and his refusal to accept Mumia Abu-Jamal as the certain killer of police officer Daniel Faulkner.
Costello, who describes himself as a moderate, said some of Kearney’s positions fit in with folks living in a "burned-out hippie commune."
"My views more accurately represent the residents of the 172nd," he said.
The winner of the primary will take on Perzel, first elected in 1978.
Kearney, a 56-year-old from Mayfair, challenged Perzel in 2004 and ’06. He supports universal health care across the state and closing the gaps in coverage in existing policies.
"It was the number-one reason why I ran for office, and it’s still my number-one issue," he said. "Health care is the number-one issue with families."
Costello, a 57-year-old Holmesburg resident, said he worked as FOP president to strengthen the health care package for members. He favors more competition among health care providers and would like to see the state hire an insurance department commissioner in the mold of consumer activist Lance Haver or Herb Denenberg, a former insurance commissioner and Channel 10 news reporter.
If he wins the primary, Costello will reach out to Kearney for advice on senior citizen issues. Seniors, he said, need help dealing with the rising cost of living. The notion of a fixed income, he believes, is a "myth."
"They’re not on a fixed income, they’re on a shrinking income," he said.
Besides calling for universal health care, Kearney’s other top issue is protecting Burholme Park against proposed development by Fox Chase Cancer Center.
On Saturday at noon, Kearney will take part in a fund-raiser at the park for the legal defense of a will that gave the park to the people of Philadelphia.
Fox Chase does good work, Kearney said, but should find another location to expand.
"The cancer center has other options," he said. "There’s vacant commercial and industrial land throughout the whole city. That’s what Philadelphia has in the post-industrial era."
Both candidates favor stronger measures for authorities to seize illegal guns.
Costello, who spent 34 years with the Philadelphia Police Department before retiring in January to run for the House seat, favors a closer partnership among the police, prosecutors and courts. He’d like to see sentencing statistics released for individual judges.
The retired cop said he’s not anti-gun, only anti-gun violence. He’s backed the right to defend oneself since the time Cain killed Abel.
The Second Amendment right to bear arms will remain intact, he said, even if the state grants Philadelphia the right to make its own gun laws and strengthens background checks.
Violent crime affects Philadelphia more than rural areas of the state, Costello said.
"It’s a very, very serious problem facing this city," he said.
Costello has the endorsement of the ward leaders, FOP Lodge 5 and AFSCME District Council 47 and thinks he would be a stronger general election candidate.
"If you call Perzel and ask him who he’d like for an opponent, the answer would be Tim Kearney," Costello said.
Kearney, who works the night shift handling orders for a food warehouse in Thorofare, N.J., will try to have as many of the 65 divisions in the district covered with campaign volunteers.
To counter the party support Costello enjoys, Kearney is meeting voters at their doors, mailing campaign literature, distributing lawn signs and communicating with supporters through e-mail. ••
Reporter Tom Waring can be reached at 215-354-3034 or twaring@phillynews.com