Costello creams Kearney;
gets ready to face Perzel

By Tom Waring
Times Staff Writer

Baseball championships aren’t won in April, and neither are political campaigns, Rich Costello pointed out after his victory in last week’s Democratic primary in the 172nd Legislative District.
Costello beat Tim Kearney, 57 percent to 43 percent, for the right to face Republican Rep. John Perzel in the fall campaign.
“This was spring training. The World Series is in November,” he said.
Costello, a former Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 5 president making his first bid for public office, had the support of Democratic ward leaders. Some retired police officers also helped at the polls.
Kearney, a former City Council aide who lost bids to unseat Perzel in 2004 and ’06, had some interesting allies. The political action committee of District Council 21, the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades, paid for some of his campaign literature. The union’s head, Joe Ashdale, is a longtime friend of Perzel’s.
And while Kearney had only 13 volunteers covering 28 of the district’s 65 divisions, Democratic committee people said their Republican counterparts were asking Democrats to vote for Kearney, who lost handily to Perzel in 2004 and ’06.
Costello suggested he would send to Republican presidential candidate John McCain a campaign piece he said was handed out by GOP committee people urging voters to “Elect Clinton – Kearney” who are “Fighting for a Better America & a Better Neighborhood.”
The IUPAT District 21 PAC paid for a flier that urged a vote for Kearney based on his support for universal health care, a breakup of the Comcast cable television monopoly, lower car insurance rates and increased subsidies for higher education.
Costello wondered why the PAC did not mention Kearney’s support for legalized marijuana or his view that he is uncertain whether Mumia Abu-Jamal killed police officer Daniel Faulkner.
“My thinking is, the painters union now has to account for the positions they took,” he said.
Costello celebrated his victory at the Red Rooster, a bar-restaurant at 7960 Dungan Road. He was joined by the 63rd Ward Democratic Committee and John McNesby, president of FOP Lodge 5.
“The sixty-third has been with me from the beginning, and now I’m getting support from other wards,” he said.
Costello, who won six of the seven wards, now embarks on a six-month campaign against Perzel. Election Day is Nov. 4.
“Between now and then, I’m going to work awfully hard,” he said. “I’m not planning two weeks in the islands. There’s no time off.”
Kearney relied on door-to-door campaigning. He also sent postcards and DVDs to so-called Democratic “super-voters,” those citizens who never miss a primary.
In early reports, he was doing well. He won the two divisions in the 63rd Ward that vote at Greenberg School and won one of the three divisions in the 64th Ward that vote at Abraham Lincoln High School.
But, by the time he called the city commissioners office at 9:50 p.m., he learned he was trailing by a count of 5,395 to 4,108 with 60 of 65 divisions reporting.
“Five divisions is not going to change that,” he said.
Kearney, who spent election night at a supporter’s home on the 800 block of Magee Ave., thanked his campaign volunteers and co-chairpersons Natasha Minkovsky, Kay Lasker and Gene Higgins for performing well despite a limited budget and short campaign schedule.
“We ran a good campaign and ran on important issues to the district,” he said.
Kearney will continue to fight to preserve Burholme Park against proposed development by Fox Chase Cancer Center. He believes the battle will be a long one but ultimately successful.
As for supporting Costello in the general election, Kearney said he wants to first speak with his former opponent.
Handicapping the race, Kearney said Costello will need to raise money to compete with the well-funded Perzel and prevent Democratic ward leaders and committee people from quietly backing the Republican.
“Costello has a very good chance to beat Perzel if he gets united party support,” he said. ••
Reporter Tom Waring can be reached at 215-354-3034 or twaring@phillynews.com