9th Ward Dems back D.A., split on controller

by MICHAEL J. MISHAK

In endorsing the party-backed candidates for the two major races in this month's municipal primary, the 9th Ward Democratic Committee upheld a time-honored tradition of independence last week with process, if not outcome.

As part of one of the city's few "open" wards, Chestnut Hill Democrats debated the merits of the underdogs, but ultimately threw their support behind incumbent District Attorney Lynne Abraham and city controller hopeful Alan Butkovitz, a seven-term state representative.

Abraham, who was first appointed D.A. in 1991, easily bested her challenger, Seth Williams, securing the committee's endorsement with an 18-6 vote. Butkovitz, on the other hand, narrowly edged his opponent, John Braxton, by a one-vote margin. John O'Connell, Democratic leader of the 9th Ward, said it was the ward's closest vote in recent memory.

The committee's judicial slate replaced two Common Pleas Court candidates endorsed by the Democratic City Committee. Ellen Green-Ceisler, a Chestnut Hill resident and former head of the Philadelphia Police Department's integrity unit, and Marilyn Heffly will appear on the 9th Ward's paper ballots on May 17.

Unlike most wards where judicial endorsements receive little discussion, the ninth relied on a 10-member panel to interview 25 candidates for 12 court vacancies. The selection, O'Connell said, was governed by qualifications, not politics.

That process is remarkable, especially at a time when city power brokers, including Mayor Street and U.S. Rep. Bob Brady, are pushing to replace judicial elections with appointments.

District Attorney

In a short speech, District Attorney candidate Seth Williams, 38, detailed his strategy to fix "a broken criminal justice system" where more than 50 percent of felony charges are thrown out of court before trial.

Williams, who spent 11 years in the District Attorney's Office, said he would redeploy prosecutors throughout the city to further what he called "community-based prosecution." Under the plan, the same assistant district attorney would follow a case from arraignment to trial, minimizing the number of dismissals that often result from a prosecutor's lack of preparation, he said.

Citing the recent surge in gun violence, Williams criticized Abraham for what he considers the disproportionate amount of prosecutors assigned to investigate areas like insurance fraud while the office has no unit to pursue illegal gun dealers.

Backed by the unions that represent the city's police, probation and corrections officers, Williams asked for the ward's support. "These people see failure in leadership. I hope you'll have the same courage they did."

While Abraham did not attend, her campaign manager, Eleanor Dezzi, spoke to the committee. Abraham, she said, had visited seven wards that night and was running behind schedule.

Touting the incumbent's successes in shutting down nuisance bars and combating identity theft, Dezzi said Abraham has taken a "team approach" to law enforcement, and began community prosecution 14 years ago.

Playing off a comment from a committeeperson, Dezzi compared the process behind the Fraternal Order of Police's endorsement of Williams to that of a South Philadelphia ward, saying, "The smoke was even thicker than that."

In the meantime, she said the office had received "hundreds of calls" from officers grateful for Abraham's leadership.

"She's a straight shooter," Dezzi said. "She put some bad cops in jail. And if I broke the law, she'd do it to me too."

Though some committee members pushed to support Williams, most saw his candidacy as poorly timed and weak compared to that of the high-profile incumbent.

"I'm not doing what we did four years ago," said committeeman Walt Sullivan, referring to the ward's endorsement of district attorney challenger Alex Talmadge Jr., a Northwest native, in 2001. "[Williams] is not going to come anywhere close to 43 percent. And that's not good enough for me."

"I won't take the awful heat I took and continue to take," Sullivan said to a room of knowing grins. "Let's not run up a hill that leads nowhere except off the edge of a cliff."

Controller

City Controller candidate John Braxton, a former Philadelphia judge, sold himself as the "unbought" candidate with a forward-looking vision to make city government "more efficient and tax-saving."

Retaining the city's youth and improving city services would be top priorities, he said. Partnerships with local universities would help spur economic development, he said. Also, if elected, Braxton said he would poll residents on city services as part of the office's regular audits.

Citing the endorsement of the Philadelphia Black Clergy, Braxton told the group: "Your endorsement won't be wasted."

In March, Butkovitz had sought to bounce Braxton from the ballot for filing an incomplete financial disclosure form. Braxton failed to disclose some sources of income, including his pension as a retired Common Pleas Court judge and a half-dozen rental properties he owns. Last month, a Commonwealth Court appeals panel affirmed an earlier Common Pleas ruling that allowed the candidate to amend his ethics statement.

Having survived the court challenge, Braxton sought to convince the committee his candidacy was a viable one.

"I've raised the kind of money to run an effective campaign," Braxton said. "[Butkovitz] attacked me to get me to spend money in the courts."

Butkovitz, who had attended four other ward meetings that night, arrived minutes before the committee's vote.

If elected, the seven-term state representative said he would overhaul the controller's office to function more like the federal General Accounting Office, "relentlessly holding [city officials'] feet to the fire."

Blasting City Council, Butkovitz said the body's politics ultimately hurt residents, citing both recent firehouse closings and the failed citywide smoking ban. "In City Council, decisions are based not on matters of fact but on opinions and feelings," he said.

Butkovitz touted his record as an experienced legislator who helped change the culture of violence in Philadelphia's public schools. In 2001, he was part of a legislative committee that investigated and uncovered a high level of unchecked violence in city schools. As a result, the School District instituted reforms, improved its reporting and shifted the focus to victims, he said.

"I helped move the School District 180 degrees," Butkovitz said. "I have the energy and credibility to push for that kind of change every day."

Also, Butkovitz said he would study the city's tax collection system, which he said hasn't been assessed for a decade, in addition to fixing glitches in the collection practices of city-owned agencies like the Philadelphia Gas Works.

Ultimately, Butkovitz won the ward's support.

Still, many saw the state legislator's experience as a handicap.

"This position screams out for an independent person," said Ken Weinstein, who voted for Braxton.

Steven Johnson, another member, echoed the sentiment. "If we have a controller that can't name names, change isn't going to happen," he said.