2 at-large Council seats targeted

NOTE: THIS STORY HAS BEEN CORRECTED.

Councilman W. Wilson Goode Jr. plans to propose a charter change that would reduce the number of at-large City Council seats from seven to five - a move that would effectively eliminate the two at-large seats that traditionally go to Republicans.

"We should really consider whether we need seven at-large members," said Goode, who will introduce the legislation when Council resumes in two weeks.

The Committee of Seventy's chief executive, Zack Stalberg, said he doubted that the legislation would earn much support.

"Unless he can make a very good argument for it, I'd be very surprised if it got any political traction," Stalberg said. "I think even the Democrats would see value in not opening up a big can of worms and getting rid of the Republicans."

Council has 17 seats. The Home Rule Charter dictates that 10 are for district representatives, who are elected by voters in their councilmanic district. The remaining seven go to at-large members, who are elected by the entire city.

No political party can nominate more than five candidates for at-large seats, which essentially leaves two seats open for the minority-party Republicans. The two Republican at-large members are Councilmen Jack Kelly and Frank Rizzo. Councilman Brian O'Neill, of the 10th District, is the third Republican on Council.

Goode's legislation would reduce the number of at-large seats to five, but still allow parties to nominate five candidates. Given that registered Democrats outnumber Republicans 5-1 in Philly, the GOP would find it much harder to win any at-large seats under the proposed legislation.

In the last general election, Rizzo was the highest Republican vote-getter with 76,937 votes. Councilwoman Blondell Reynolds Brown squeaked into the fourth Democratic slot with 148,236 votes.

"I believe there should be open and fair competition for the seats," said Goode.

Stalberg said his watchdog group is still reviewing the legislation, but "my hunch is that in the end, the Committee of Seventy would be concerned about getting rid of minority representation in a town that's already too much of a one-party town."

Because a charter change requires public approval, Goode wants the question posed to voters next May's primary election.

Goode said that because Kelly and Rizzo are in the Deferred Retirement Option Program (DROP), he expects them to retire before the next election anyway.

But neither Kelly nor Rizzo has definitely committed to leaving.

"I'm a little disappointed in Wilson Goode in assuming I'm retiring," Rizzo said. "I have a lot of energy left, and I have a lot of good to do."

He added that people shouldn't assume he is going to retire because he is in DROP.

A number of Council members have signed up for DROP, which gives qualifying city employees a lump-sum payment upon retirement. But there is a loophole. Councilwoman Joan Krajewski entered DROP four years ago, but won re-election last year. So she retired for a day to collect the payout and then was rehired as a retiree to come back for another term.

Rizzo also said he wasn't sure that cutting the number of at-large members was the best idea.

"I'm just a bit curious, is it political, is it efficiency? I'm a little bit confused until I have an opportunity to study it," he said.

At-large Councilman Jim Kenney said that he hadn't seen the legislation but felt the issue deserved review.

"Certainly it has merit to have discussion about," Kenney said. "I never understood the set-aside for the Republicans anyway."

But Republican O'Neill said he would actively campaign against the legislation. *

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