Williams needs Philly to win top post

The city's political leaders have come out in support of State Sen. Anthony Hardy Williams in the four-way race for governor, but that support will have to translate into big turnout and a big victory in Philadelphia if he's going to have a chance at becoming governor, observers say.

"Normally, the turnout in the western part of the state is much better," said Berwood Yost, director of the Floyd Institute for Public Policy at Franklin and Marshall College. "How does he generate the enthusiasm to even that out?"

In Philadelphia, you do that by getting people on the streets on Election Day. Williams has the Democratic City Committee endorsement and is backed by Mayor Nutter and District Attorney Seth Williams, but City Council may be a better predictor of how the Democratic machine will perform.

He has the support of nine of 14 Democratic City Council members, including its Democratic leadership.

But two Democratic members, Curtis Jones Jr. and Bill Green, are backing Allegheny County Executive Dan Onorato. Three others - Jannie L. Blackwell, Frank DiCicco, and Joan Krajewski - remain noncommittal. Blackwell, whose relationship with Williams is none too friendly these days, and Jones could hurt Williams in his home turf - West Philly.

No one on Council has publicly backed the other two candidates, Montgomery County Commissioner Joe Hoeffel or state Auditor General Jack Wagner. Williams would also need to win in Hoeffel's own county, said one consultant, further complicating his victory formula. - Jeff Shields

Practical suggestions for saving city money

Maybe Philadelphia should try to save some money the old-fashioned way - by turning out the lights.

A new report from the watchdog group Committee of Seventy suggests the city should get more creative in figuring out how to close its $150 million budget gap.

Among the suggestions: Philly could turn off every third streetlight. Colorado Springs officials did that and saved $1.2 million yearly.

The report acknowledges that high crime rates may make fewer lights a riskier proposition here, but if people don't like that idea, the committee has many others, including:

Giving city workers Friday off. They wouldn't get paid, and the idea could be a tough sell with unions, but other cities, including Birmingham, Ala., have tried it.

The city also could print on both sides of paper, the report says.

To read all the committee's suggestions, go to:

http://www.seventy.org/COS_NWS_News_Details.aspx?code=533L34F5K42 - Miriam Hill

Williams gets IBEW's roundabout support

Among contributors of the $4 million to State Sen. Anthony Hardy Williams for the May 18 gubernatorial primary, one of his closest allies is missing. Or is he?

Williams and local electricians' union chief John J. "Johnny Doc" Dougherty have a relationship going back to the construction of the city's sports stadiums, where the two worked together on a minority-apprenticeship program.

"I think we've made great strides with the electricians," Williams said. "The truth is, Doc at least listens."

Williams backed Dougherty's unsuccessful 2008 Senate bid against Larry Farnese. And Dougherty is back squarely behind Williams for governor.

Though International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 98 is not listed as a donor on Williams' gubernatorial-campaign documents, its Committee on Political Education contributed $100,000 to his Senate campaign - $50,000 on March 24 and $50,000 on March 29. Williams is running both for the Democratic nomination for governor and to retain his state Senate seat representing West Philadelphia and lower Delaware County.

The Anthony H. Williams for Governor Committee took $100,000 from the Anthony Williams for Senate Committee in two installments, $50,000 on March 23 and $50,000 on March 29.

Williams spokesman Mark Nevins said there was no attempt to distance the campaign from Dougherty. Local 98 had contributed to the Senate campaign before and did so again with the understanding that the money would be used as Williams saw fit, Nevins said.

"We needed the resources in the gubernatorial race, so we transferred the funds to the gubernatorial committee," Nevins said, adding that "we'd have to be pretty stupid to think that people wouldn't look at his Senate campaign."

As of Friday, other big-money donors dwarfed the electricians' contributions. But watch out for Local 98 in the campaign's final weeks. - Jeff Shields