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Wednesday, February 1, 2012

Clarke responds to Daily News profile

City Council president Darrell Clarke penned a lengthy letter to the editor that was featured in today’s Daily News.

In it, Clarke took issue with a recent profile – written by myself and David Gambacorta -- which described him as having been a single father to his daughter, Nicole. (Sharif Street, the son of Clarke’s mentor, former Mayor John Street, told the Daily News that Clarke “raised Nicole. He was her primary caretaker for most of her life.” Sharif has known Clarke for more than 30 years.)

Clarke disputes that notion in his letter. “Had they bothered to run this information by me, they would have learned that Nicole was loved and raised by both parents. They also incorrectly reported the name of Nicole’s mother.”

Later, in his letter, Clarke wrote: “I agreed to an interview with your reporter Ms. Ransom for this profile. Not once did she attempt to verify what she was told about my family.”

After weeks of repeated requests for an interview, Clarke agreed just two hours before our deadline and only after others had convinced him to do so.

This is a transcript of what he said when I brought up his daughter.

Ransom: “And from talking to people we also found out that you were a single parent at a time back then, I guess it was …”

Clarke: “Oh let me finish…”

Ransom: “Huh?”

Clarke: “The educational thing.”

Ransom: “Oh, yeah sure.”

[Clarke went on to talk about a certificate program that Street helped get him in.]

Ransom: "Yeah so, single parent, what was that like? Did you ever have a moment when you struggled? Single fathers are rare, so I guess if you can just tell us a little bit about that."

Clarke: "They’re not rare. Single fathers are not rare."

Ransom: "I don’t know a lot of single fathers."

Clarke: "Yes you do."

Ransom: "I actually don’t."

Clarke: "You just don’t talk about them."

Ransom: "That’s the problem. So can you indulge me?"

Clarke: "You have a child and you take responsibility for your child. In my case that was, you know, the most important responsibility I ever had and whatever sacrifice I had to make I made."

Ransom: "Did you have to make any sacrifices?"

Clarke: "I don’t like to characterize it as sacrifices. The most significant achievement in my life was raising my daughter."

Posted by Jan Ransom and David Gambacorta @ 5:10 PM Permalink | 12 comments

Comments

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 5:39 PM, 02/01/2012

Clarke does not respond to constituent inquiries so his behavior and attitude here is typical.

— mmds

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 7:56 PM, 02/01/2012

Fret not my friends. After a protracted absence, the dumb and arrogant Brothers and Sistas' are now poised to be in charge.

— DarnelC

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 5:44 PM, 02/01/2012

Why is he so prickly on this issue? He's head of City Council, a body that works on issues parent care about. He was and is a single parent. He was never married to his daughter's mother. He's not the only never-married parent in the City. What could be bothering him?

He's going to have to find a way to talk about this as one of his strengths, if it is in fact one of his strengths.

— CleanupPhilly

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 5:48 PM, 02/01/2012

Philly is doomed and more than half way there.

— Captain Terrific

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 6:00 PM, 02/01/2012

Actually, Chris, reading your transcript, it's clear that while Clarke never denied being a single father, he never acknowledged it either. Saying that there are a lot of single fathers is not saying that he is one. He talked about taking on the responsibility of being a father, not that of being a single father.

This looks like a failure to communicate well on both sides. But don't you have a responsibility to ask the right question? It seems to me that if you were going to make a big deal about him being a single father in your article, you should have asked specifically whether he was a single father and what in fact meant.

— Marc Stier

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 6:02 PM, 02/01/2012

Sorry, I meant Jan not Chris. I saw Chris Brennan's name at the top of the page and spaced out.

— Marc Stier

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 6:14 PM, 02/01/2012

They were told by Sharif Street that Clarke was a single father. Then, when asked "Yeah so, single parent, what was that like?," he doesn't answer the question. If he doesn't dispute the reporter's characterization during the interview, why would the reporters have any reason to question their information? And why would he dispute the information afterward? You're City Council President, Clarke, get used to the media attention and deal with it like a big boy.

— WriteIt37

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 6:58 PM, 02/01/2012

Did his baby momma take issue with the characterization in the article and start yelling at him over the phone? Geez, I hope this guy proves me wrong about how terrible a Council President I think he'll turn out to be. Please, please, prove me wrong Mr. Clarke.

— SirEdward

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 7:24 PM, 02/01/2012

This is the guy who cannot get is facts straight!

— James

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 4:17 AM, 02/02/2012

The spin doctor's of Philly politics, can't get their facts straight!!!

— Dadair1

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 6:39 AM, 02/02/2012

Clarke proving to be like street thin skinned

— the commodore

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 8:54 AM, 02/03/2012

"a certificate program that Street helped get him in"? What is that?

— riverrower

12 comments

About The Philly Clout Team

Chris Brennan, a native Philadelphian and graduate of Temple University, joined the Daily News in 1999. He has written about SEPTA, the Philadelphia School District, the legalization of casino gambling, state government, the mayor, the governor, City Council and political campaigns.

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David Gambacorta spent a small eternity writing about cops, drug dealers and serial killers. Now he’s writing about power and politics – which sometimes reminds him of the old crime beat. He joined the Daily News in 2005. And yes, he knows you’re not quite sure how to pronounce his last name. E-mail tips to gambacd@phillynews.com

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Catherine Lucey joined the Daily News in 2002 and has written about murderous drug gangs, political protesters and Harry Potter. After covering the 2007 mayoral election, she moved over to the City Hall bureau where she has been reporting on the Nutter administration.

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Jan Ransom, a native New Yorker, joined the Daily News in 2010 after graduating from Howard University. She has since written about the difficulty of filing police complaints, tax deadbeats and life after violent home invasions. She joined the Daily News City Hall Bureau in 2011 and has plunged headfirst into reporting on administration budget battles and City Council shenanigans.

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