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Thursday, December 31, 2009

PhillyClout's Top Political Stories of the Decade

Yes, we know this is a time of year for lists, but at least we’re pretty sure you won’t see this one anywhere else. This is the one and only PhillyClout Top 10 Local Political Stories of the Decade. Our thanks to Dave Davies, Bob Warner and John Baer for their help.

Happy reading.

1) Fumo goes down – This is the biggie. Longtime state Sen. Vince Fumo, viewed as the most powerful politician in the city, is convicted on 137 of 137 corruption counts. He ended the decade in prison.

2) Bug found in Mayor John Street’s office – The story that set the 2003 mayoral election on fire. A federal bug was found in Street’s office, and Democratic pols so effectively painted the corruption probe as a Republican witch hunt that a competitive race turned into an easy win for Street. Democratic chairman U.S. Rep. Bob Brady later admitted to Philadelphia Magazine he was “just spinning the s---.”

3) Nutter wins 2007 mayoral election – When he quit his job as City Councilman, most political insiders said he was crazy. But slow and steady, Nutter kept his head down, raised a substantial campaign chest, talked good government and sailed past two Congressmen, a state representative and a millionaire to win the Democratic primary race. He later cake-walked through the general election.

4) Bob Casey defeats Rick Santorum for Senate – He was the right guy at the right time. Mild mannered Bob Casey sailed into the senate in 2006 after Rick Santorum’s extreme conservatism had turned most of Pennsylvania off.

5) Ethics Board With Teeth -- The city ethics board has changed the way elections happen here by insisting, and when necessary forcing, politicians to play by the rules and accurately report their campaign contributions and expenses. The board fought and won battles with City Council members, Congressmen, and the city's most powerful union. Now everyone in politics here knows there's a watchdog that will bite.

6) Rendell elected governor – They said a Philly guy couldn’t get the big job, but in 2002, Ed Rendell proved popular wisdom wrong. He beat party-endorsed Bob Casey in the primary with a savvy campaign, prodigious fundraising, and a whole lot of shoe leather, going on to easily win the general election.

7) Brady-Dougherty feud -- Electricians Union Chief John Dougherty lost status in the party after he clashed with U.S. Rep. Bob Brady, chairman of the Democratic City Committee, in 2006. Brady and party secretary Carol Ann Campbell, who died in 2008, launched an inquiry into how money had been spent from 2000 to 2005 while Dougherty was party treasurer. Dougherty bowed out of his party post during the fracas.

8) Philly Casinos -- More than three years after the state issued two casino licenses in the city, neither is open. SugarHouse in Fishtown is under construction and shooting for a mid-2010 opening but Foxwoods in South Philadelphia is floundering, much to the consternation of the state, and still seeking funding to start construction.

9) The state takeover of the Philadelphia School District – Engineered by then-Mayor John Street, It started in 2002 and was supposed to be a temporary stabilizing effort but so far there no signs of returning control to a local school board

10) Latrice Bryant -- Councilman W. Wilson Goode’s aide, Latrice Bryant, took offense in September 2008 when Fox 29 News wanted to ask her about running personal errands on the city dime so she held signs aloft during a Council session, comparing the station to the KKK. The station later followed up with vacation pics of Bryant looking mighty cozy with Goode during a 2005 Jamaican vacation.
Posted by Catherine Lucey and Chris Brennan @ 10:00 AM  Permalink | 6 comments
Comments   
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 11:00 AM, 12/31/2009
    You are right about Casey being a top political story. How in the world this limp-biscuit was ever elected is beyond reason. It is more exciting to watch grass grow than to listen to this drone. What peice legislation has he introduced? If he wins reelection it will show that the average voter does not have the intelligence to vote beyond American Idol. He is not his father's son!
    — junethe4th
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 1:04 PM, 12/31/2009
    "Ethics Board with teeth" but not with enough ethics to investigate why Philadelphia is the only large city with voter turnouts consistently in the 90% plus range while the national average is somewhere around 50%. (Hint: I haven't lived in Phiadelphia for 20 years, & I'm told I'm still voting in my old ward)
    — JerryD
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 1:44 PM, 12/31/2009
    How does someone who does beer runs and b jobs for her workday and then level racist allegations in and out ofCouncil meetings still hold a 90k+ job for Councilman Goode????
    — Earl J
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 2:17 PM, 12/31/2009
    These stories point out the sorry state of Philadelphia political corruption. One wonders what this city could be with real leadership at the helm.
    — Kaiser Sosa
  • Comment removed.
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 5:04 PM, 12/31/2009
    janann, spoken like a true liber democrap.
    — junethe4th


6 comments
About The Philly Clout Team
PhillyClout
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.
 Follow Chris on Twitter

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
 Follow Dave on Twitter.

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.
 Follow Jan on Twitter



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Catherine Lucey
luceyc@phillynews.com

Chris Brennan
brennac@phillynews.com

Jan Ransom
Ransomj@phillynews.com
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