Rizzo drops Republican party
Get inside the halls of Philadelphia power with PhillyClout: Inside City Hall, the blog by the Philadelphia Daily News' city hall reporters.
Rizzo drops Republican party
Jan Ransom
Councilman Frank Rizzo Jr. has left the Republican Party after he was suddenly booted out of leadership by his GOP colleagues nearly two weeks ago –a move he said was retaliation for voting in favor of a redistricting map that Republican Councilman Brian O’Neill didn’t like.
“In Council, I’ve always been independent but being independent got me into this,” said Rizzo, who is now registered as unaffiliated. “I voted for a district that makes sense.”
O'Neill did not immediately return calls for comment.
Rizzo, who recently loss in the Republican primary -is in his last months as Councilman. He served four terms and was the Minority Whip, but now the mostly ceremonial position has been granted to Councilman Jack Kelly.
“I’ve had a good run,” said Rizzo, adding “I did not pick this fight.”
good riddance you toad. enjoy retirement with your DROP payments— oliver north
So long you Rhino. Good Run feeding off Party dollars. Good riddance.....— tiger- Not that you should be expected to get things like this right, but "rhino" is short for "rhinoceros". RINO is the acronym for Republican In Name Only.
— 1980 
Have a gay retirement, Frannie.— Wilhelm Von Humboldt- Wait - there's a Republican party in Philly??? Who knew?— citylumberjack
- Yes, there is a Republican party. We meet in a telephone both for our party conventions. — mindstorms
- If by independent you mean a toady for the special interests destroying the city, yes you've always been an independent.
This city needs a real opposition instead of a pale imitation of Democrat machine corruption.— samac 
Heard he'll be leaving the closet with Santorum also.— gordon7- Fade into oblivion Frank Rizzo Jr. Has a son ever been so different than a father? What has Junion done on City Council or in life?— Serpico
- He did serve with Honor.— atomic clock
- I had no idea there were any republicans on city council. wow
— kjuggs77 - I thought the only Republicans in town were the statues of Lincoln and Grant. They are more lively than any republicans I see on TV.— Fernando08
Comment removed.- Where would this guy be; if his father wasn't born before him?— paulfromtheoblongtable
- Franny you never were and never will be a Frank.— imarealist
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.
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. E-mail tips to ransomj@phillynews.com
Follow Jan on Twitter
Sean Collins Walsh is from Bucks County and went to Northwestern University. He joined the Daily News copy desk in 2012 and now covers the Nutter administration. Before that, he interned at papers including The New York Times, The Dallas Morning News and The Seattle Times. E-mail tips to walshSE@phillynews.com
Follow Sean on Twitter
