Scenes from the deli

The door to Famous 4th Street Deli swung open again and again today as a long-standing local Election Day ritual was repeated.

One after another, judicial, mayoral and City Council hopefuls crammed into the deli for the usual: backs were slapped, pictures were snapped and sandwiches the size of propane tanks were consumed.

Former state Sen. Milton Street was the first mayoral candidate to arrive at the deli. He was met at the corner of 4th and Bainbridge streets by a bunch of campaign workers who were toting enlarged heads of Jim Kenney and Common Pleas Judge Kevin Dougherty. (Photos of their heads, not their actual heads.)

Street said he didn't have any giant headed campaign propaganda. "Somebody might start shooting at them," he said.

He said he felt good about his chances. "I have better support in the black community than [Anthony Hardy] Williams," Street said.

He grabbed a table, sipped some coffee, and then vanished into thin air without even touching the plate of pickles on his table.

Former District Attorney Lynne Abraham popped into the deli next. "This election is being bought. End of story," she said, referring to the Super PACs that are backing Williams and Kenney.

Abraham said she was proud of the way she raised campaign funds -- one phone call at a time -- and said the idea that Super PACs don't coordinate ads and other campaign efforts with their favored candidates is a "fantasy."

Political guru Neil Oxman held court for a while. You'll have to check back later tonight for his thoughts on the mayoral race.

Mayor Nutter also visited. He was in a cheerful mood, a little unsure of what to do with himself.

"I told the folks outside, it is a little unusual for me. It's the first time in 28 years that I have not  been a candidate," he said. "I guess this is what other folks do. They go to polls, they vote . . .it is very, very different."

His mind drifted back to the 2007 primary election, when he unexpectedly beat out four other seasoned Democratic mayoral candidates.

"At the end of the day, we ended up at the Melrose Diner," he said.

"Shook all the hands in there. Came outside, and there were no people on the street. It was like, we had met everybody. There were no more people to talk to. My wife and I kind of looked and each other and said, 'I guess we go to the hotel.'"

City Council candidate Isaiah Thomas echoed other pols when he was asked about the voter turnout. "It's been slow," he said.