Does he hate elevators? Yes. But if he were afraid of them (clautophobia), he wouldn't use them.

"I went up the City Hall tower to get Ricky [Mariano]" Brady reminded us. "That elevator is barely big enough for two people."

Mariano, then a City Councilman under indictment, had gone to the top of City Hall for some reflection, though others feared suicide. Brady went up to talk him down.

Brady also uses the elevator at Democratic city committee headquarters to get to his party chairman's office.

But, all things considered, he'd rather walk.

"I got stuck in one one time in New York many years ago," Brady recalled. "We were in there for a couple hours. People were panicking. I'd calm them down. Then I was panicking. They calmed me down."

Screenwriters take note. This sounds like a made-for-TV movie.

Brady's recollection is that he and his fellow passengers were stuck around the 44th floor during a power outage.

Then, he said, after getting elected to Congress, he was stuck on an elevator in the Capitol.

"We were called for a floor vote and everybody got on at once," Brady said. "The limit was something like 1,400 pounds and we weighed more like 4,000."

Airplanes are a different matter. While he will ride elevators, he will not ride aircraft.

"I don't fly no more," Brady said. "I'm not afraid of flying, I'm afraid of crashing."

Rail travel is far more environmentally sound, anyway.

Ramos vs. Ramos

Although it was overshadowed by Brady's announcement for mayor yesterday, City Councilman Juan Ramos announced his bid for a second term.

Ramos, who runs citywide as an at-large member, has carved out a niche for himself as the friend of labor and the working class.

When he won four years ago, even though there are five at-large Democrats, it was widely perceived that he'd taken the seat held by Angel Ortiz, who was the only Latino member.

Now Ramos faces a challenge of his own from the Hispanic community, former state Rep. Ben Ramos.

One veteran Hispanic pol told us that Ramos is simply trying to leverage a government job.

"He knows it will be confusing to voters because he has the same last name," our source said. "He is trying to hold Juan hostage."

Juan Ramos said Ben Ramos, in fact, has asked for his help in getting a job.

"He came to visit me the week before last and did indicate he'd like to get back into government," Juan Ramos said. "He'd been hoping to get something through his longstanding relationship with Gov. Rendell, but hadn't been able to secure anything. I'm trying to give him a hand with that."

Ben Ramos admits he discussed a job with the councilman.

"We did talk and I thought there was a window of opportunity for us to have an understanding," he said. "I have a commitment to the betterment of this city and told him if there was an opportunity for us to work on some things where we don't have to bump heads, I would consider it."