Germantown's John Staggs files for mayoral race on Socialist ticket

Another candidate is joining Democrat Michael Nutter and Republican Al Taubenberger in the race for mayor - John Staggs of the Socialist Workers Party, a 60-year-old meatpacker living in Germantown.

Staggs, who got just 1,292 votes when he ran for mayor four years ago, submitted close to 4,000 voters' signatures yesterday, seeking a spot on the November ballot.

Staggs said he's concerned about Nutter's proposal to encourage more "stop and frisk" activity by city police officers and would like to see the city doing more to help immigrant workers.

Eight other independent or third-party candidates filed for other city offices, most of them seeking seats on City Council.

Three men - Brian Rudnick of the Green Party, the Rev. Jesse W. Brown Jr. and businessman Jim Foster - signed up to oppose incumbent Donna Reed Miller in the 8th Council District in Northwest Philadelphia.

In the 7th Council District in the lower Northeast, Luis A. Pineda, a self-employed realty agent, submitted petitions to run against Democrat Maria Quinones and Republican Gary Grisafi.

Jacinth Brown Roberts, a teacher and president of an elder-day-care agency, filed to run citywide for Council at large as a Green Party candidate.

Another Council-at-large petition was submitted by Osborne Hart, a warehouse worker from the Socialist Workers party.

Jacque Whaumbush, a former employee of the sheriff's department, filed to run as an independent against his former boss, Sheriff John Green.

And businessman Lewis Harris Jr. filed as a Green Party candidate for city commissioner, to help run the city's election machinery.

Although Staggs has never held public office, he is an experienced campaigner.

He ran third in the 2003 mayoral contest, collecting 1,292 votes against John Street and Sam Katz, less than one-half of 1 percent of the total votes cast.

Last year, Staggs challenged state Rep. Rosita Youngblood for her House seat and got 3.7 percent of the vote, without a Republican in the race.

More significantly, Staggs successfully challenged a 55-year-old "loyalty oath" requiring each political candidate in Pennsylvania to sign a declaration that he or she is "not a subversive person."

Staggs refused to sign the oath and state Attorney General Tom Corbett advised election officials not to enforce it, citing a 1974 U.S. Supreme Court opinion that such loyalty oaths were unconstitutional.

Yesterday was the deadline for candidates outside the Democratic and Republican parties to turn in nominating petitions to get onto the November ballot.

Those seeking citywide office needed at least 1,967 signatures from registered voters; candidates for district Council seats needed at least 750. *