Many active races in Phila.

The mayor's race may be a foregone conclusion, but Philadelphia's primary election does feature the first fully blind City Council candidate, a professional impersonator of Eagles coach Andy Reid, a former Pennsylvania House speaker, and, of course, a federal ex-convict who owes nearly $400,000 to the city he hopes to lead.

There are also more than just run-of-the-mill endorsements, with some city candidates trying to get a boost from the likes of New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Harvard University law professor Laurence Tribe, and two former U.S. representatives named Joe - Sestak and Hoeffel.

But none of it may add up to much Tuesday, with political insiders projecting turnout between 10 and 20 percent of the city's 1,014,088 registered voters.

Still, the election results will be anything but insignificant.

For one, the mayoral primary amounts to a referendum on Mayor Nutter, who is expected to win handily yet will end his first term with an unsettling number of detractors.

As a result, most election-day bets involve how many votes will go to his well-known rival, T. Milton Street Sr. - who is still under federal supervision for tax crimes - or, in a similar vein, how many voters will express a view by simply skipping over the race at the ballot box.

"The results will decide whether Mayor Nutter has an opportunity for a legacy or is in danger of being an early lame duck," Philadelphia political consultant Larry Ceisler said.

Just as closely watched will be how Nutter's slate of Democratic Council candidates fares, as victories would help shore up his political capital in a second term. Among those he is backing are district candidates Kenyatta Johnson, Marty Bednarek, Mark Squilla, and Cindy Bass, and all five at-large incumbents.

Others whose political influence will be weighed include District Attorney Seth Williams, who as an ambitious first-time officeholder has his own list of favorites. They include district candidates Johnson, Bass, Bob Henon, and Maria Quiñones Sánchez and at-large newcomer Andy Toy.

Also on the radar: labor leader John J. Dougherty, whose electricians' union contributed, through several related political committees, more cash in this election than any other single entity. Dougherty's main focus is on electing one of his own - Henon, who is Local 98's political director - to the Sixth District seat.

More than anything, however, the 2011 primary is about the future of Council - who will be its next president, whether its members will be beholden to traditional interests, and whether as the legislative body it will facilitate or block the mayor's agenda.

"Rarely do you have this much opportunity for change on City Council, but I'm worried people don't see the big possibilities and that they stay home, frankly," said Zack Stalberg, president of the Committee of Seventy government watchdog group.

Five of Council's 17 members are retiring. The last time so many left was in 1991, when seven new faces were elected. Partly because of this rare happenstance, campaign battles have been intense, especially in five of the 10 Democratic district races.

Additionally, there are 14 Democratic at-large candidates, including three - Toy, Sherrie Cohen, and Edward Nesmith - who are seen as real threats to the five incumbents (Blondell Reynolds Brown, W. Wilson Goode. Jr., Bill Green, William K. Greenlee, and James F. Kenney). Among the long shots in the field is Michael Jones, a blind pastor.

Republicans are also feeling some heat this election, with a mayoral contest between John Featherman and Karen Brown.

Also, nine Republican at-large candidates are seeking five primary spots, which will be narrowed to two in November's election. One of the seats is being vacated by Jack Kelly; the other is held by Frank Rizzo, who is vulnerable because of his participation in the Deferred Retirement Option Plan pension program. Among the challengers are Dennis O'Brien, the former House speaker, and Stephen Odabashian, a Northern Liberties lawyer who does Andy Reid impersonations.

"When people are here and the rubber meets the road, we will have to see whether they are the so-called breath of fresh air they claim to be," said First District Councilman Frank DiCicco, retiring after 16 years. He, for one, doesn't think dramatic change is in store for Council, no matter who is elected.

One thing longtime political observers, including DiCicco, do agree on is that the city's Democratic Party will play a key role Tuesday. That is because low-turnout elections make it easier for party officials - ward leaders and committee people - to focus on drawing loyal voters to the polls.

On Friday, most ward leaders went to the party's Center City headquarters to pick up checks that they will cash and use to hire election-day workers to promote endorsed candidates.

The party's loyal voters play a particularly big part in helping determine the winners in other important elections - namely, which of more than 50 judicial candidates will win a total of 12 spots on Common Pleas, Municipal, and Traffic Courts.

To be sure, those races are fierce, with some judicial candidates not endorsed by the party turning to paid consultants - some who collect $20,000 or $30,000 per candidate - to get their names on sample ballots to be distributed Tuesday.

Such loyal voters will also carry influence in this year's contested row-office races, for sheriff and city commissioner.

With the retirement of longtime Sheriff John Green, there was some belief that the office - which transports prisoners, staffs court rooms, and runs sheriff's sales - was ripe for elimination, with those duties to be shifted elsewhere in the government.

Candidate John Kromer pledges to dismantle the office, while another candidate, Jacque Whaumbush, concedes change is needed but that the agency should remain intact.

But another rival for that job, North Philadelphia State Rep. Jewel Williams, says the office can be improved by hiring some new top staff - and he has the edge in this race, given his backing by the Democratic Party and his status as a ward leader.

More intriguing to political watchers is the campaign for the three seats on the City Commission, which oversees Philadelphia's election process. The seats are typically held by two Democrats and one Republican.

The race is more intense this year for both parties. On the Republican side, challenger Al Schmidt represents a wing of the city GOP that is frustrated with the party machine and its candidate, incumbent Joe Duda.

The Democratic primary is sharpened because of the perceived vulnerability of Commission Chairwoman Marge Tartaglione, who was first elected in 1975. Her daughter, who worked as her deputy, quit last year after the disclosure of ethical violations.

Also, Tartaglione has been repeatedly smeared in campaign mailings and at candidate forums by rival Stephanie Singer for taking DROP money and, according to Singer, allowing a culture of corruption to fester. Singer is one of seven Democrats running for the commission.

Yet Tartaglione, 78, is not to be counted out.

A powerful ward leader, she received more votes in her last primary race than did Nutter.