On campaign trail, with an eye to 2015

City Councilman Bill Green has made no secret of his interest in running for mayor in 2015, four years from now. But he's been more explicit than ever before in five or six recent appearances on the campaign trail, most of them talking to Democratic committee people at preelection ward meetings.

Other candidates - for City Council, row offices, and judgeships - have been going to the same meetings and hearing Green give the same pitch, multiple times. So much so that at one recent meeting, one candidate nudged a sidekick while Green was speaking and predicted (accurately): "Here's the part where he runs for mayor."

"I fully expect to run for mayor," Green told Heard in the Hall on Friday. "Right now I'm a candidate for City Council. . . . When I run for mayor, I'll resign. Until I run for mayor, I won't."

Green also provided a brief reprise of what he has been saying on the campaign trail, and how he intends to use the next four years.

"What people really want is a city growing in population, with a growing number of jobs, offering a free, quality public education," Green said. "We can't get there with the existing bureaucratic institutions in place. We have to begin talking about what we must do to get there. . . . What I'm going to be proposing attacks a lot of sacred cows and affects a lot of stakeholders. . . . They're going to be unhappy, and I'm asking people to have my back as I begin the discussion.. . ." - Bob Warner

Green and Jim Kenney haven't had the coziest of relationships on Council, but last week they were all smiles and backslaps.

Sure, the two had agreed not to step on each other's complimentary bills on reforming the city's business taxes and fees, which were voted out of committee together with the mayor's support - and much fanfare.

But they seemed to be having just as much fun with the idea of their cooperation, engaging in a couple of tongue-in-cheek moments of mutual admiration.

"It's nice being on the same page," Kenney said, after Green spoke in praise of the two bills.

Finance Committee Chair Marian Tasco, sitting between them, smiled and said, "Kumbaya," sparking laughter.

Later, when Mayor Nutter - who has had his own ups and downs with the two councilmen - joined the party at a news conference, the strange lovefest continued.

Nutter said he would introduce the councilmen to speak about their bills.

"I thought the easiest way to do this and not get myself into trouble was to go in bill numerical order," Nutter said. "Who can argue with a numerical process?"

That meant Kenney spoke first.

"I think we should have done it in alphabetical order," Green said, when his turn came.

Green's cosponsor, Councilwoman Maria Quiñones Sánchez, spoke last. "I wanted beauty first because I think I'm cuter than the guys," she said. "And that ends the conversation."

"It's just amazing that we're even here," Nutter mumbled in the background. - Troy Graham