With primary election over, focus turns to DA's race

WITH YESTERDAY'S snoozefest primary election behind us, the next race to watch out for is the fall contest between District Attorney Seth Williams and Republican challenger Daniel "Danny" Alvarez.

Both Williams and Alvarez were unopposed yesterday.

Alvarez, 35, who worked as a prosecutor for eight years in the D.A.'s gun unit and the child support enforcement unit, is now in private practice. He spent most of yesterday introducing himself to voters.

Williams, 46, who is seeking a second term, said he has not focused on the general election yet, but is "looking forward to serving another four years."

And that's pretty likely according to political insiders, who say it will be hard for the unknown Republican to oust a Democratic incumbent in a city that bleeds mostly blue.

"I think [Williams] is electorally impenetrable," said Democratic political consultant Ken Snyder. "Unless Alvarez is going to spend millions of dollars to communicate who he is and what he's going to do, he has a pretty minimal opportunity."

Alvarez would have to work hard to raise money over the next several months: He only has $725 in his war chest.

But a Republican has won before - in 1986 when Ronald Castille, now state Supreme Court chief justice, beat Commonwealth Judge Robert Williams for the open seat. He later won re-election.

"If there's any office that a Republican could win - and that's been true in recent history - that's the District Attorney's Office," said political consultant Larry Ceisler. "But I don't think Seth is controversial and so that's the problem. I don't know what [Alvarez's] campaign would be."

Alvarez, a Virginia native who graduated from American University's law school and moved to Philly in 2003, said he's "running not as a politician, but as "a father with two kids."

If he were to become the city's top prosecutor, he said, he would like to focus on combating crime and investigating public corruption, something Williams should have focused on from day one.

"A lot of money from taxpayers is being wasted and can be used to combat violence on the street," Alvarez said.

Republican City Committee Chairman Vito Canuso Jr. said Alvarez's experience and passion make him a prime candidate for the job.

"People should want to see something different," Canuso said. "If he can articulate a plan and policy to the public, he can be successful."

Williams, who became the first African-American elected district attorney in Pennsylvania in 2009, intends to run on his record.

He noted that last month he formed a team of seasoned prosecutors to investigate public corruption. Plus, he said, he's implemented changes that include structural reorganization to make the office community-based, ensuring that prosecutors charge suspects with the right offenses and cracking down on illegal guns and witness intimidation.

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