The election approaches...in seven months

PHILADELPHIA City Council President Darrell Clarke should expect his phone to ring on Nov. 5 or soon thereafter.

The caller: City Controller Alan Butkovitz.

The topic: the 2015 Democratic primary election for mayor.

The question: in or out?

Butkovitz is gearing up for Nov. 5, the day after the general election and so the first day of the political cycle for the 2015 primary.

Butkovitz mailed a letter to potential campaign donors two weeks ago, giving them some recent polling data and saying he'd be calling soon to talk about his interest in the race.

He is now making those calls. And asking for their cash.

But Butkovitz is still waiting to see what Clarke does.

"I think Darrell recognizes that there's a real-world timeline," Butkovitz replied when we asked if Clarke has frozen the field with a series of successful campaign fundraisers where the will-he-or-won't-he-run theme dominates.

Clarke had just such an event Wednesday at the Union League.

Ed Rendell, a former mayor and governor, cracked wise at another Clarke fundraiser last month, saying the Council president could be "the second best mayor the city's ever seen."

While Butkovitz waits on Clarke, he is also very focused on state Sen. Anthony Hardy Williams, another likely contender for the Democratic nomination.

The data he mailed to potential donors, from two Public Policy Polling surveys, showed Clarke leading a packed Democratic field in May with just 14 percent, while Butkovitz had 12 percent and Williams had 2 percent.

Butkovitz had PPP drop Clarke and a few other potential candidates from a September survey, which showed Butkovitz at 23 percent and Williams at 11 percent.

Terry Gillen, a former top adviser to Mayor Nutter, and former City Solicitor Ken Trujillo, are the only declared candidates so far. Gillen took 5 percent in the September poll while Trujillo was at 2 percent.

Undecided was the clear winner in both polls, at 40 percent in May and 49 percent last month.

That's right: Undecided is now gaining in the polls. Think of the campaign bumper stickers - "Undecided for Philadelphia!"

Butkovitz, who is white and from Northeast Philly, is also closely tracking support among African-American Democrats.

Williams, who is black and from West Philly, led Butkovitz 19 percent to 9 percent among African-American voters in May and 25 percent to 17 percent last month.

Williams, through a spokeswoman, declined to comment on Butkovitz's poll.

"To be mayor of Philadelphia, it's essential that you have significant cross-racial appeal," Butkovitz said. "It's important to determine how that's being viewed."

It was good fun watching the two-step reaction veteran political players had after speaking to state Sen. Mike Stack III Monday at the Democratic City Committee's pre-election party.

Step one: He wants to do what?

Step two: What is he really trying to pull?

Stack, on the Nov. 4 general election ballot as Democrat Tom Wolf's candidate for lieutenant governor, was telling people he is researching the legality of hanging onto his 5th Senatorial District seat for two more years even if he and Wolf win the race.

"I could be a super-senator," Stack told us, putting the odds of such a move at 60/40 in favor.

Wolf didn't know about Stack's idea until we asked him this week. He did not sound at all in favor a two-job second-in-command.

"I would really hope he would focus on being lieutenant governor," Wolf told us.

Stack may be pushing the two-seat strategy to gain leverage in picking a candidate for a special election to fill his Senate seat if he becomes lieutenant governor.

The line is already forming.

John Sabatina Sr., longtime leader of Northeast Philly's 56th Ward, wants his son, state Rep. John Sabatina Jr. in that seat.

And John McNesby, head of Lodge 5 of the Fraternal Order of Police, has a strong interest.

McNesby tells us he'd consider running in the special election as a Republican if the Democrats select a different candidate.

There is precedent for a lieutenant governor with a Senate seat.

Gov. Ridge left office in 2001 during his second term to become secretary of the new Department of Homeland Security.

Lt. Gov. Mark Schweiker became governor and state Sen. Robert Jubelirer, the Senate president pro tempore became lieutenant governor, while keeping his Senate seat.

The Pennsylvania Constitution says no person holding office "under the United States or this Commonwealth shall exercise the office of Governor, Lieutenant Governor or Attorney General."

Former state Rep. John Lawless sued to keep Jubelirer from holding the two jobs, citing that section of the Constitution. He lost in Commonwealth Court.

Seven years later, Lawless testified during former state Sen. Vince Fumo's federal corruption trial that Fumo, motivated to take out Jubelirer, secretly funded that lawsuit with money from a nonprofit he founded.

Fumo helped Stack win his first Senate election in 2000.

Senate President Pro Tempore Joseph Scarnati III became lieutenant governor in 2008 during Gov. Rendell's second term when Lt. Gov. Catherine Baker Knoll died. Like Jubelirer, Scarnati kept his Senate seat.

Email: brennac@phillynews.com

Phone: 215-854-5973

On Twitter: @ChrisBrennanDN