Council's Goode: It wasn't about winning elections; it's about serving

Even as election day unfolded, Councilman Wilson Goode Jr. said he knew how it would end.

He was listed dead last on the ballot. Ahead of him was a field of qualified challengers. And - as has been the case before - the politician who says he doesn't care much for politics had run a minimal campaign.

"I understood exactly what happened yesterday as it was happening and was prepared for it," Goode said Wednesday. "The goal for me was never winning elections. The goal for me was to serve. And so I never focused as much on just winning elections."

That lack of a penchant for politics cost the 15-year Council veteran his job in the most unexpected upset of the day.

Goode, son of the city's first black mayor, hadn't been viewed as vulnerable. But political experts say his ballot position, lack of relationships with ward leaders, and perhaps the weakening muscle of a once-powerful family name all proved fatal.

Also out Tuesday was Councilman Ed Neilson, as voters backed three newcomers: former Council aide Derek Green, developer Allan Domb, and education activist Helen Gym. Incumbents Blondell Reynolds Brown and William Greenlee rounded out the five winners in the at-large Democratic primary.

In the crowded field, the successful campaigns had a mix of financial backing, smooth campaign machines, and the support of ward leaders who, in exchange for a monetary contribution, placed the candidates on their sample ballots.

Goode, an often-reserved councilman whose work has focused heavily on helping the poor and creating jobs, had the backing of the Democratic Party. And he said he earned more endorsements this year - about 25 - than in any other election.

Beyond that, Goode said, he made donations to at least 25 ward leaders who had say over sample ballots.

He was left off many others.

In the 50th Ward, one of the most powerful for voter turnout, ward leader and Councilwoman Marian Tasco said members voted to put candidate Isaiah Thomas on the ballot.

"I don't think my committee people know [Goode]," she said. "They don't see him. He doesn't come to our meetings or engage in our activities or anything like that."

Political consultant Mark Nevins said that in a city that often looks kindly on incumbents, it's easy to suffer from overconfidence. He referenced the 2011 primary, when James F. Kenney, who won the Democratic nomination for mayor Tuesday, came within 1,700 votes of losing his Council seat.

"My sense of Councilman Goode is, he is more about the work of being a councilman than the politics of being a councilman," Nevins said. "You can give him credit for staying focused on doing the work he was elected to do. But you have to get reelected. Part of your job is to get reelected."

Others wondered if Goode's name held less weight in this election than it once did. Another son of a former Philadelphia mayor, Frank Rizzo Jr., also ran in the at-large Democratic field. After a relatively quiet campaign, Rizzo finished 13th out of 16 candidates.

"Even the [voters] familiar with the name, it carries less celebrity value with the passage of time," City Controller Alan Butkovitz said.

Goode said he thought the outcome boiled down mostly to ballot position and who was on sample ballots handed out on the polls. As for his last name, he said that running in a crowded at-large race was "a lot trickier" than name recognition.

"I understand elections, and I understand why sometimes you lose," he said. "And that includes ballot positions and part of the inside game that I don't engage in."

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@TriciaNadolny