Democrat Kevin Boyle entering race for Perzel seat

Democrat Kevin Boyle, a City Council aide and younger brother of State Rep. Brendan Boyle, will quit his job to take on Republican State Rep. John M. Perzel, testing the former House speaker's vulnerability should he seek a 17th term while under indictment.

Boyle's boss, Councilman William K. Greenlee, announced yesterday that his legislative aide since November 2006 would leave and had his support.

City employees cannot run for office while on the city payroll. Yesterday was Boyle's final day.

Boyle, 30, said he expected to make an official announcement this weekend. Others circulating petitions for the Democratic nomination are Dan Collins and Tim Kearney.

It's still not clear that Perzel, 60, will run again. Supporters are circulating nominating petitions, but the 31-year House veteran has not made an announcement and declined to comment yesterday.

Perzel has represented the 172d District in Northeast Philadelphia since 1979. He was speaker of the House from 2003 to 2006, and majority leader for eight years before that.

In November, he was indicted in Attorney General Tom Corbett's "Bonusgate" investigation, accused of spending $9 million in public money on GOP campaigns.

Boyle, who has a master's degree in education from Harvard University, said he had been urged to run by Democrats including House Speaker Keith R. McCall, of Carbon County; Philadelphia Rep. Michael P. McGeehan; and his brother, Brendan.

Brendan Boyle scored a victory for Democrats in 2008 by taking the 170th District seat in the Northeast and Montgomery County, vacated by retiring Republican George Kenney.