Krajewski opts out of retirement
Restored to health, councilwoman plans to seek an 8th term
The headline on the news release from her office read:
Krajewski Rides Again! Joanie K gears up for another run for 6th District Council seat."
It was Councilwoman Joan Krajewski's way of announcing she no longer plans to retire and will seek an eighth term on Council in the May Democratic primary.
Krajewski, 72, earlier had announced her retirement following a long bout with illness in 2004 and 2005.
She had surgery in January 2005 at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital to remove a section of her esophagus damaged by acid reflux.
Then, she suffered a knee injury brought on by a blood thinner she was taking. For some time, she was nourished by a feeding tube and got physical therapy at Nazareth Hospital. She finally returned to her Council seat in May 2005.
Now things are on the upswing.
"I feel 150 percent better, I'm in good health, I have the best staff in City Hall and I'm looking forward to what the future holds for the 6th District and Northeast Philadelphia," she said in the release.
Her office said pressure had been building from her constituents for her to change her mind about retiring.
One constituent sent a dozen frozen pizzas to her City Hall office with the message, "Don't leave! We love you Joan!"
"You don't last seven terms by not listening to the people that put you here," Krajewski said in the release.
Krajewski has entered the city's Deferred Retirement Option Program, but she still is permitted to run for re-election.
She was slated to get $270,000 in the DROP by the end of the year, but has chosen to have the money rolled back into the pension fund, said her legislative aide, Patricia L. Kozlowski.
Krajewski was unavailable for comment.