Four candidates — possibly five — are gearing up to replace former state representative, now city Councilman Kenyatta Johnson in the 186th District.

Former candidate for City Council Damon Roberts, former Youth Commissioner Jordan Harris, ward leader Edward Nesmith and businessman Fawwaz “Jazz” Beyha have all thrown their hats in the ring.

It’s also rumored that former Rep. Harold James is going to try to recapture the seat he held for years.

James could not be reached Thursday for comment.

The race is complicated by several factors: the date for the vote, a special election, has not been set, and the boundary lines of the district are shifting under the state’s redistricting plan, so voters may be uncertain if they are even eligible to participate. In addition, the redistricting plan is facing a likely court challenge, which could further complicate things.

The speaker of the Pennsylvania House will schedule the special election to fill the seat.

Additionally, without an incumbent bringing the considerable resources typically commanded by incumbents to the race, the field is wide open. Johnson held the seat until January, when he resigned to take his new position as Council representative for the Second District. He held office as state representative for less than two terms.

James held it before that.

It’s likely that all the names on a potential ballot are familiar to voters in the district, which encompasses Southwest and a portion of South Philadelphia.

Roberts, a real estate attorney, has campaigned twice in recent years for the Second District Council seat. In his last campaign, he jousted against Johnson before ultimately dropping out and endorsing Johnson.

At the time, talk of a deal — denied by both candidates — surrounded the news of Roberts’ withdrawal. So it was widely expected that should Roberts run for the House seat, Johnson would endorse him. Instead, it was Harris who captured Johnson’s endorsement — and that of his sponsor and mentor state Sen. Anthony H. Williams Jr.

Roberts, for his part, remained philosophical.

“At the end of the day, every candidate is going to have their supporters and their detractors,” he said.

Roberts prefers to look to the future.

“I don’t believe that there is anybody better prepared to make a difference,” he said. Noting the diversity of the district, he added: “I believe I’m best prepared to represent everyone in that district. We do have a lot of issues, and I’m passionate about the issues.”

His career as an attorney will serve constituents well, he said.

“When you have a legislature that is so overwhelmingly Republican it’s going to take a master negotiator like me to get the job done,” he said.

Harris has the blessing of Johnson and Williams. That backing could give him a leg up among voters.

It will also give him an advantage if he wins, he said.

“Because of the relationship we have, we’ll be able to get a lot of things done,” Harris said. “And, to continue the work I started with Senator Williams and Councilman Johnson.”

Before resigning to run for office, Harris led the city’s Youth Commission. He has a history of community and political involvement, having first met Williams when he was still in high school, he said, and working with both the state senator and Johnson for years on various issues, among them Johnson’s Peace Not Guns initiative.

Harris said he felt compelled to give back to the community he grew up in and where he has spent his life.

I call myself a son of South Philly,” he said. “It’s my duty to give back.”

Nesmith, Democratic leader in the 2nd Ward, is a long-time ward leader, committeeman and activist. He sums up his qualifications in one brief sentence, “Experience, knowledge, service, the ability to get things done.”

Though the bulk of his political experience comes from being a committeeman and ward leader, that is not his prime qualification for the job, he said.

“I’m running on my service record, helping people,” he said. “That’s what people need to focus on.”

It is his second attempt to capture the seat. Nesmith ran for state representative against Harold James in 1994.

Beyha, too, is well known throughout the district, where most people know him as “Jazz.”

“I’m a community developer and a community employer,” he said, noting that he has six businesses in the district, from barbershops to a hair salon and a real estate development company. “I’m the largest minority employer in South Philadelphia outside of Kenny Gamble and Universal Companies.”

Beyha has never held elected office, but saw Johnson’s resignation as a chance to run.

He said he would bring greater community involvement to the post.

“I’m tied in on a community level,” he said. “As far as community ties are concerned, I’m the most connected to the community.”

Contact Staff Writer Eric Mayes at (215) 893-5742 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

Dry run of voter ID law, get out the vote efforts

Candidates, their campaign staffs, and city officials, were bracing for a particularly difficult Election Day today as Pennsylvania voters head to the polls to cast their vote in the spring primary.

“It’s an unusually complex environment,” said City Commissioner Stephanie Singer. “I think there is going to be a lot of scrutiny of this election.”

In addition to the typical challenges voters face — which candidate to choose — voters in this primary also have to deal with the “soft roll out” of the state’s new voter ID law.

Though the law does not go into effect until the Nov. 6 election, poll workers will be asking voters for a photo ID this time in an effort to get a handle on how many lack the identification required for the fall.

“This is just a dry run,” Singer said. “You will do nothing differently.”

But, the change has everyone from candidates to volunteers paying a little more attention.

“You are going to make this happen,” Damon K. Roberts, a candidate for the state House, told volunteers at a training session for polling place volunteers Monday morning at his Dickinson Street office. “Victory needs to be on your face.”

It was crunch time and similar scenes were playing out all over the city and state. Every seat in the state House is up for grabs, as are half the seats in the state Senate.

In addition, Pennsylvania voters will choose their party’s candidates for president, U.S. senator and representative, state attorney general, treasurer and auditor general. In Philadelphia, which is overwhelmingly made up of Democratic voters, the primary often determines who ultimately wins in the general election.

Roberts is locked in a tough contest with former Youth Commissioner Jordan Harris for the 186th Legislative District, who is widely viewed as the favorite, and Timothy Hannah, a long-time community activist.

The race for the 186th is a prime example of the situation city voters face as they head to the polls. Though there is no incumbent in the race, Harris, who was endorsed by The Tribune Sunday, has the backing of the Democratic establishment — including city Councilman Kenyatta Johnson, who held the 186th seat until January, and state Sen. Anthony Williams. Roberts has run for state representative and City Council before.

In addition, voters in the district will be asked to choose someone to fill the remainder of Johnson’s term in the state House. The Democrat there is Harold James, who held the seat for decades before retiring in 2008, paving the way for Johnson’s win.

The race in the 186th is just one of several hotly contested races across the city. In other races to watch include the 188th District, which pits incumbent state Rep. James Roebuck against newcomer Fatimah Muhammad. The campaign has taken on a negative tone with a political action committee attacking Roebuck, who has the support of the teachers’ union, for his stance on public education. Muhammad told The Tribune the attack had nothing to do with her campaign, adding that she supports vouchers in principle, but does not endorse the proposal now in the House.

In the 197th District, Jewel Williams, daughter of former state Rep., now Sheriff Jewell Williams is seeking her father’s seat in Harrisburg. She faces several contenders in the race: J. Miranda, Kenneth Walker and Jamil Ali. Opponents have accused to Williams of fostering confusion among voters in an effort to get them to vote for her thinking they are voting for her father. Voters here will also be asked to pick someone to fill the remainder of Jewell Williams’ seat. The choice there is between ward leader Gary Williams or perennial candidate T. Milton Street, brother of former Mayor John Street, who once served in the state House and has since served time for tax evasion.

Eighteen-year incumbent state Rep. Rosita Youngblood faces two challengers this primary season: Malik Boyd and Charisma Presley. The development at Chelten Plaza, which sparked a neighborhood controversy, had divided constituents. Youngblood opposed the project after the developer altered plans to build at Super Fresh there. Boyd backed the change, which brought a Sav-A-Lot to the plaza along with a dollar store, saying they were more in line with what the district needed.

Despite the hype, and the new voter ID law, voter turnout is expected to be low — perhaps lower than usual because of voter confusion about the state’s new voter ID law.

Voter turnout in primary elections in non-presidential years is typically low.

Singer said she’s not sure what this year’s turnout will look like.

“I have been surprised at how much anger there is over the voter ID law,” she said, adding that she hoped that anger would translate in votes. “The best way to beat this is for Philadelphians to come out and vote.”

Most expect the confusion that surrounds the new law and traditional voter apathy to reduce turn out.

“Voting here and around the country is embarrassingly low,” said Zack Stalberg, president and CEO of the Committee of Seventy, an elections watchdog group.

Both declined to give estimates.

There were slightly more than 1 million registered voters in the 2011 primary — 797,762 Democrats and 127,165 Republicans with 90,000 others. But, only 17.6 percent of the registered voters turned out in the 2011 primary.

Roberts was well aware of the statistics and told his volunteers the contest is likely to be close — urging them to get their friends and neighbors to vote.

“This might come down to five or 10 votes,” he said.

Stirring voters’ passions can be difficult.

Roberts portrays himself as a community crusader battling the city’s political machine.

“Some people just go along with the agenda,” he said, getting his volunteers fired up.

But, he also made sure they knew he was a Democrat, telling the group that the Republicans who control Harrisburg have a “radical right agenda.”

He used education as an example — honing in on vouchers — a hot button issue in this election cycle, in part because the political action committee Students First has poured tens of thousands of dollars into several races in south, southwest and west Philadelphia.

“If they destroy our public schools, where are our kids going to go?” asked Roberts.

In one corner, Kevin Parks had been listening as he inserted flyers into packets that would go to every polling place volunteer in the district.

As Roberts talked, Parks had difficulty containing himself.

“The private schools can turn out the kids,” he said loudly, shaking his head.

With every seat in the state House up for grabs and voter turnout expected to be low, candidates rely on grassroots enthusiasm.

“You are going to make it happen,” Roberts told his people.

He hopes to have between 160 and 200 volunteers at polling places across the district. Some of those will be the volunteers that stand outside the polling places. Some will be poll watchers, who must be certified to stand inside the polling place.

City officials will be watching closely this year.

“We understand that there may be some confusion this year with the new voter ID law that is now in place,” said District Attorney Seth Williams. “We want to make sure that no one is discouraged about going to the polls … because of that confusion.”

He promised that his office would “go after any criminal activity and prosecute it to the fullest extent of the law.”

Contact staff writer Eric Mayes at (215) 893-5742 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

If, as the old saying goes, politics is a contact sport; then Philadelphia politics is a no-holds-barred, steel cage death match.

Every campaign season, we are inundated with candidates whose shameless win-at-all-costs philosophy embarrasses us into not voting for them, or not voting at all. Every Election Day, whether primary, general or special, we are treated to stories of dirty tricks, underhanded tactics, and outright sabotage in the name of winning a public office.

Then the winners somehow expect the public to forget everything they’ve seen and heard for the past six months and trust them as honorable, fair-minded servants of the people.

This explains pretty much everything wrong with local politics: the feeling of voter apathy, the general distrust of elected officials, and the pathetic 15 to 18 percent voter turnout numbers we’re used to seeing.

We, the long-suffering public, are expected to wade through a knee-deep quagmire of lies, corruption, and stupidity to arrive upon a candidate who can move this city, and this country forward without succumbing to the temptation of greed and corruption themselves.

It’s not easy, and it’s not pretty, but once in a while, the good guys actually win.

There are several examples, but I’ll just cite a couple for now.

State Rep. Jim Roebuck, who has quietly led West Philly’s 188^th District for more than 25 years, suddenly found himself in a dogfight for his seat with Fatimah Muhammad, a 27-year old neophyte with lots of youthful enthusiasm, and an equal amount of youthful naiveté.

Ms. Muhammad received about $25,000 for her campaign coffers from Students First PA, the pro-voucher group who spent a fortune bankrolling the campaigns of local politicians willing to sign on to the school voucher philosophy.

Strongly worded campaign literature floated around the district painting the incumbent Roebuck as an anti-child, anti-education dinosaur because of his opposition to school vouchers. While Muhammad denied any connection to the literature, and in fact stated in a Tribune editorial board meeting that she wouldn’t vote for the voucher bill as it is presently written, the association stuck.

Roebuck won his seat, and Muhammad has presumably been left to ponder the consequence of taking large sums of cash from single-issue contributors. That money isn’t free, folks, and you’re nuts if you think they don’t want something for it. Deviate from the script, and bad things happen.

Up in North Philly’s 197^th District, Jewel Williams, the 27-year old daughter of newly elected Sheriff Jewell Williams, ran for the state rep seat he held for years. She didn’t campaign much, didn’t work to get her name out there much, and didn’t do much to quiet the increasing number of voices complaining that she was looking for a free ride by cashing in on her father’s familiar name.

It’s a cynical idea, and one both her and her father should have worked hard to quash. Philadelphians have voted for the offspring of famous politicians before: Goode, Rizzo, Williams, and Green come to mind, but it’s usually a fact that the offspring makes a special effort to be their own person, to prove that they are much more than just ‘whats-his-name’s kid.’

If I were to leave my job tomorrow, I would not attempt to install my 22-year old daughter as city editor of the Tribune. While I love her more than anyone on earth, I also recognize that she is completely unqualified to run a newsroom. To ignore that fact would be an insult to my colleagues, and to our readers.

To their credit, the voters of the 197^th didn’t fall for the old okey doke. They elected J.P. Miranda, who is also very young, but brings with him a wealth of experience as a legislative aide and community organizer.

In my South Philly neighborhood, state House candidate Damon Roberts faced a much more dangerous opponent than Jordan Harris, who beat him out for the 186^th seat vacated by Kenyatta Johnson – his own campaign staff.

Apparently, Roberts was attempting to pay his workers their promised $100 each by check - already a bad idea - when he then ran out of checks. As you can imagine, it got ugly. So ugly, in fact, that Roberts had to call the police to protect him from his own workers.

Let this week’s election serve as a cautionary tale for future office seekers: be careful whose money you take, have an actual platform to run on, and most importantly – make sure you have the cash on hand to pay up on Election Day.

Daryl Gale is the Philadelphia Tribune's city editor.

The red spatters glistening on the sidewalk in front of Damon K. Roberts’ campaign headquarters looked like blood. In fact, that’s what Kellie Imaduddin thought it was when she discovered it Tuesday morning.

“I got here at 9:02,” Imaduddin, who works for Roberts’ campaign as a paralegal, said. “I noticed what looked like blood.”

It turned out to be red paint dripping from the campaign banner hung above the door of the office at the corner of Dickinson and South Broad streets.

“It was still wet when I got here,” she said.

But the most chilling discovery was yet to come.

Pressed into the window gate lock, just below the vandalized banner, was an ominous note with the words, “We out for blood nigga!!!” scrawled across it.

The latest incident, which happened Thursday morning, seems unrelated. A man tried to break into the office. Imaduddin was there alone when she noticed a man trying to force in the front door.

“I could tell that he looked high,” she said.

When he failed, he moved to cars parked along Dickinson Street, and police arrested him shortly after 9 a.m.

The incident, coming on the heels of the vandalism, has campaign staffers on alert — and on edge.

Roberts said there has been a series of events at his office intended to intimidate him.

He is running for the state House of Representatives in the 186th District. The seat was held by city Councilman Kenyatta Johnson until January, when he stepped down to take his seat on council. The two men have a history. Roberts wanted the council seat and ran against Johnson last year but eventually dropped out. Though both men denied it, insiders said there was a deal between the two that ultimately soured.

In the race for the 186th, there are several other candidates vying for the seat, but a protégé of Johnson’s, former Youth Commissioner Jordan Harris, is widely considered to be the front runner and has Johnson’s endorsement.

No one yet knows who threw the paint, who left the malicious note — or exactly what they meant.

“I can’t say with 100 percent certainty exactly what’s going on,” Roberts said, adding that the vandalism and the note are just the latest incidents in what looks to him like a campaign of intimidation. “All I can say is that we have received two threats at the office in the past.”

According to Roberts, in early March, two men, on separate occasions, dropped in on him at the campaign headquarters, telling him that he needed to stay out of Harris’s campaign office.

Roberts said he dropped in at Harris’s office in an effort to meet his opponent. It was something he made a habit of doing, Roberts said, trying to meet opponents, as part of running a friendly campaign.

The idea apparently didn’t sit well with Harris’ supporters, Roberts said, adding that he wasn’t saying that Harris authorized the visits.

“A guy came into our office saying, ‘Look, I’m cousins with Jordan and Kenyatta … I’m not into this politics thing, but I’m from the street — and don’t be going back in that campaign office ‘cause… you know,’” Roberts said. “Two days later the same thing happened, at night.”

Roberts called police.

A police department spokeswoman verified that Roberts filed a complaint on March 6 for an incident that took place on March 1. Police classified the incident as a disturbance. No one has been arrested.

“We put in a complaint just to be sure,” Roberts said. “But, we said ‘It’s not big deal. They’re trying to intimidate us and make us lose focus.’”

After the first visit, Roberts said he called Harris.

“I gave Jordan a call and said, ‘Listen man, let’s squash this thing,’” said Roberts.

He thought that would be the end of it.

Harris said he was unaware that anyone had attempted to intimidate Roberts.

“I’m not sure of this whole allegation,” Harris said, when asked if the two spoke over the phone about the issue, Harris responded, “No. I’m not sure what he’s speaking of.”

“This is an unfortunate incident,” he continued. “If I had been made aware of this, I would have been the first one down there to help him out, because these kinds of things do not need to happen and should not happen in our community.”

Johnson, through his spokesman Zack Burgess, said he had no knowledge of the incidents.

“I have no idea what Damon Roberts is talking about and furthermore I am not a candidate in this race,” Burgess said, quoting Johnson. “I don’t condone this kind of behavior or campaign tactics, and I’ve never been associated with unfair tactics, so I’m disappointed.”

Roberts said the splash of red on the sign was not a complete surprise.

“We’d heard that there was a bounty out on the sign,” he said.

But, he assumed it was for the smaller signs taped to the office windows. They cover graffiti that was there when Roberts moved in and they have been ripped down almost every day for more than a week.

Roberts said he’s not going to be sidelined by the incidents.

“There are polls out right now … that say we are neck and neck,” Roberts said. “Since this has happened, people have been extremely supportive. What was meant for evil, God turned around for good,” he said.

To comment, contact staff writer Eric Mayes at 215-893-5742 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

There were few surprises on Tuesday, April 24 as voters chose their party’s candidates for the November election. Typically, in this overwhelmingly Democratic city, local Democratic primary winners typically go on to win office in November.

Though the primary included a number of high offices, ranging from president and U.S. senator to state representative and attorney general, the vast majority of registered voters stayed home.

Turnout was recorded at 17.3 percent — almost exactly where it was in last spring’s primary.

“People weren’t too much concerned about the races going on,” said political consultant Maurice Floyd, noting that the national seats got all the attention, but with Rick Santorum’s withdrawal, the contest took on less urgency. “It just didn’t measure up in terms of generating a turnout.”

In low turnout elections, the support of a core bloc of dedicated voters is what delivers.

“The winners organized and they had a solid base going for them,” said Floyd.

As an example, he pointed to a much watched race – the 197th District – where J.P. Miranda won over Jewel Williams, the daughter of Sheriff Jewell Williams.

Miranda won 40 percent of the vote with 2,977 votes. That compared to 38 percent for Jewel, which translated to 2,519 votes.

“The ward leaders and the street organizers, they were able to outmaneuver and out-organize her,” he said.

Jewel’s campaign in the North Philadelphia district raised eyebrows because she seemed to rely largely on possible voter confusion between her and her father, who held the seat until January when he resigned to assume the post of sheriff. Jewel campaigned little. Her campaign office was reportedly empty most days.

Miranda had a history of political involvement. He worked for Council President Darrell Clarke and state Sen. Shirley Kitchen. In addition, in 2004 he worked for the John Kerry campaign. He also worked with the administration of Mayor Michael Nutter as it worked to help federal officials with the U.S. Census.

“I’m ecstatic,” Miranda said Wednesday. “North Philadelphia united against a lot of disgraceful acts by my opposition. People were very disgusted with some of things they were seeing.”

Miranda will now run against Steve Crum, the Republican, in the Nov. 6 election. Miranda is confident he’ll win.

“I’ve stayed on the pulse of the community,” he said, noting that his real focus will be on getting out the vote in November for himself, and for President Barack Obama.

In addition to choosing in the primary, voters in the 197th District had to select someone to serve for the remainder of Jewell’s term and decided on Gary Williams over former state senator and perennial candidate for mayor T. Milton Street.

From a party stand-point, perhaps the biggest was an upset was in race for state House in the 182nd Legislative District, which covers much of Center City. State Rep. Babette Josephs, who has held the seat since 1985 lost to newcomer Brian Sims, who will be the first openly gay member of the general assembly.

The vote was close, with Sims netting about 52 percent of the ballots to Josephs’ 48 percent.

Josephs was co-vice president of the city’s delegation in Harrisburg. She faced frequent challenges in recent years but managed to hang onto her seat.

That changed Tuesday evening.

According to preliminary results, Sims won with 3,661 votes. Josephs had 3,428.

“We set out from the very beginning to run the largest, cleanest, most involved campaign that we could,” Sims said in published reports. “We reached out to all four corners of this district for volunteers, for support, for help, and we were blessed to get it.”

Barring a write-in challenge from a Republican, which is extremely unlikely, Sims should take the seat in the fall.

That too was largely due to the loyalty of a bloc, Floyd said, noting that gay voters flocked to Sims rather than Josephs.

“They were the group that would normally put her over the top,” he said. “But, they basically went with the gay candidate.”

Another widely watched race was the 186th District, which was wide open, with three contenders seeking to fill the seat vacated by City Councilman Kenyatta Johnson.

Former Youth Commission won in a landslide victory – the widest margin seen in the city – with 76 percent of the district’s voters behind him.

“It’s just starting to sink in,” Harris said early Wednesday morning. “We put in a lot of hard work to get our message out to the community. The community has spoken loud and clear on the direction they want to go in. I’m just humbled and honored my community has that faith in me.”

With no Republican in the 186th race, Harris should sail through on Nov. 6.

Like Miranda, he said he plans on making sure voters hit the polls in November pushing the button for himself and for Obama.

Attorney Damon K. Roberts came in second with roughly 20 percent of the vote. He sought the seat before, and lost to Johnson. A third candidate, community activist Timothy Hannah came in third with about 5 percent of the vote.

Roberts’ biggest surprise of the evening was not his loss, but an incident that happened at around 10 p.m. at his Dickinson and South Broad streets headquarters. Roberts was forced to call police after he tried to pay staffers with checks rather than cash. When he ran out of checks, the crowd got ugly, and a melee started, forcing him to call police for his own protection.

He could not be reached for comment Wednesday. A police spokesperson said police arrived for a disturbance at 9:57 and remained on the scene until about 11 p.m. Poll volunteers were apparently promised $100 each, which Roberts was paying with the checks.

Voters in the 186th also participated in special election, choosing someone to fill out the remainder of Johnson’s term. They chose former state Rep. Harold James, who will return temporarily to his statehouse seat.

In most other races across the city, incumbents prevailed – including a contested three-person race in the Northwest section of the city where state Rep. Rosita Youngblood held on against Malik Boyd and Charisma Presley.

“People always underestimate Rosita,” Floyd said. “With her, there is not a lot of fanfare but she serves that district in a way that she’s entrenched.”

Youngblood got 47 percent of the vote compared to Presley’s 28 percent and Boyd’s 24 percent.

“Every time she’s run, she’s had a challenger or more - but ultimately she had been blessed again and again and again to come back and represent the people of the district,” said campaign spokeswoman Thera Martin-Milling.

In West Philadelphia, in a race that drew a lot of media attention and large political donations, challenger Fatimah Muhammad was still unable to beat incumbent Jim Roebuck.

“It didn’t matter,” Floyd said. “Roebuck has a solid core of supporters, and that’s what puts him over the top.”

Election results remain unofficial until the Pennsylvania State Department verifies them.

To comment, contact staff writer Eric Mayes at 215-893-5742 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

The special election to fill the vacant seat in the state’s 186th Legislative District, formerly held by Councilman Kenyatta Johnson, seems to be shaping up into a contest between two front-runners — former Youth Commissioner Jordan Harris and former state Rep. Harold James, who held the seat for nearly 20 years.

Six candidates — Fawwaz Beyha, Tim Hannah, Harris, James, Ed Nesmith and Damon Roberts — will appear on the April 24 ballot. But, James and Harris appear to have important backers within the Democratic Party that make them the candidates to watch.

Two well established lawmakers are backing Harris — Johnson and his political patron Sen. Anthony Williams. Harris has a long history with Williams. The two met when Harris was still in high school, he said. Harris also worked with Johnson for several years, most notably on Johnson’s Peace Not Guns initiative.

In addition, Harris has secured endorsements from several labor organizations that will be able to mobilize voters.

Over the weekend, Harris announced that he had secured endorsements from the AFL-CIO, Transportation Workers Union Local 234, the Laborers Local 332 and the Fraternal Order of Police, Lodge 5.

Harris characterized his campaign as a community based “movement.”

“We are in the process of building a movement to engage a community that is often left out. We are building a movement of citizens who won’t sit quietly on the sidelines as they watch opportunity pass them by,” he said, noting the endorsements. “This is much bigger than an election and the community is an important part of this movement building.”

Backing from labor, Williams and Johnson would appear to give Harris, a political newcomer, a powerful boost in the contest for the seat.

But, according to one party official from South Philadelphia, who asked not to be named, the majority of ward leaders were expected to support James. It’s too early to tell if that will happen, or just how it might affect the race, but in Philadelphia ward leaders are political forces to be reckoned with. Many elected officials start out as ward leaders and retain the post after winning higher office.

James represented voters from the 186th District from 1989 to 2008.

According to the Tribune’s source, most ward leaders in the 186th would rather stick with a candidate they are familiar with and worked with for nearly two decades.

“They know Harold,” said the source.

James has been running a very low-key campaign. He has a campaign office at 20th and Federal streets, directly across the street from Harris’, but does not appear to have a website or Facebook page, two touchstones of modern campaigning.

He did not return the Tribune’s phone calls Monday afternoon.

In other special election news, Milton Street, brother for former Mayor John F. Street and perennial candidate for office, has reportedly withdrawn from the Democratic race in the 197th District to replace former state representative, now Sheriff, Jewell Williams.

Street reportedly plans to form his own party — the Milton Street Party — and run

Philly Clout reported that Street had withdrawn from the race where he faced a legal challenge to his nominating petitions but declined to say why.

“Now you’re looking for trade secrets,” Street told reporter Chris Brennan.

Contact Staff Writer Eric Mayes at (215) 893-5742 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

No election is over until the last ballot is counted, notes Tim Hannah, a candidate for the Democratic nomination for the state House in the 186th District.

Hannah is one of three men left in the primary race that started with a field of six contenders. He hasn’t let the politics of the contest distract him.

“I’m going to keep working hard and stay focused,” Hannah said, a longtime community activist.

It is the second time that Hannah, 51, has run for the seat. He also sought the office in 2010.

The primary is April 24.

At this point, the race is largely seen as a contest between former Youth Commissioner Jordan Harris and attorney Damon K. Roberts. Harris has the backing of the party and Roberts, who sought the seat in 2010 and ran for City Council last year, is very visible in the district. Recent vandalism at Roberts’ South Philadelphia campaign office has given the race a new dynamic.

That doesn’t deter Hannah.

“It’s up to the vote,” he said. “It’s up to the people. They decide.”

He pointed to the 2008 presidential election to bolster his reasoning.

“I can remember when people where pro-Hillary Clinton,” he said. “And, Barack [Obama] just kept gaining momentum, tearing her machine apart.”

Hannah hopes his years in the neighborhood, years he spent working as a community activist, will turn voters to him on Election Day.

“I’ve been an activist since 1987. I’ve worked in South Philadelphia, have my own structure and my own neighborhood association — the United Neighborhood Association,” he said. “That’s what’s important.”

Hannah has been active as an educator and community organizer in South and West Philadelphia for almost 30 years. It’s given him a perspective that he hopes voters will want him to take to Harrisburg.

Among his accomplishments, Hannah lists his Children’s Festival, which he has organized for 14 years and a series of four conferences he’s hosted called the Conference on Education and Discourse.

Education is perhaps Hannah’s top priority.

He advocates returning governance of the city’s public schools to a locally elected school board.

If officials can get a handle on education, Hannah said, solutions to other problems — crime, jobs and better social services — will follow.

“My purpose of running is to bring back a type of structure where people will think twice about crime, weapons, making sure that the elderly are okay, better schools, businesses and job creation, and of course safety,” he said.

In the meantime, he’s a proponent of tax credits to bring industry to the district and more community involvement in dealing with local crime, and helping seniors and the needy.

A native of South Philadelphia, Hannah is a 1983 graduate of Lincoln University, where he graduated with a degree in therapeutic recreation. He is now pursuing a master’s degree in English education from Arcadia University, Glenside. He previously served as a Democratic committeeman for the 34th Ward.

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There were a few surprises on Tuesday night, April 24 as voters chose their party’s candidates for the November election. With few exceptions, in this overwhelmingly Democratic city, local primary winners typically go on to win office in November.

In one closely watched race — the 197th District — J.P. Miranda won in over Jewel Williams, the daughter of Sheriff Jewell Williams.

Miranda won 40 percent of the vote with 2,977 votes. That compared to 38 percent for Jewel, which translated to 2,519 votes.

Miranda will now run against Steve Crum, the Republican, in the Nov. 6 election.

Jewel’s campaign in the North Philadelphia district raised eyebrows because she seemed to rely largely on possible voter confusion between her and her father, who held the seat until January when he resigned to assume the post of sheriff. Jewel campaigned little. Her campaign office was reportedly empty most days.

Miranda had a history of political involvement. He worked for Council President Darrell Clarke and state Sen. Shirley Kitchen. In addition, in 2004 he worked for the John Kerry campaign. He also worked with the administration of Mayor Michael Nutter as it worked to help federal officials with the U.S. Census.

Voters in the 197th District had to choose someone to serve for the remainder of Jewell’s term and decided on Gary Williams over former state senator and perennial candidate for mayor T. Milton Street.

From a party standpoint, perhaps the biggest was an upset was in race for state House in the 182nd Legislative District, which covers much of Center City. State Rep. Babette Josephs, who has held the seat since 1985, lost to newcomer Brian Sims.

The vote was close, with Sims netting about 52 percent of the ballots to Josephs’ 48 percent.

Josephs was co-vice president of the city’s delegation in Harrisburg. She faced frequent challenges in recent years, but managed to hang onto her seat.

That changed Tuesday evening.

According to preliminary results, Sims won with 3,661 votes. Josephs had 3,428.

Barring a write-in challenge from a Republican, Sims should take the seat in the fall as the first openly gay member of the state legislature.

Another widely watched race was the 186^th District, which was wide open, with three contenders seeking to fill the seat vacated by City Councilman Kenyatta Johnson.

Former Youth Commission chair Jordan Harris won in a landslide victory – the widest margin seen in the city – with 76 percent of the district’s voters behind him.

Attorney Damon K. Roberts came in second with roughly 20 percent of the vote. He sought the seat before, and lost to Johnson. A third candidate, community activist Timothy Hannah, came in third with about 5 percent of the vote.

There was no Republican in the 186^th race, which means Harris should sail through on Nov. 6.

Voters in the 186^th also participated in special election, choosing someone to fill out the remainder of Johnson’s term. They chose former state Rep. Harold James, who will return temporarily to the seat he held for two decades.

In most other races across the city, incumbents prevailed – including a contested three-person race in the Northwest section of the city, where state Rep. Rosita Youngblood held on against Malik Boyd and Charisma Presley. Youngblood got 47 percent of the vote, compared to Presley’s 28 percent and Boyd’s 24 percent.

State Rep. James Roebuck also held off a vigorous challenge from newcomer Fatimah Muhammad. The two sparred very publicly over the topic of school vouchers, but Roebuck held on with 56 percent of the vote compared to 44 percent for Muhammad.

Election results remain unofficial until the Pennsylvania State Department verifies them.

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During his first months as a member of City Council, Kenyatta Johnson continued much of the work he started in the state House of Representatives.

Chief among his priorities has been a continued interest in curbing gun violence. During a year poised to break Philadelphia records for murder, Johnson was part of a group of Council members who sat down recently to discuss new ways to end the epidemic of violence.

“In order for us to move forward as a city, we have to have a safe city,” Johnson said recently. “I’m here to make sure that as we move forward, we have a progressive and an aggressive agenda focusing on the issue of gun violence.”

Johnson, like his colleague Councilman Dennis O’Brien, is new to City Council — but hardly new to politics. He served one and a half terms in the state House representing the 186th District, an area that overlaps much of his councilmanic district.

In previous interviews, he said he preferred a council seat because he thought it would give him the greatest opportunity to affect change in his community.

“Municipal government is where you can really make a difference,” he said. “It’s where the rubber meets the road. I’ve loved serving my constituents in the legislature, but I know I can do even more for them as a member of City Council.”

The transition was not without its politicking. Johnson narrowly won a primary battle against South Philadelphia realtor Barbara Capozzi — winning the party nomination with a margin of just 46 votes. And even then, only after a third competitor, Damon Roberts, withdrew. Johnson and Roberts reportedly reached a deal earlier, in which Johnson agreed to back Roberts for the state legislature after Roberts dropped out of a contest against Johnson for City Council. Roberts never received the backing. During the special election to fill the remainder of Johnson’s House term, Johnson remained silent on Roberts and the seat went to its former occupant, Harold James, who will serve the remainder of Johnson’s term.

Since arriving at City Hall, Johnson has pursued an agenda similar to the one he followed in the state capitol.

Largely quiet during this year’s contentious budget process, Johnson has been active in his district working to help keep E.M. Stanton Elementary School open by spearheading a public private partnership to raise $80,000 for the school’s continued operation after the School Reform Commission slated it for closure.

“We have to engage the business community in doing these partnerships,” Johnson told the Tribune at the time. “And I am glad the SRC put the kid’s educational value first in keeping Stanton open, and giving the school a second chance and allow the community’s residents and parents an opportunity to answer [the SRC’s] concerns.”

His other landmark initiative was the formation of the Peace Not Guns Task Force.

The task force combines the resources of the Department of Human Services, the District Attorney’s Office, Family Court, CeaseFire Philadelphia, the Philadelphia School District’s new Public Safety Advocate and more than 20 community leaders in an effort to combat gun violence.

“We will work to get a handle on gun and youth violence,” said Johnson.

Johnson was the only one of the six freshman Council members unable to sit down with the Tribune to discuss his first six months in office. Through his spokesman Zack Burgess, who is also a part-time Tribune contributor, Johnson said he simply didn’t have time. After one scheduled meeting was canceled, he declined to be interviewed over the course of several weeks in late July and early August.

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Sparks flew when candidates running for the state’s 186th seat clashed during a candidate’s forum in Southwest Philadelphia on Friday, April 13.

The forum, hosted by the Southwest District Services, was filled to capacity as residents gathered to hear office seekers address key issues facing South, Southwest and West Philadelphia.

The event was divided into two segments.

The first consisted of candidates for the 186th Legislative district, which covers parts of South and Southwest portions of the city. Those candidates included Timothy Hannah, Jordan Harris and Damon Roberts.

The second segment consisted of candidates vying for the 188th district position of state representative where Fatimah Muhammad and incumbent state Rep. James Roebuck made their pitches to the public.

It was Harris and Roberts who went head to head in a no-holds-barred debate during the forum.

Discussing crime and violence in the city, Roberts told the crowd about a shooting, which occurred outside his home that left his son devastated and traumatized.

“It was as if nothing happened,” said Roberts about the community’s reaction to the shooting.

He argued the community has become desensitized to violence and has begun to tolerate its existence.

“I think it’s very disingenuous for anybody to stand up and say that the community is getting used to violence,” countered Harris who pointed to the work of the Southwest District Services as evidence of community groups trying to stop crime. “The community has been standing up time, after time, against violence.

“I’m not going to politicize the violence in our community, because the shooting victim he [Roberts] is referring to was my aunt’s godson, so this is personal to us,” he added.

Both Harris and Roberts challenged one another’s experience and connection to the community they hope to serve if elected.

“Long before some of my competitors were even adults, I have been working on it [community issues]” Roberts said.

Harris lashed back.

“About my age, my opponent might not know this, but ten years ago, before he was even in this community, I was out in 70th and Buist fighting to keep Bartram Motivation open.”

The issue of gentrification became a key topic among the campaigners. Hannah pointed to the community.

“We have to look at ourselves as a group of people and ask what we are doing to let this happen,” he said. “Are we handing down real estate? Are we letting drugs flourish in our communities? Are we letting guns and violence come in our communities?”

Hannah also said leaders should ensure developers have the best interest of the community in mind when they introduce projects for consideration.

Roberts, a land use attorney, reminded those gathered about the rights of all citizens to live freely, wherever they desired, and the limitations on hindering others from moving into the community.

“With respect to gentrification, we can talk a lot of rhetoric but you can’t legislate who buys houses in a community,” he said. “You can’t legislate it, but what you can do is educate the people.”

Roberts said people were selling their houses because they could no longer afford utilities and mortgages.

For this reason, Roberts said, the issue of gentrification could only be resolved when the problem of employment is solved first.

The candidates’ debate among the West Philadelphia office seekers for the 188th district was no less competitive.

Muhammad and Roebuck challenged one another’s experience — time spent in the community and qualifications.

While Roebuck pointed to his 25 years in service and life-long residency in West Philadelphia, Muhammad told of her time spent homeless as a young child and her success as a college graduate and efforts to organize the community.