Council prez says his support of GOP candidates is A-OK

CITY COUNCIL President Darrell Clarke says he has an issue with Mayor Nutter's endorsement of a non-Democrat in the race for City Council.

But Clarke sees no problem with his own support of incumbent Republican Councilmen David Oh and Dennis O'Brien.

City campaign-finance records show that Clarke's political committee, "Friends of Darrell L. Clarke," donated $5,000 apiece to Oh and O'Brien in the months leading up to the May 19 primary.

"You have to understand the distinction," Clarke said yesterday - one day after he questioned Nutter's flouting of Democratic Party rules when the mayor endorsed independent Andrew Stober.

Under party rules, Nutter, as a Democratic ward leader, is not allowed to endorse a candidate in a different party. U.S. Rep. Bob Brady, the city's Democratic chairman, said that Nutter could lose his ward leadership role.

"I'm not bound by the Democratic Party rules on local elections because I am not a ward leader," Clarke said.

Clarke said that he recently attended a Democratic National Committee event, "where we talked about the strong push to ensure that the Democrats not only come out to vote but that we push the [Democratic] ticket."

"And then I see that an individual who is an independent is being endorsed by the mayor," Clarke said.

What about Clarke's support for Republicans Oh and O'Brien, who hope to retain their at-large Council seats on Nov. 3? Is Clarke being a bit of a hypocrite?

Larry Ceisler, a longtime political strategist with no dog in the fight, said he agrees with Clarke that there is a distinction.

"It doesn't sound really different, but it actually is different so I don't think it's hypocritical," Ceisler said. "The fact is that David Oh, for the most part, from what I've observed, has adhered to Darrell Clarke's legislative agenda in Council. And it's to Darrell Clarke's benefit as president of City Council that he has people in that Council - Democrat, Republican, independent, whatever - who are on the same page as him."

Stober, who created Indego bike-share and served as a Nutter transportation official, hopes to make history on Nov. 3 as the first independent candidate elected to Council. Stober, who switched his party affiliation from Democrat to run for Council in the general election, is a Nutter guy.

Ceisler said he believes that Nutter's endorsement of Stober, along former mayor and Gov. Ed Rendell's endorsement of Stober, could make a difference in what is expected to be a low-turnout election.

Voters can pick up to five candidates in the at-large Council race.

Clarke said he plans to vote for all five at-large Democratic nominees, but he will continue to support his GOP colleagues. Of the 17 Council members, seven are at-large seats; two of the seven spots are set aside by law for minority party candidates. Oh and O'Brien currently hold those seats.

"I contribute to their campaign coffers because I support them as individuals and I hope they get re-elected," Clarke said.

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