Philly Dems ousted committee members who backed the Working Families Party but boosted GOP judges

It’s been almost five years since candidates from the Working Families Party launched their campaign to win two GOP-held seats on Philly’s City Council. Ever since, the progressive upstarts and their supporters have been in a war of words with Bob Brady, longtime chair of the Democratic City Committee.

The latest exchange of volleys?

After the party last month ousted almost 20 Democratic committee members who allegedly endorsed Working Families candidates — a violation of party rules against backing non-Democrats — some of those committee members are accusing the party of hypocrisy.

In last year’s general election, the party’s official sample ballot, the list of endorsed candidates that gets distributed outside polling sites, included three Republican judges. Nate Holt, who was removed as a 22nd Ward committee member last month but is appealing the decision, said that proves the party’s “purge” is unjust.

“It’s shameless hypocrisy,” said Holt, adding it’s foolish for the party to oust committee members who help turn out the vote. ”Bob Brady is punching down on volunteer turnout organizers in a presidential election year, after watching Trump gain ground in Philadelphia in 2020 under his watch.”

Holt and most of the others who got the boot ran afoul of the party because they signed a letter last year backing the winning campaigns of Councilmembers Kendra Brooks and Nicolas O’Rourke of the Working Families Party.

Brady, however, said that the rule on only backing Democrats doesn’t apply to certain types of judicial races. In Pennsylvania, judges are on the ballot as partisan candidates when they first run. After that, they are subject to retention votes, in which they face no opponents but need a majority of voters to give them a thumbs up.

“We don’t endorse them. They’re not an endorsement. They’re running as a nonpartisan,” the former congressman said. “We support them nonpartisan because they’re city judges.”

The three GOP judges were Victor Stabile of the Superior Court, and Paula Patrick and Anne Marie Coyle of the Common Pleas Court. Stabile ran as a Republican when he won his seat in 2013, but he is not registered with either party. Patrick ran as a Republican and is registered with the GOP. Coyle has run as a Democrat and a Republican, and is a registered Republican voter.

If you ask Clout, the beef between Brady and the progressives has actually benefited Brooks and O’Rourke. After all, it’s kept them in the press on a regular basis and bolstered their antiestablishment image.

But Brady probably wouldn’t want to be seen as rolling over for the left wing of the party. As chair since 1986, Brady stays in power by keeping traditional ward leaders happy, and many of them are decidedly not down with the progressive pitch.

Something tells us this isn’t over.

From filling out her administration to preparing her forthcoming budget, new Mayor Cherelle L. Parker has a lot on her plate. So she took one thing off of it.

Parker last month resigned as chair of the Delaware River Port Authority, the 900-employee agency that manages the Ben Franklin Bridge and other Philly-to-New Jersey crossings.

Parker was appointed by former Gov. Tom Wolf in 2021. New Gov. Josh Shapiro’s pick to replace Parker is expected to come next week.

Mustafa Rashed, a Philly lobbyist who served as Parker’s liaison to the board, said her signature accomplishment was getting an exemption from tolls for DRPA employees commuting to work. The agency’s offices are on the Jersey side of the Ben, so employees from Pennsylvania had to pay the $5 toll to get home from work.

“They called it the Philly tax,” Rashed said. “If you wanted to work for the DRPA, you had to pay to go to work.”

While most Philadelphians know little about it, the DRPA is an important agency, with lots of good jobs and contracts to dole out.

Parker was the first woman to lead it. Her predecessor, Ryan Boyer, heads the politically powerful Building Trades and Construction Council and was critical to Parker’s win in last year’s mayoral election.

Parker’s team went all out to trumpet her appointment to the DRPA three years ago. The press release included quotes from 13 local heavyweights, such as then-Council President Darrell L. Clarke and union leaders.

At the time, it seemed like overkill. But perhaps it was a bridge to higher office.

It’s been a rough start to the year for Sharif Street Jr., the son of State Sen. Sharif Street and Common Pleas Court Judge Sierra Thomas Street.

In January, he was arrested for allegedly slugging a security guard while trying to get into Parker’s inauguration with his grandfather, former Mayor John F. Street. And two weeks ago he was arrested again in connection with a hit-and-run last year that injured a 14-year-old girl.

But luckily for junior, he hasn’t lost the confidence of his boss: Councilmember Jimmy Harrity. Street, 24, is a special assistant in Harrity’s office.

“I’m aware of it. He’s entitled to his day in court,” Harrity said Thursday. “We’ll see what happens, what the charges are, and how the court process plays out.”

Street did not respond to a request for comment.

Harrity has close ties to the Street family and was a top staffer for the state senator before winning a special election for a vacant Council seat in 2022.

Harrity, who is in recovery from alcoholism, is open about having had his share of tussles back in the day. He said his young staffer is a hard worker and he wants to give him a chance to turn things around.

“He’s got a big heart and a smile that lights up the room,” Harrity said.

Staff writer Anna Orso contributed to this article.

Clout provides often irreverent news and analysis about people, power, and politics.