April 19–26, 2001

political notebook

Political Notebook

by Mary Frangipanni Patel

Joe Who?

Right now, Joseph N. Bongiovanni III is not even a blip on the radar screen in the battle to unseat Lynne Abraham as the district attorney.

But Bongiovanni, a criminal defense attorney and the Republican candidate for that office, may gain some prominent Democratic support should former City Commissioner Alex Talmadge be unsuccessful in his long-shot bid to beat Abraham in the May 15 Democratic Primary, an increasingly nasty contest.

Talmadge has the support of NAACP president Jerome Mondesire, who is Abraham’s worst nightmare. Mondesire has been seething since Abraham came out against Common Pleas Court Judge Frederica Massiah-Jackson when she was considered for a federal judgeship she did not get, in no small measure because of Abraham’s opposition.

The Massiah-Jackson controversy brought long-simmering resentment against Abraham by some African Americans to the surface. Mondesire has long led opposition to Abraham and was instrumental in convincing Talmadge to run.

So what happens if Abraham wins? Will Mondesire, a Democrat, be in her corner?

"I will never support her," said Mondesire when reached at the office of his newspaper the Philadelphia Sunday Sun.

Mondesire has proven his willingness to go outside his party.

At one point, Mondesire wanted George Bochetto, a former GOP mayoral candidate, to run against Abraham.

So what about Bongiovanni?

"I’ll ask my good friend [GOP general counsel] Mike Meehan to introduce us," said Mondesire.

Mondesire is currently in denial that Talmadge could lose and is planning his victory party at 3801 Market Street.

Bongiovanni was the guest of honor last Monday night at a $100-a-head fundraiser on his behalf held in attorney Michael Cibik’s swank Society Hill townhouse.

Heavy hitters like criminal defense attorney A. Charles Peruto were among the guests.

Bongiovanni, a criminal defense attorney with his firm of Bongiovanni & Berger, has been out of the public eye for a while. His last political race was his unsuccessful 1975 bid for the Fourth District councilmanic seat against Council President George X. Schwartz, who was later indicted in the Abscam scandal.

Bongiovanni is 56 and lives in Overbrook with his wife Mary Katherine.

Despite being a virtual political unknown, Bongiovanni has some specific views on how Abraham has been handling her office.

"She has an execution fetish," said Bongiovanni. "She signs off for the death penalty on 80 percent of her cases which costs taxpayers over two million for legal fees on appeals. This is not an effective use of money," he said.

Vincent Thompson, Abraham’s campaign press person could not comment on Bongiovanni’s numbers.

"Lynne supports the death penalty but the perception that everyone in the state on death row is there because of Lynne is false," said Thompson in a general defense of Abraham’s record on capital punishment. "The count of inmates on death row in the state as of Feb. 1 was 214. Out of the 214, 134 were from Philadelphia and only 74 were after Lynne took office in May 1991."

The LGBT Vote

Like every good candidate, Alex Talmadge is out to court the gay, lesbian, bi-sexual and transgendered vote.

During his tenure as City Commissioner, Talmadge never voiced any public opinions about this community, though his older sister, Julie Welker, got a lot of gay support when she ran for the fifth councilmanic district against John Street in 1991 and 1995 and when she lost to Street’s protégé Darrell Clarke in 1999.

Welker kept her gay connections and she is now out campaiging with Talmadge.

Talmadge wants the endorsement of the three main LGBT groups; Liberty City Lesbian and Gay Democratic Club, OutFront and The Pride of Philadelphia Election Committee (POPEC).

Liberty City is a grassroots organization that can only support Democrats; they do not give money to candidates. The money they raise goes toward their street operations.

Liberty City’s 40-member vote took place on Tuesday night (April 17) at the William Way Community Center.

Liberty City co-chair Mike Marsico said the winner was Talmadge.

The 13 board members of OutFront will hold their endorsement meeting on April 19.

OutFront’s PAC to date has $9,000, according to its treasurer Nurit Shein.

OutFront Board member Michael Williams said that he has no idea who will be endorsed.

"It’s a complex situation," said Williams, who has been appointed to Street’s new LGBT Advisory Board. "For black gays like myself I am hearing two things. One is how terrible it was for Judge Frederica Massiah-Jackson to not be recommended by Lynne for a federal judgeship and the other is that Mayor Street is supporting Lynne who supports us."

Is Williams, who clerked for Judge Massiah-Jackson in the summer of 1994, leaning away from Abraham?

"I like Lynne, she has been wonderful to the community," said Williams.

"But Freddie was a fair and tough judge. She should have been a federal judge," he said.

POPEC is also a PAC that gives money to candidates. POPEC president and founder Mark Segal said the PAC has approximately $20,000. POPEC’s 12-member board voted a week and a half ago to support Abraham.

POPEC is hosting a fundraiser for her on April 26 at Segal’s house. Street and U.S. Rep. and Democrat Party Chairman Bob Brady are on the honorary committee.