May 6–13, 1999

pretzel logic

Power to the People

by Howard Altman

I said it before. I'm saying it again. To Jerry Mondesire.To the Rev. Vernal Simms. To the Rev. James Allen. To Imam Shamsud-DinAli. To anyone who says that a Democratic mayoral candidate shouldget out of the race because of skin color.

Sit down.

Shut up.

Let the people vote.

There has been a lot of criticism (including plentyof squawking from this space) about the divisive campaign runby Marionette Marty Weinberg and his puppetmaster Vinny Fumo.

Let me tell you something.

When it comes to race-baiting, Vinny and the boysdon't have anything on Jerry Mondesire' s Men of God posse, whichincludes Simms, pastor of the Morris Brown A.M.E. Church; Allen,leader of the Black Clergy of Philadelphia and Vicinity; and Ali,a Muslim leader.

Last week, the posse sent a letter calling for StateRep. Dwight Evans to get out of the race in the name of blackunity. It was, by far, the most sickening display of racial politicsyet to surface in the 1999 Democratic mayoral primary.

Mondesire, who is becoming increasingly desperatein his ever-failing bid to be a kingmaker, has been jumping uglyfor nearly 18 months about winnowing the field of black candidates.

Mondesire has been harping about how a field of JohnStreet, John White Jr. and Evans is too reminiscent of the WilsonGoode-Lucien Blackwell tilt of 1991 that allowed a white underdognamed Ed Rendell to sneak away with the victory.

Black people, according to Mondesire's logic, aretoo stupid to figure out who to vote for.

White people, according to him, are too damn fullof hate to figure out that the three best candidates in this raceare black.

Evans, because he is lagging way behind in everybody'spolls, doesn't deserve the right to run, because a vote for himis in essence a vote for Weinberg, the white devil.

The white, Jewish devil.

So get out, Dwight.

Maybe even you too, John White Jr.

There's only room for one black candidate in JerryMondesire's world.

The funny thing is that leaves Mondesire's arch-enemy,John Street, whose people were snickering derisively back in January1998, when Mondesire proposed his blacks-only primary.

Street wanted no part of Mondo then and he wantsno part of him now.

Nor does White.

Nor Dwight.

Nor do the vast majority of voters. Black or white.

There is no room in this city for such narrow-minded,hateful, hurtful bigoted thinking.

I don't like Marionette Marty for mayor any morethan Mondo's Men of God posse.

Like them, I also think that a vote for Dwight isessentially a vote for Marty.

But I want to hear what Dwight Evans has to say.

And I want to see him run to the end.

It has been a great honor and privilege to have metwith all five Democratic candidates as well as Republican SamKatz.

All of them have something to say.

All of them have something to add to the discussionof where this city is going and how it will get there.

That includes Dwight Evans, who has done a hell ofa lot more for Philadelphia than Jerry Mondesire.

I like Dwight.

I like his energy. His ideas. His well-documentedability to make things happen.

Will he make a good mayor?

I am not convinced, either way.

I am, however, convinced of the motives at work behindJerry Mondesire and his Men of God posse.

Like Vinny Fumo, Jerry Mondesire's main interestis his own.

Jerry's juice.

Mondo's mojo.

In a Daily News article, Fumo basically calledPhiladelphia a wholly-owned subsidiary of "Fumo Inc."

It is the unadulterated arrogance and unmitigatedmegalomania of a helicopter-flying, bank-owning, board-sittingMensa-worthy genius.

But at least Fumo admits that he is out for Fumo,even if he couches it in the phony-baloney warm fuzziness of doingthings on behalf of the city and its residents.

You don't even get that much from Mondo and his Menof God posse, who hide their arrogance and megalomania behinda cloak of so-called black unity, a disgusting enough conceptconsidering the talent of those who are running.

I would respect Mondo and his Men of God posse moreif, like Fumo, they at least stood behind one candidate, insteadof against many.

So far, the samecan be said for me. Despite the prodding of people like Dan Rottenberg,whom I respect and admire, I have only talked about the candidateI don't want (Marionette Marty), not theone I do want.

As of next week, that will change.

Having pickedthe brains of all sixcandidates in wide-ranging on-the-record sessions, CityPaper's editorial board will now duke it out over our endorsement,which we will publish in our May 14 election issue.

Two years ago, I wrote that John Street was the bestman for the job because of his intimate knowledge of how a cityshould work. After six enlightening meetings with the candidates,has my opinion changed?

Tune in next week.