Marc DeBeary, son of the former Eighth District Councilman Herbert DeBeary, has announced that he will run against incumbent Councilwoman Donna Reed Miller in this May's Democratic primary.

DeBeary, a 37-year-old financial planner residing in Germantown, announced his candidacy last week in DeBeary Square. This is the first time he has run for his father's seat.

The senior DeBeary served as councilman in the Eighth District for a brief time. Elected in 1991, he died of lung cancer in 1993 during his term. The district held a special election the following year and 11th Ward leader Alvin Stewart won. In 1995 when the seat was up for grabs again, Stewart ran in a three-way primary with lawyer Robert Vance and Donna Reed Miller. Miller had the support of popular House member David Richardson. She made the scene with Richardson, traveling in splashy motorcades, and made sealing up crack houses in the district part of her campaign. She won the primary, and Richardson died that August. Miller went on to beat the GOP challenger, Jeffrey Wojcieckowski, in November's general election.

Marc DeBeary said that he had no interest in running for his father's seat in 1995 but in 1999 was thinking about it. He opted instead to help Miller run for re-election.

This time, DeBeary decided to run himself, saying Miller has been ineffective. "She always votes the way the mayor wants her to," said DeBeary. "The district needs representation." The Eighth Councilmanic district is diverse and encompasses Chestnut Hill, Germantown, East and West Mt. Airy, Nicetown, Tioga and parts of North Philadelphia.

DeBeary said he spent time as a 59th Ward committeeman where Miller is the ward leader.

He cited problems with her ability to accomplish important jobs such as the repairs to the Lonnie Young Recreation Center, named after a young boxer from the neighborhood. "The center has needed repairs since 1993 and now it's finally getting done," said DeBeary.

DeBeary said he has moved out of Miller's ward and is now a committeeman in the 22nd Ward in the district. "They love me in the neighborhoods," said DeBeary. "I have opened up a campaign office in North Philly. There never was one there before."

Miller, a 52-year-old Germantown resident, disagrees with DeBeary's assessment of her reputation.

She noted that he announced in the square named after his father. "Dave [Richardson] and I had that done," she said. "And if it hadn't been for Dave, his father never would have been elected." A former executive assistant to Richardson, Miller said she had more than 25 years experience in the community before she became a Council member.

As for the recreation center, Miller said she had been working on that for many years, getting state and city funding for the $3.2 million project. "As Council members we get a million dollars in our annual budget for our district and there are many needs. The project has now begun." She cited other accomplishments, such as the $6 million Germantown Avenue streetscape project, her efforts in cleaning up blight and stabilizing neighborhoods and the coordination of many job fairs.

"Marc DeBeary never attended ward meetings in my ward," said Miller. "And yes I vote with the mayor on many issues, but I am always thinking of my district."

Loopy Over Loeper

Local Republicans are talking about the Feb. 10 article in the Delaware County Daily Times about former State Sen. Joseph Loeper and Republican City Council at-large candidate James "Jamie" McDermott. The article, written by reporter Erik Schwartz, reported that Loeper, who spent six months in a federal prison for obstructing an IRS investigation, gave his remaining campaign money to a PAC headed up by McDermott and that McDermott is now using that same money for his campaign.

McDermott, who did not comment in the Delco Times article, had also been Loeper's campaign chair.

This reporter reached McDermott in his office at the Philadelphia Regional Port Authority last week.

"I have no money in my campaign account from Sen. Loeper," said McDermott, who provided a copy of his most recent campaign finance report from Jan. 31, which shows he has $16,641 on hand. He did not provide his list of donors.

"I have not written a check from the Common Cents PAC [Loeper's PAC] for my campaign," said McDermott. He confirmed that he was chairman of Common Cents and that he may step down from that position. "Joe has been a longtime friend," said McDermott. McDermott added that his campaign committee, "Friends of Jamie McDermott," has been operating since 1999, when he first ran for City Council.

Loeper pled guilty in November 2000 to obstructing an IRS investigation about the work of Nicholas Panarella, a tax-collecting attorney who also went to federal prison.

Judicial News

Philadelphia Common Pleas Court Judge John Herron has thrown his robe in the ring. He is running for the one seat on the State Supreme Court and intends to seek the nomination of the Democratic State Committee on March 15 in Grantsville.