Last week we gave you a peek at the dozen folks vying for the five Democratic City Council at-large seats. This week we check out the Republicans and independents who’ll be fighting for the two remaining at-large berths.

The way it works is simple: The 1951 Home Rule Charter establishes that the legislative arm of city government consist of 17 members -- 10 representing districts, seven at-large. The majority party, which has been the Democrats for as long as anyone can remember, gets five of the at-large seats with the remaining two going to the top two vote getters from any other party, or even an independent candidate. Naturally, the two minority seats usually go to the GOP, but not necessarily. Unlike most conventional political campaigns where it ends up mano a mano, one candidate fighting another for votes, Council at-large races are more like a game of musical chairs.

Here’s a look at the few and the proud, and just like last week, we’re handicapping the field.

Lone Incumbent

Frank Rizzo Jr.: Possessing arguably the most famous name in Philadelphia politics, Rizzo was first elected to City Council in 1995, following 32 years with PECO Energy, where he worked his way up from lineman to manager of city and public affairs. As councilman, Rizzo has gained a reputation as a master of constituent services and a "quality of life" problem solver, even calling a segment of his now-cancelled radio talk program "Rizzo to the Rescue." (His staff helped listeners with everything from sealing abandoned houses to securing handicapped parking permits.) Rizzo also represents the closest thing in this race to a lock. 10 to 15

The Challengers

Jack Kelly, GOP: Kelly was elected to City Council representing the Seventh District in 1987 but was unseated four years later by Daniel McElhatton. For most of the past 12 years, Kelly has served as an aide to the City Council president -- first John Street, then Anna Verna. His friendships and ties to members of both parties make Kelly an attractive candidate for political fence menders who favor coalition building. As councilman, Kelly would work to strengthen the hospitality industry, improve public education and lower Philadelphia’s wage tax. A married father of four, Kelly still lives in his old neighborhood in the Northeast section of the city.

Jamie McDermott, GOP: Son of the late Pennsylvania Supreme Court Justice James T. McDermott, Jamie is a former assistant district attorney who has spent the last nine years as executive director of the Philadelphia Regional Port Authority, the agency in charge of one of America’s biggest and busiest ports. McDermott says that as councilman he would work to keep taxpayers in the city by improving schools, eliminating blight and working with police to reduce crack-cocaine usage, which he says is the most devastating drug in history, as it affects quality of life.

David Oh, GOP: The only Asian American in the race, Oh is an attorney and the son of a Southwest Philly minister. Working as an assistant district attorney in the early ’90s, Oh quit the DA’s office and joined the Army as a buck private. After airborne training and paratrooper school, Oh was called for duty in the Persian Gulf, and was honorably discharged as a first lieutenant after three years of service.

Oh says that as councilman he’d stress economic development and create a master plan for keeping top graduates in the area and bringing high-tech businesses to Philadelphia. 25 to 1

David Hardy, GOP: Hardy, executive director of the Community Academy Charter School in North Philadelphia, cites the school’s 93-percent graduation rate as proof of his effectiveness as a leader. As councilman, Hardy says he’ll concentrate his energies on improving education both public and private, create a plan to expand neighborhood development and work with civic and business leaders to bring jobs and new businesses to Philadelphia. Hardy lives in Center City with his wife and two sons.

, Mega’s using his recent celebrity as a springboard for his political aspirations. A longtime community activist, the 30-year-old Mega, also known as Hiram Ashanti, would be the youngest person in City Council. He says that young people have been traditionally shut out of the political process. He’s sponsored youth conferences, breakfast programs and community health fairs in his West Philly neighborhood, and says that as councilman he would work to ensure that every Philadelphian has enough to eat, somewhere to live, and the opportunity to improve his or her life through education and meaningful jobs.

John Hogan, Green Party: Hogan, a 43-year-old library worker for the University of Pennsylvania, believes the time is right to introduce a viable third party into Philadelphia politics. With Longstreth out, and the mayor’s race a statistical dead heat, Hogan figures more than one voter will be splitting the ticket this November, opening a rare door of opportunity for him. A former labor activist, Hogan says that as councilman he’d concentrate on growing local business and redeveloping Philadelphia from within, by rehabbing viable houses for low- and middle-income families.