The Belmont Mansion is one step closer to being memorialized as part of the Underground Railroad.

The oldest historic mansion in Fairmount Park, situated on Belmont Plateau, has been beset by controversy over the past several years because of a disagreement between the volunteers who run the mansion and members of both the Fairmount Park Commission and the Historical Commission. The American Women’s Heritage Society (AWHS), a group of mainly African-American volunteers, have discovered, through extensive research, that the third floor of the mansion was used by the Underground Railroad. Part of the mansion is in disarray and must be repaired, but members of both the Fairmount Park Commission and the Historic Commission dismiss AWHS’ findings and want the mansion restored to its pre-abolitionist days. The proposed repairs would include removing the third floor, much to the dismay of AWHS.

Mayor John Street became involved when contractors came beating on the doors at Belmont looking to make bids on the demolition project.

On Tue., April 1, the mayor's chief of staff, Joyce Wilkerson, met with all concerned parties, including AWHS President Audrey R. Johnson-Thornton, Ursula Reed, a Fairmount Park Council for Historic Sites vice president, and Richard Peters, a direct descendent of the Peters family, who had inhabited the mansion and were the abolitionists at Belmont.

Also present was the new acting executive director of Fairmount Park Karen Borski, Robert N.C. Nix III, the chair of the Fairmount Park Commission, and Historic Preservation Officer Richard Tyler. Both the Fairmount Park and the Historic commissions had voted against retaining the third floor, citing that there was not enough evidence supporting the slave connection.

Street was unable to attend the meeting that AWHS supporters said was positive and in their favor.

"Dick Tyler maintained his stance that the third floor should be removed," said Johnson-Thornton. "But Joyce said we may continue with our research in proving that the third floor of the mansion was used to hide slaves. Which we will do."

The Belmont has already received the attention of noted historians Gary Nash and Julie Winch.

Tyler could not be reached for comment. AWHS intends to meet with Street and Wilkerson shortly.

Minority Report

City Council at-large candidate James “Jamie” McDermott is being tagged by some fellow Republicans as the successor to City Councilman at-large Thacher Longstreth. Longstreth decided in January that he was not seeking re-election this year.

Longstreth, a six-term GOP councilman, is now suffering from dementia along with Parkinson's disease and is in a Florida hospital, where he has been since February. His former chief of staff and current fiancee, Melanie Hopkins, took Longstreth to Florida, where he was hospitalized with pneumonia. Nurses caring for the ailing councilman there have alleged that Hopkins verbally and physically abused him. Longstreth's guardianship is before the Florida Court, as are abuse charges against Hopkins.

There are five Republican at-large candidates running and each party may only select five in the primary election. In the general election, each party may win up to five of the seven at-large seats, but since this is a Democratic town, Democrats are almost guaranteed to win the first five seats. The last two seats go to minority parties -- this year the Green Party and the Education Party are running candidates in addition to the Republicans.

Aside from McDermott, the other GOP candidates are incumbent Councilman Frank Rizzo Jr., David Oh, Jack Kelly and Dave Hardy. John Hogan is the Green Party candidate; Will Mega is the Education Party candidate.

McDermott last ran for a GOP at-large seat in 1999, where he came in third behind Councilmen Rizzo and Longstreth in the general election.

His father was the late state Supreme Court Justice James T. McDermott. The younger McDermott was a former assistant District Attorney under Ed Rendell and Ron Castille. He is now the executive director of the Philadelphia Regional Port Authority, a position he does not have to resign in order to run.

Rizzo is considered a sure win because of his incumbency, his father, former Mayor Frank Rizzo, and because he is popular with Democrats. He beat incumbent Joan Specter, wife of U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter, in 1995.

However, the wild card is David Oh, who said he is the sprinter looking at the finish line. Oh, a Korean American, wants people to vote for him based on the issues and not his political backers. (See p. 10 for a more in-depth look at these candidates.)