The Councilman and the Commissioner

At-Large City Councilman Frank Rizzo said he is disappointed that Police Commissioner Sylvester Johnson didn't do more to help avert the manic sit-in conducted by union members at the council's opening session last week.

Hundreds of members of the two big city unions—AFSCME District Council 33 and AFSCME District Council 47—poured into City Hall to protest tax-cut bills and the fact that their contracts expired at the end of June.

"[The commissioner] knew it was coming," Rizzo said. "He could have talked to the union heads and done something to prevent this. George Fencl would have handled things differently."

The Fencl comment—he was the chief inspector and head of the civil affairs unit under the councilman's father, the late Mayor Frank Rizzo—irked Johnson.

"First of all, I did not know it was coming," said Johnson. "I am not putting the Police Department in the middle of this. Nor am I going to lock up 400 or 500 people. I will not deny them their constitutional right of attending City Council sessions. George Fencl would have handled everything the way I did."

Bloc Heads

The climate in council this session is contentious as usual and, despite perceptions that hold otherwise, Rizzo said the city's three Republican council members do not always stick together.

"I vote my own way," he said.

The Republicans—Rizzo, 10th District Councilman and Minority Chair Brian O'Neill and At-Large Councilman Jack Kelly -- could be a more powerful force if they aligned themselves with a bloc of Democrats on council. So far, that's not happening.

As a minority force on the council, the Republicans cannot introduce legislation without a Democratic council member's sponsorship. They wheel and deal with their Democratic colleagues to get things done.

"Jack stands on his own," said Holly Maher, Kelly's assistant. "There's communication between [the GOP council members], but they all tend to go their own way."

Mayor Rizzo II?

Rizzo said he is still weighing the possibility of a mayoral run in 2007. "I'm the only white Republican who has a good relationship with the African-American community," he said.

His fellow Republicans are not exactly lining up to join the fray. No other names have surfaced and it is unlikely that Sam Katz will make a fourth attempt.

Democrats, however, are getting excited about the wide-open race to replace Mayor John Street. Possible contenders include Councilmen Jim Kenney and Michael Nutter; City Controller Jonathan Saidel; State Rep. Dwight Evans and electricians' union leader John Dougherty. Former Police Commissioner John Timoney, who's now Miami's police chief, has also been mentioned.

For his part, Rizzo dismisses the chatter that has him changing his party for a mayoral quest. Still, he has plans whether he's in the mix or not.

"If I don't run," he said, "then I will be actively helping the right candidate."

High Society

The Pennsylvania Society seems to have an affinity for White House Republicans. Last year, they honored former President George H. W. Bush with the Gold Medal of Distinguished Achievement. This year, Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge is slated to receive the same award.

The society, which convenes on the second weekend each December for a splashy black-tie affair at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York City, is comprised of mostly affluent political Pennsylvanians, such as lobbyists, elected officials, consultants and business types. They gather to hobnob and network for the weekend party that culminates with a formal Saturday-night dinner.

When Ridge was Pennsylvania's governor, he tried to move the action to his own state but was met with much resistance because shopping and theater is the priority of the weekend. Society founder, the late Pittsburgh steel magnate Andrew Carnegie, insisted everyone meet at the Waldorf, the hotel he built more than 100 years ago.

Squares Only, Please

Notorious writer/director Robert Downey Sr. spent last year filming a documentary about Rittenhouse Square.

Downey collaborated on the project with his longtime friend Max Raab, with whom he worked on the popular Mummers documentary Strut! A native New Yorker, Downey says he was more fascinated by Rittenhouse than Central Park.

During an interview last September in Chelsea, he said he captured a rich cadre of characters on celluloid. On Sept. 23, that celluloid, titled Rittenhouse Square, was previewed for a large but select group at the Prince Theater. The filmmakers, who made it clear that they were showing a work in progress, hosted a Q & A afterwards and provided cards for viewer comments. Raab first gained recognition as a producer when his controversial film, A Clockwork Orange, directed by Stanley Kubrick, debuted in 1971. Raab said he intends for Rittenhouse to open nationally at film festivals.