Emerging from that valley of despair, people didn't care whether the brothers and sisters were said to be running the city. They were able to share a table and, regardless of the color of their skin, work together for the greater good.

Well, just when people were starting to rise up, holding tight to the self-evident truth that all men are created equal, I awoke from my slumber. It must have been just moments before Philadelphia became the great city it could be, for when I rubbed those sleepies from my eyes, Carol Campbell had been ordained as my new city councilwoman.

If this is freedom, I thought, please make it stop ringing 'cuz my ears already hurt.

Before reading this week's cover story, I didn't know all that much about Campbell beyond my apparently spot-on presumption that she was one of those behind-the-scenes kingmakers who have the miraculous ability to walk on the cesspool waters of Philadelphia politics. But in the course of a single, fleeting week, I've learned all I need to know.

C'mon, it's not as if I have an inkling as to what she, as a legislator, has in store for my Fourth District. That'd be asking a bit too much of an official whose primary responsibility is representing her constituents, no?

After all, the lady still has to actually get elected. By voters. (And I'd be remiss if I didn't mention that said voters should be registered, living ones, preferably.) But before the Democratic Party could empty its confetti stockpile atop her hard-earned crown, Campbell offered a heartwarming glimpse of what's to come, of an approach that can only mean great things lie ahead!

The one-word summary: Divisiveness.

Though she'd been given a free pass to "earning" those big-pension aspirations that swirl in the head of anybody on the city payroll, Campbell decided the time was right to whine about the press. That the time was right to cry Injustice!

"It is racism when you see three vacant Council slots and it's fine when you see two Caucasian men ascend to the seats through the process, but the one African-American woman is [seen as] not right," the Daily News quoted Her Highness as saying. "I don't remember seeing articles in the paper about [fellow ward-leader nominees Daniel] Savage and [Bill] Greenlee."

Say what you will about Mayor Street, but at least he waited until he'd ascended to his second-floor throne at City Hall prior to his still-resented-in-many-quarters, who's-in-charge comment. But racial pandering like Campbell's, especially coming from those in positions in power, ensure that there's no way, no how, that we can all just get along. Not as long as people rely on the "Blame Whitey" standard rather than taking responsibility for their own actions. (By actions, I mean things like unpaid fines, missing reports from unsuccessful 1999 council runs and the like.)

Now, I don't mind giving Campbell the benefit of my doubt about her abilities and motivations. So let's concede that no, there weren't big blow-out stories on Savage or Greenlee recently. Of course, there could be a couple reasons for that: (1) They don't have unpaid fines or missing reports, (2) they haven't made a healthy career of wallowing in the muck of insider political training and (3) neither makes as interesting copy.

I hardly think the Daily News — which is helmed by a talented, universally respected African-American man — would set out on a racially motivated vendetta in order to get another cracka on Council. (Though that'd make for some intriguing campaign ads.) Instead, this absurd, manufactured controversy merely afforded a glimpse into what a councilwoman foisted upon us brings to that table.

If her term were to end today, Councilwoman Campbell's legacy would be the perpetuation of imagined stereotypes and barriers that surely didn't hinder her rise. It's a message that serves to not only belittle how real racism still harms some of our fellow Americans, but makes people less inclined to admit it's still out there in all its nasty glory.

Monday night was neither the time nor place for these irresponsible accusations and Campbell should be held accountable for that. As a councilperson in the city of Philadelphia, she owes that not only to the Fourth District but to every single citizen.

My suggestion: Before strolling out the door with a six-figure pension before the real election next November, Campbell should use her time of empowerment as a gift. She can teach people that it doesn't matter how you rise to the top, nor should the color of your skin mean a damn thing. She could tell people that it's the good things accomplished once someone reaches the mountaintop that defines their character.

Hey, a guy can dream, right?

(hickey@citypaper.net)