Fernandez leaves City Council to enter Phila. mayoral race

At-large City Councilwoman Happy Fernandez entered the history books yesterday, becoming the first major-party female candidate for the office of mayor of Philadelphia. Fernandez, 59, is also the first Democrat to formally throw a hat into the ring for the fall 1999 election. As required by law, Fernandez also resigned her seat on Council after having served seven years on the body. Previously, she was a professor at Temple University's School of Social Administration. Announcing her candidacy at a City Hall press conference yesterday, Fernandez, a longtime resident of West Philadelphia's Powelton Village section, characterized herself as an ideal successor to the current city administration. Democrat Ed Rendell, Philadelphia's popular current mayor, is ineligible to run for a third four-year term. "I have thoroughly enjoyed being part of the dynamic Rendell-Council team," Fernandez said. Fernandez, who earned a master's degree in history from Penn in 1970, cited "a balanced budget, lower taxes, economic growth and a renewed sense of pride and hope" as areas in which she hoped to continue Rendell's policies. On a long list of other potential mayoral candidates, Council President John Street and District Attorney Lynne Abraham are considered the early favorites for the Democratic nominations. The city has not had a Republican mayor since the early 1950s. Other possible Democratic candidates include State Rep. Dwight Evans, Philadelphia Housing Authority Executive Director John White Jr. and Martin Weinberg, a key adviser to former mayor Frank Rizzo and a former city solicitor. George Bochetto, a Republican mayoral candidate, went to court this summer to force Street and Fernandez to either resign from Council or stop talking about running for mayor. But so far only Fernandez has officially declared herself a candidate. Several others, including Weinberg, have formed exploratory committees. Abraham, who leads in early polls, has said she will make an announcement next week concerning her candidacy. All of the mayoral hopefuls have already begun fundraising. Both Weinberg and Street have campaign war chests in excess of $1 million. Fernandez has raised $300,000 thus far. That $300,000 is about enough for a week of televised campaign ads, and many experts say that Fernandez would need a substantially larger war chest to mount a serious campaign.