Weinberg enters race for mayor

The Democratic attorney from South Philadelphia is expected to be the last to enter the field. Using the porch of his childhood home as a stage, attorney and political insider Marty Weinberg officially announced his candidacy for mayor yesterday, making him the sixth and likely the final candidate to enter the race for City Hall. The rally brought a crowd of several hundred enthusiastic neighbors and supporters to Mildred Street in South Philadelphia, but the event was merely a formality, as Weinberg's intention to run for mayor has been known for many months. The deep-pocketed Weinberg -- who political experts say could be the surprise winner of the May 18 Democratic primary -- delivered a speech that stressed the importance of neighborhood improvement to the future of Philadelphia. "As we witness the transformation of Center City into a truly international city, we must remember the lesson of Mildred Street -- the lesson of a city which works as hard for the working men and women living in all neighborhoods as it does for the businesses in Center City," Weinberg said. Weinberg, 61, explained that, although the development of stadiums and waterfronts is important to Philadelphia's growth, the new mayor cannot overlook less glamorous neighborhood issues like public education and crime prevention. "When a parent sends a child off to school through drug-infested neighborhoods, we have failed as a city," he said during his 30-minute morning announcement, which was attended by State Senators Hardy Williams and Vince Fumo. Despite the nationally recognized successes of outgoing Mayor Ed Rendell --Ewhich included rescuing the city from financial ruin -- Philadelphia has seen little improvement in its schools during the past seven years. Voters have indicated that they want the next mayor to take more responsibility for the fate of public education -- a topic that Weinberg addressed directly. "If we fail [in public education], the failure will be mine," Weinberg said. "But let me tell you something: I do not give up easily. The future of our children is too important. I will never give up on them." In an interview last week, Weinberg singled out the poor state of public education in the city as the cause of many of its recurring problems. "The whole educational concept deals with employment and it deals with crime and it deals with our economic situation," he said. A lifelong Philadelphian who attended Drexel University and Temple University Law School, Weinberg points to his varied professional background -- which includes stints as city solicitor and aide to the late Mayor Frank Rizzo -- as perhaps his best selling point in the upcoming election. "I have a depth? of experience that I believe few people have," he said. "It's almost like I've spent my entire life preparing for this job as mayor." Political analysts say that while Weinberg could pose a formidable challenge to the nomination's early frontrunner -- former City Council President John Street -- Weinberg's lack of visibility could prove to be a major roadblock for him. Ed Schwartz, president of the Institute for the Study of Civic Values, has gone so far as to describe Weinberg as "a silent film star." Weinberg said he recognizes the problem. And with over $2.6 million in his pockets, he insisted that the situation will only be temporary. Weinberg plans to launch an advertising blitz in the coming weeks to increase his name recognition. "I think [money] is important for me because I am an individual who is not well known by the average voters," he said. "In order for me to be able to have the people know what I stand for and who I am, I have to be able to do that on television." Looking toward the upcoming elections, Weinberg said he believes the winner of the May Democratic primary will likely be the next mayor of Philadelphia -- a city where Democrats outnumber Republicans by a 3-to-1 majority. "Philadelphia is a Democratic city," he said. "I think that people who indicate that a Republican can win in Philadelphia just really don't know the city very well," he said. Only one man, businessperson Sam Katz, is running for the GOP nomination. There are five people running on the Democratic side. Regardless of who emerges victorious from the November 5 general election, Philadelphia's new mayor will be forced to deal with the Rendell legacy in some capacity. But as Weinberg learned from his days with the legendary Rizzo, the transition between mayors relies on a constant building process. "I look forward to the challenge of doing a job as good or better than Ed Rendell," Weinberg said. "I believe I have the personality, the energy level, the desire and the ability to continue the tradition that has been set over the last seven years."