Cole seeks to unseat Blackwell

Although he may not have the political experience of incumbent Philadelphia City Council member Jannie Blackwell, local entrepreneur Prentice Cole has turned more than a few heads in his recent campaign for the Council seat representing West Philadelphia. Cole received the endorsements of both The Philadelphia Inquirer and The Philadelphia Daily News in his bid to unseat Blackwell, who has worked with the Penn administration on numerous issues during her nearly seven years on Council. Cole, a 1976 Penn graduate and longtime West Philadelphia resident, cited his history as a community leader and business-owner as the perfect basis for a career in City Council. A former Daily News photographer, Cole has served on the board or been a member of several community organizations. "I understand how a child can benefit from having grown up in West Philadelphia," Cole said. "I am that child. I am that person who's benefitted from being in West Philadelphia." Cole's main focus is creating partnerships with area institutions, corporations and organizations to pool resources that can help improve the quality of life in West Philadelphia. According to Cole, education and redevelopment of housing are two major issues that need to be addressed and can benefit from such partnerships. "Jannie claims to be a person who stands for development, $2 billion worth of development that's been brought into West Philadelphia, but if you go past 38th Street, you won't see this development," Cole said. During his campaign, Cole has repeatedly criticized Blackwell for her focus on issues like homelessness and poverty while ignoring the middle class of her district. Blackwell did not respond to repeated requests for comment. Cole's fresh face and new ideas have gained him the support of not just the media, but some local residents as well. University City resident Al Filreis, a Penn English professor, criticized Blackwell for a lack of significant legislation in the area of education, and called her $2 billion claim "absurd," adding that "she's obviously claiming all the money the University of Pennsylvania has spent in the district." "Prentice is creative, willing to think freshly," Filreis said. "He was born and raised in West Philadelphia -- he's there really because he cares about the neighborhood." And many community members say they have not forgotten what they say is Blackwell's tendency to do what is good for Penn -- not necessarily what's good for West Philadelphia. This has not been an easy year for Blackwell. Despite becoming chairperson of Council's powerful Finance Committee -- making her third in line for the mayorship -- she suffered both a personal and professional setback when her aide and confidant, Michael Youngblood, was convicted last month on 34 counts of extortion, bank fraud and tax evasion while working on a city homeless shelter construction project. But despite these potential obstacles, Blackwell is very popular with area residents and well-respected by other City Council members. "I think what I most admire is just an incredible discipline and work ethic," said Liz Campion, an area realtor and longtime University City resident. "I have found that if her opinion isn't formed or if she needs information, she's willing to do research and solicit community opinion." According to City Council member David Cohen, Blackwell's experience gives her an important advantage over Cole. "Incumbency is always an advantage, particularly where the Council member has been active, as Councilwoman Blackwell has been," Cohen said

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