One of my favorite sources of election info is the "Committee of 70" site. http://www.seventy.org
The Mayoral results are at: http://www.seventy.org/electioninfo/results/2007/demmayor.pdf Something I never noticed before is that the 27th Ward (Spruce Hill, etc.) is lumped with "Center City, Fairmount, University City" (whether by income,class or ideology is not clear) and not with more geographically appropriate "Southwest, Grays Ferry, Point Breeze" or "West Philadelphia". I believe perception, even self delusion, have an awful lot to do with interpretations of any results, and that individuals who believe themselves aligned with PENN sometimes find themselves the next group slated for constructive eviction. While I recognize PENN as an 800# Gorilla, many of their faculty, staff and students are not voting in Philadelphia (under age, not Citizens, still registered in another state, too busy or bored to do their civic duty, etc.). So, when it comes to reelecting the Councilwoman, PENN's power is limited to whose votes can be influenced and how that influence is perceived. Beating up on our local girl, overtly or even via 3rd party press releases does not play well with us natives. These self selecting computer lists may influence some, but miss the vast majority of the voters. When I look at the results for my Ward (the 46th) it appears those with an anti Knox agenda held little sway. Knox pulled 15.9% of the vote in the 46th, which was little different than his 16.5% average across all of West Philadelphia. The big difference is in the Nutter statistics. Nutter pulled 51.1% of the vote in the 46th, which was very different than his 38.4% average across all of West Philadelphia. But the losses came from Brady (average almost halved) and Fattah (down by about a third). Jannie ran uncontested. She is here for another term (and maybe as long as she cares to serve). Now, what is in the best interest of our neighborhood? Do we stand behind Councilwoman Jannie Blackwell, work toward a diplomatic and productive solution to any difficulties that remain between her and Nutter and / or Penn or do we let the Broad from South Philly lead Council, possibly to the detriment of our West Philly neighborhoods (including the land owned by Penn)? Where does Penn's protection and largess stop? Is it determined geographically, or in line with Penn's self interests and agendas? Are we undermined by arguing among ourselves when we could be helping each other to exponential improvement through a more synergistic approach and ergometric support of wheels already in motion? I am Pro-NUTTER and Pro-BLACKWELL and I do not see any insurmountable conflict. Maybe these two politicians are two similar to forgive each other's flaws. And maybe we Voters should help them recognize their common purpose, to achieve the highest and best return of services for our citizens by using our tax dollars, saving and spending wisely, while preserving the land, physical structures and well functioning programs that exist. Best! Liz ---- You are receiving this because you are subscribed to the list named "UnivCity." To unsubscribe or for archive information, see <http://www.purple.com/list.html>.