The Daily News' Catherine Lucey spoke to U.S. Rep. Bob Brady at his fund-raiser tonight. He still won't say if he's running or not -- but she said the atmosphere in the room sure made it seem like he was.
Brady told Catherine in an interview, "I am worried the city needs me more as a mayor than as a congressman." Still, she said, that wasn't an indication of an announcement.
In a speech to the gathered supporters, Brady made a similar opaque remark: "I need to think about how much I am going to make you proud of me."
In his speech, Brady spoke a lot about crime being the biggest issue in the city. "I think the biggest problem we have in the city is crime and violence," he said. "I just want to make this city safe. I want this city safe for my mother" and other family members, who he named.
And he made a reference to his skill as a mediator and connector: "In this great city I have the ability of putting people together," he said. "I know I can get you together; we're going to make this the best city."
The room was quite full, a strong indication of Brady's fund-raising power. The suggested ticket price for the VIP portion of the evening, from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m., was $5,000 a head; for the open-to-all portion of the evening, it was $1,000 a head. Brady spokesman Ken Snyder said the night should meet its goal of raising $500,000 for Brady.