Tom Knox and Jannie Blackwell join forces? (The Next Mayor)

The Daily News presents an interesting scenerio (hinted at in an earlier post) today: How about Tom Knox and Jannie Blackwell teaming up?

The logic is as follows: Blackwell wants to be City Council president; Knox wants to be mayor. Blackwell brings Knox votes in West Philly, Knox brings Blackwell support for her attempt at the job now held by Anna Verna.

Mark McDonald and Dave Davies report:

Tomorrow, Blackwell, 61, a four-term councilwoman, says she will make her endorsement for mayor. In the last few weeks, she said her choice had narrowed to Knox and Congressman Chaka Fattah. Yesterday, she wasn’t hiding her warm feelings for Knox.

Blackwell is leader of the 46th Ward in West Philadelphia and when Knox showed up last week, she introduced him as her “friend” and said that he’d do a good job as mayor.

“Tom Knox came forward and said he was supporting me and he thought I’d be good, that I cared about people and am honest and that I’d be a good leader in Council and that he was supporting me as president,” Blackwell said later.

This is not a done deal -- and Knox's people say they have not talked to Blackwell about the Council presidency, and Knox himself says this isn't political dealmaking.

Again, from the story:

Josh Morrow, Knox's campaign manager said that Knox spoke in Blackwell’s favor at the ward meeting without a specific political quid pro quo in mind.

But, said Blackwell:

“What I’m looking for is a partnership,” she said. “I’ve been here long enough to have an opinion on what is needed. I’m interested in someone with forward-thinking ideas and an openness and willingness to form a partnership to deal with the problems.”

If it happens, what does this mean for Knox's "outsider" claim?

Comments (29)

Anonymous:

forget his outsider claim, what about his ethics claim? Blackwell was the only councilmember to fight Mike Nutter on ethics legislation every step of the way. And she is the nepotism queen. More fraud from Knox. And Blackwell is in the pocket of Jon Doc so the whole thing stinks.

Posted by Anonymous | May 1, 2007 7:31 AM

Non Union Electrician:

Janie Blackwell and.....Tommy the Fraud knox. What a pairing!
Let's see Janie oversees a devestated district and she doesn't work except from the money she be gettin from the public trough -a career loser that hurts our city and West Philly! The poster Queen for Term Limits!
Ah and yes -Tom Knox -the 400% lender that thinks he is helping poor people in dire straits -what a criminal he really is..
Now I get it -Janie represents poor folks -Tom lends money for 400% interst to poor folks and they call it public service!
Jani should quit -if she ever thinks she will be Council President -we should dismantle this government

Posted by Non Union Electrician | May 1, 2007 7:41 AM

Dave

If Knox gets elected mayor, can we expect him to contradict his spokespeople on a regular basis about whether or not he supports an idea or specific legislation making its way through city council?

Posted by Dave | May 1, 2007 8:55 AM

Jill:

This is consistent with Knox's behavior all along. Specifically his alliance with convicted felon / pistol-whipping thug Mike Youngblood. Word on the street is that that Knox paid Jannie 200K in cash to get the endorsement.

Posted by Jill | May 1, 2007 9:06 AM

Wait, I have a name for the Knox / Blackwell thing. "Millionaire's Alliance to Destroy Neighborhoods"

Posted by Jill | May 1, 2007 9:25 AM

Is that sort of like Brady appointing Carol Campbell to city council and giving her money for her re-election campaign?

Posted by Dave | May 1, 2007 9:39 AM

Wendy:

Jill: That's a heck of a lot of money. Is there more than just rumor to it?

Posted by Wendy | May 1, 2007 10:00 AM

Patricio:

You mean the same wig wearing Jannie Blackwell who will bulldoze your home and build a nuisance bar over it with public money?

Knox has sank to super lows for me. The 2 most corrupt people in city gov't have jumped on his ship. Doc & Blackwell will take everything, including your chocolate milks.

Posted by Patricio | May 1, 2007 10:26 AM

This just re-affirms my belief that despite what all the commericals say, the one true reformer in this race is Nutter.

Posted by Anonymous | May 1, 2007 11:20 AM

Andy Daven:

Apparently, the Knox and Blackwell deal was facilitated by some Local 98/Doc guy John Fenton who has relationships with both. He explained that Blackwell needed certain things in order to support Knox.

She said that in addition to being Council President, she needed a commitment that city services would be shifted to her constituency base.

In particular, she argued how could the 5th Police District have so many cops, when it is lowest crime in the city, when the 18th, 16th and 12th have so many problems. Apparently, Knox committed to a plan with Blackwell to re-allocate police in his first year as Mayor from the 5th, 7th, 8th, 2nd, and 15th districts to the 16th, 18th, 12th, 22nd, 23rd, 25th, and 39th districts.

Also, Blackwell wanted her rec. centers open 24 hours a day. Knox said that he could consolidate rec centers in more middle class neighborhoods in Northeast and Northwest to shift staffing to West and some to North.

They also got into other issues, and in particular, said that Blackwell as Council President would get some management oversight of the Managing Director to be able to have direct input in the allocation of resources and city services. She has felt that too few of the city plows in the snow have hit her district, for example.

In any case, the whole deal has been worked out and agreed to over the past three weeks, and Blackwell assured Knox she'd help with a quick budget process for this.

Just ask John Fenton, he brought the messages back and forth between Doc and Blackwell until the face-to-face meeting.

It will be ironic to see Knox elected in the Northeast, only to lead to the largest shift in services out of the Northeast in the city's history. And all this, because Knox needed a deal with Blackwell in West Philly to win.

Posted by Andy Daven | May 1, 2007 11:37 AM

If you look at Blackwell's most recent campaign finance report, she received $1,000 from Knox for Philly. We'll see what the next report says, but I doubt that it'll be $200,000 (unless, of course, the allegation is that the payment went, or will go, unreported).

I would think that the political favor of being made council president would mean more to Blackwell at this point than the money (although her finance report also lists a $15,000 debt to Mayor Street's campaign, so she could also use that).

Posted by Dave | May 1, 2007 11:51 AM

Liz:

#1 This article makes me sick to my stomach. Why is the daily news spinning the S**t? This deal will be horrible for the city. They quote a republican political consultant as saying that progressives and reformers think that this will give Knox cred- does this person have a brain? - every reformer in Philly has it out for Blackwell, and the so-called "progressives" are voting for fattah's bloated gov't plans. Why would anyone quote this person? This reporter clearly has an agenda. I'll say it again, the media in this town is a big part of our problems.

#2 If Knox offered Blackwell any kind of money deal- it would not be to her campaign account- she is running unopposed as usual. I think it would be more likely that he would give the money to the campaigns of other council candidtes who would be likely to vote Blackwell president.

Hopefully we will be cleaning house on council will the reform slate and neither Verna or Blackwell will be the de faccto choices for president.

Mark Stier for council president!!!!!

Posted by Liz | May 1, 2007 12:18 PM

Blackwell has been saying for months that she would do what jon doc wanted. He gives her a TON of money and jobs.

Posted by Anonymous | May 1, 2007 12:33 PM

Son of Anonymous:

Hey guys, I told you yesterday before today's Daily News; Nutter's more than perfunctory chairmanship down at the Republican controlled PA Convention Center is going to be problematic. Incidentally, as a former volunteer on his campaign. According to his last financial disclosure filing back in march... he had less than 1.5 million dollars in his account. With all the Ads he's been constantly running... He should have run out of money about a month ago???????? Sam Katz is definitely running for mayor as an (Republican) Independent riiiiiight!!!!

Posted by Son of Anonymous | May 1, 2007 12:43 PM

seand:

John Fenton is the Director of Operations of the largely Penn funded and controlled Univeristy City District. The UCD sometimes has a slightly rocky relationship with Blackwell's office as she tends to play both sides of the "gentrification" game depending on which part of her district whe is talking to.

Is there possibly 2 John Fenton's because the UCD's John Fenton has never had any relationship with the IBEW to the best of my knowledge.

UCD's staff directory:
http://www.ucityphila.org/about/staff

Posted by seand | May 1, 2007 12:48 PM

Ask Fenton about his relationship with IBEW and who his friends were in the old neighborhood...also, ask people in the know about Fenton's relationship with Jannie.

Posted by Andy Daven | May 1, 2007 12:51 PM

Are you saying the local 98 had a plant in in the UCD - actually the main "go to guy" to get stuff done - far above and beyond Balckwell's aides are for "consituent services" is actually an IBEW guy? I mean if you live in UCity and you have problem john Fenton is typically the first guy you call - not Blackwell's office - an dhas been for about a decade.

Posted by seand | May 1, 2007 12:57 PM

Are you sure that's the same John Fenton? I remember seeing a John Fenton in a campaign finance report who's address, I think, was somewhere in Grays Ferry (could be wrong, though).

Posted by Dave | May 1, 2007 2:36 PM

Struggle For Truth:

Look I keep telling you Jannie Blackwell's boyfriend is gangsta, Jr.Black Mob, drug dealer/extorionist (from the homeless) and ex-con,Michael Youngblood now PAID aid to Tom Knox aka Tony Sopranos. And now with Doc the gangs all here. Jannie's always been with Tom Knox were ever you see Michael Youngblood you see Jannie, Rendell and money. If you don't know you better ask somebody:)

Posted by Struggle For Truth | May 1, 2007 3:56 PM

Soprano isn't pluralized. Chocolate milk on the other hand...

Posted by Patricio | May 1, 2007 4:22 PM

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Posted by Anonymous | May 1, 2007 4:29 PM

You mean "eu gosto" Bart Simpsons.

Posted by Patricio | May 1, 2007 11:00 PM

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