Posted on SEpt. 15, 2006

Gar Joseph | Ward leaders face contest
for Rick's old seat

WELCOME TO CLOUT, the only column where you can read about Marty Weinberg and the Roman Emperor Diocletian (see below).

But first we visit a smaller empire: Democratic City Committee, where the intrigue is as thick as it was in Rome.

On Monday, ward leaders will meet to choose candidates to fill three vacant City Council seats in November.

They will choose - guess who! - ward leaders.

Two of them, Carol Campbell and Bill Greenlee, are a done deal. But the third, to fill the seat once held by now-jailed Rick Mariano, is proving trickier.

Danny Savage, leader in the lower Northeast's 23rd Ward, appears to hold a narrow lead

But rival John Sabatina heads the biggest ward, and ward leader Donna Aument is pushing her daughter, Marnie Aument Loughrey, for the seat.

Without those two, Savage must cling to the support he holds in six of the district's 12 wards. It helps that he's first choice of party chairman Bob Brady, sources say.

Still, Aument could be the kingmaker by throwing her support to Savage or Sabatina. Speculation about a deal has swirled as Aument reportedly is interested in a seat on Traffic Court, but she insists her vote is immutable.

"I'm not jumping on the sword for anybody else," she said. "I'm jumping on the sword for my daughter."

Sabatina declined to comment .

Expect this to get resolved on Monday.

Power couple debut

Clout sends a hearty "mazel tov" to Pennsylvania Supreme Court Justice Sandra Schultz Newman and power lawyer (and former mayoral candidate) Marty Weinberg.

Why? Because they've become a couple!

Both were widowed last year. Weinberg, who's been scaling back on his real-estate holdings, just sold his beach house in Margate this week.

Now the couple are looking at new shore digs in Brigantine close to Newman's best gal pal, Donna Gentile O'Donnell, and former House Speaker Bob O'Donnell.

Flavia watch: "Miracle Quest"

Clout-created celebrity Flavia Colgan jets to Europe tomorrow for her next TV adventure: "Miracle Quest" on the Travel Channel.

Colgan's show will examine the stigmata of Padre Pio, the healing waters of Lourdes and the miracle of San Gennaro.

First stop: Naples Cathedral, where every year on Sept. 19, the dried blood of San Gennaro - beheaded in 305 A.D. by the Roman Emperor Diocletian- becomes liquefied.

Colgan will talk with churchmen, believers, skeptics and those who say they've experienced miracles firsthand.

Sixty-nine percent of Americans say they believe in miracles. Does Colgan?

"Absolutely," she said. "The question is, 'What is a miracle?' That's the answer I'll be seeking on the show."

The show will be in production for six weeks with the first episode airing sometime around Christmas.

Lights out Lou

When Roxborough Democratic ward leaderLou Agre allegedly punched out attorney Ira Shrager in a political dispute last March, ward leader John O'Connellpredicted that the matter would be settled "within the family - the Democratic family." Maybe he's right.

A judge tossed out assault charges against Agre on Wednesday, after Shrager failed to show in court. He was in the hospital battling an eye ailment.

The charges can be refiled, and the D.A.'s office says the case is under review. Friends say Shrager still wants to pursue his case against Agre. Stay tuned.

Fattah: A new way to invest

Two quick things about U.S. Rep. and mayoral hopeful Chaka Fattah.

First, the Web site for his mayoral exploratory committee,www.phillyforfattah.com, features video clips that appear to be the raw material of next year's TV ads. Opponents can begin crafting rebuttals.

The site also has the best music we've ever heard on a political site. Props to Flemuel Brown III, who wrote the original music, and Fattah aide Solomon Jonesfor putting it on.

Our second item is the "Fattah Investment Booklet," 10 colorful tear-off coupons that you mail in with a donation of $25, $50 or $100 to Fattah's congressional campaign.

The campaign plans to distribute 25,000 of them in supermarkets, beauty salons and churches around the city.

Each payment coupon lists a Fattah accomplishment.

"It's a way to tie substance to support," he said.

We predict the booklet will be a big hit with those who enjoy making car payments.

Brady: Making a big splash

U.S. Rep. Bob Brady did his part for charity at the police and firefighters Thrill Show on Saturday afternoon, taking a turn in the dunk tank.

That's the carnival attraction in which the victim sits on a stool attached to a target. A customer throws a ball, and if it hits the target the stool drops the sitter into a pool.

State Rep. Denny O'Brien and a firefighter took their turns on the stool and "out of 20 throws, maybe four times they hit the target," Brady said.

When it was Brady's turn, "some 9-year-old girl got up there and she was three for three. She was better than the adults."

Brady wound up in the pool on 16 out of 20 throws.

"I still have water in my ear," he said.