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REPRINTED FROM THENEXTMAYOR.COMMarch 13, 2007 press release, (submitted via e-mail) |
PRESS RELEASE
March 13, 2007
Contact: Tim Spreitzer
Phone: 215/253-4965
Cell: 215/514-0170
tim@evansformayor.com
MAYORAL CANDIDATE DWIGHT EVANS CHALLENGES BRADY FINANCIAL INTEREST STATEMENT
PHILADELPHIA (March 13) – Lawyers for mayoral candidate Dwight Evans today will ask Common Pleas Court to follow precedent and remove Bob Brady’s name from the May primary ballot because he filed an incomplete financial interest statement.
“I did not make this decision lightly. But the people of Philadelphia demand and deserve an election that adheres to the highest standards of integrity,” Evans said. “If I don’t challenge the paperwork, then I would be conceding to the party-driven, insider attitude that has for too long plagued the political process in Philadelphia. I refuse to submit to that mentality. In fact, I made this decision yesterday, on the same day that my colleagues in Harrisburg gave their overwhelming support to my legislation which ultimately will lead to campaign finance reform in Philadelphia.”
Attorneys Nolan N. Atkinson, Jr., of Duane Morris LLC, and Carl E. Singley, of WolfBlock, will file the complaint on behalf of the Evans campaign.
“Our concern, Dwight’s concern, is that the question of Bob Brady’s candidacy be properly litigated,” Singley said. “We want an honest and open examination of this issue by the court. There is an overriding question of fairness here.”
Brady, who also is head of the city’s Democratic Committee, failed to disclose his city pension when he filed his financial statements last Tuesday, along with his nominating petitions. Brady draws about $8,700 annually from a city pension he earned as city council sergeant at arms and a labor liaison from 1975 to 1986. The Brady camp called the omission a “stupid error,” and subsequently filed an amended form.
“It is irrelevant that Bob Brady admitted he made an omission. The fact remains that many others have been thrown off the ballot for the same infraction or lesser infractions,” Evans said. “Bob Brady, in his position as party chairman, was instrumental in making that happen. Fair is fair. No candidate is above the law. If Bob Brady thinks that he is, then I question his ability to lead this city.”
Filing an amended form doesn’t satisfy the requirements for candidates, Evans said, citing similar mistakes that ended the campaign of former Common Pleas Judge John Braxton in his bid for controller, and Vernon Anastasio, who ran for city council in 2003. Braxton failed to report several sources of income, including his state judicial pension. Errors also doomed the city council candidacy of Anastasio.
“Judge Braxton and Mr. Anastasio made paperwork mistakes, admitted their errors and moved quickly to correct them. But in both instances, the courts ruled they could not continue their candidacy,” Evans said. “If the same rules apply to every candidate, then the same penalties must apply to every candidate.”
Evans declared his candidacy in December before a crowd of 1,200 supporters and he filed nominating petitions containing the names of more than 17,000 people. His campaign has highlighted his leadership in developing the neighborhood of West Oak Lane and turning Ogontz Avenue into a thriving business district. His campaign slogan is “A Safer Philadelphia: Block by Block.”
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For more information about Dwight Evans and his campaign, visit the website www.evansformayor.com or call the campaign office at 215-875-2570.
Dwight Evans for Mayor •1500 Walnut St., Suite 501, Philadelphia, PA 19102•215-875 2570•www.evansformayor.com
Paid for by Friends for Dwight Evans. B. Callands, Treasurer