A Black Mayor for Philadelphia?

Ahead in the polls, Goode fights history and a "wiser" Rizzo

As mayor, Democrat Frank Rizzo gloried in tough talk and a no-nonsense image. He relished admonishing criminals to get the hell out of town. He was outspoken and steadfast in his support of a police department that was regarded by black leaders and liberals as particularly highhanded and even brutal, especially while he had been its chief, in the patrolling of Philadelphia's black neighborhoods. When he tried to amend the city charter in 1978 so he could run for a third consecutive term, blacks registered and voted in unprecedented numbers in a successful effort to checkmate his move. Now, after a three-year retirement, the redoubtable Rizzo, 62, is running again, hoping to succeed Democratic Incumbent Mayor William Green, who, his popularity on the decline, is not seeking reelection. And once again the black vote looms as his major obstacle. A recent poll shows Rizzo running 22 points behind his opponent in the city's May primary. Rizzo's foe: W. Wilson Goode, 44, a black who was the city's managing director, the city's second highest position, until he resigned two months ago to enter the race.

Goode's forces were understandably enthusiastic about the upset victory of Harold Washington in the Chicago Democratic primary. They hope that the widespread publicity about that race will further enhance their prospects by encouraging blacks to vote in record numbers, as they did in Chicago, and by generating large campaign contributions. Indeed, the two primary contests offer striking parallels. Both cities are Democratic strongholds with similar population percentages of whites and blacks. Undoubtedly, echoing the record amount of money spent in Chicago, the Goode-Rizzo race will end up as the most expensive primary in Philadelphia's history. Rizzo plans to raise $1.5 million; Goode $1 million. Rizzo has hired New York Consultant David Sawyer, who handled Jane Byrne's media campaign. Like the defeated Chicago mayor, Rizzo has an abrasive public image that Sawyer is trying to soften. "There is no new Frank Rizzo," says the ex-mayor. "Just a wiser Frank Rizzo, a man who has learned a lot since being out of office."

Unlike blacks who have run in the past--though there are six blacks on the 17-member city council, Philadelphia has never had a black mayor--Goode enjoys a strong following among white, liberal Democrats as well as in the city's business establishment. He first attracted public attention four years ago when, as chairman of the Pennsylvania public utility commission, he skillfully conducted the probe into the Three Mile Island incident. A deacon in his Baptist church, he has a master's degree in government administration from the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School and has won general praise as a talented administrator.

In the primary so far, unemployment is the major issue. Philadelphia's work force has shrunk by some 150,000 jobs over the past decade. Both candidates advocate wide-ranging economic development programs. But in a city where ethnic pride runs high, race is bound to play a large role. Nearly 40% of Philadelphia's 900,000 registered voters are black. Rizzo says he will campaign hard in the city's black communities to try to dispel the notion that his former stewardship polarized the races. Goode says he intends to hammer at "Frank Rizzo and his past record."

The Philadelphia Republican primary has three serious candidates. Although the City of Brotherly Love has not elected a Republican mayor since 1947, political observers say that if Goode is the Democratic nominee, the general election could split along racial lines, giving a Republican a much better chance of winning. This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so viewer discretion is required.