Features: Who Really Runs This Town?

6.Robert A. Brady
Democratic U.S. Congressman.
Rank in 2000: 10

In his day job, Brady is a member of the U.S. House of Representatives — a nice enough gig if you can get it. But that’s not why he’s so high on this list. As the head of the Democratic City Committee, Brady, 60, is the majordomo of the city’s ruling party: He keeps the peace, rewards the loyal, and punishes anyone who strays from the reservation. After a yearlong impasse over the Route 15 trolley, for example, Brady brought feuding leaders together to get the project (of course) back on track. Most important, Brady can deliver votes — votes that any Democratic candidate for statewide office, or for the presidency, must have to win.

Strength: Diplomatic skills. has brokered détente in a series of intra-party feuds — Rendell vs. Street, Fumo vs. Dougherty — that make Hatfield and McCoy look lame.

Weakness: He’s got a thing for guys with prison records (Buddy Cianfrani, Lee Beloff). Also, the Democratic machine was inept in the May primary: Only 10 percent of registered voters cast ballots, and only four of eight party-backed candidates for Common Pleas Court won nomination.

7.Judith von Seldeneck
 founder and chairwoman, Diversified Search.
Rank in 2000: Not on list

Her power lies in her political and local business allies, who know her because she probably got them their jobs. Von Seldeneck, 65, founded her executive-search company more than 30 years ago; she has placed, among others, the CEOs of Bryn Mawr Trust Co., the Kimmel Center and the National Constitution Center, as well as former governor Mark Schweiker as CEO of the Chamber of Commerce. On the board of Citizens Bank and Tasty Baking Co., to name just two, and on the executive committee of the chamber (she’s a former chair), von Seldeneck remains highly involved in the city’s business growth, and as a mentor for businesswomen.

Strength: her business has given her the greatest web of contacts this side of david L. cohen.

Weakness: installing schweiker. See “room to improve,” page 115.

8.Lynne Abraham
 Philadelphia District Attorney.
Rank in 2000: 31

She bills herself as a “tough cookie” because she’s hard on criminals, but the same could be said for her electoral fortitude: Though Abraham, 64, manages to piss someone off publicly every few months — cops, African-Americans, death-penalty advocates — she’s still unbeatable at the polls, partly because of her dogged presence in neighborhoods all over town and partly because of her deep-rooted ties to Democratic operatives.

Strength: An unabashed, un-PR-conscious straight-shooter. the statute of limitations preventing her from filing charges against those 63 priests accused of sexually assaulting minors didn’t stop her from publicly lambasting the catholic church.

Weakness: A little too close to power, Abraham has steadfastly avoided investigating or prosecuting any ay-to-play malfeasance in city government.

9.Patrick Meehan
 U.S. Attorney.
Rank in 2000: not on list

No one has done more to change Philadelphia’s political climate over the past year than 49-year-old Meehan (along with assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Schwartz). His City Hall corruption probe may have failed to win any top-level convictions, but it produced reams of sleazy transcripts that exposed the city’s political underbelly. Meehan has since seized files from State Senator Vince Fumo and Councilman Rick Mariano and will likely air more dirty laundry by year’s end. A darling of the state Republican establishment, Meehan possesses a political acumen that prompts frequent comparisons to Dick Thornburgh and Arlen Specter — two ambitious prosecutors who went on to win higher office. A run for governor may be in the cards.

Strength: Mellow. Meehan kept his cool while congressman Bob Brady accused him of being John Ashcroft’s pawn.

Weakness: Leaks. The loose lips in his office that brought the bug into the spotlight may very well have decided the mayor’s race.

10.John Street
 Mayor, Philadelphia.
Rank in 2000: 1

Anyone left wondering whether John Street was the hidden mastermind behind the City Hall corruption scandals or merely an oblivious rube got his answer in March, when the FBI released 1,809 messages from Street’s BlackBerrys: rube. The 61-year-old mayor is neither a hero nor a villain, but a bumbling micromanager, too preoccupied with patching up the hole in the seat of his van to notice the whirlpool of bribery and incompetence swirling around him. Lately, Street has been thinking legacy, pushing forward a hodgepodge of boards — to evaluate potential slots sites, to spur economic development, and to create city-wide wireless service. These are laudable long-term goals, but with two years left at the city’s helm, Street is long on reports and short on results.

Strength: Sincerity. An unwavering belief in the righteousness of your cause, your God and your friends makes it easy to get up at five in the morning and have a great day.

Weakness: Ego. As long as street has councilman michael nutter (#20) in his rearview mirror, he’s a happy man.