Republican nominee still up in the air, party bosses say

It is hard to imagine a Philadelphia mayor's race without Frank Rizzo, but that is just what city Republicans are now being forced to do. The Republican City Committee must soon come up with a candidate to replace Rizzo, who won the party's May primary, in the city's November mayoral election. Rizzo died suddenly of a heart attack last Tuesday. The perfect Republican nominee would be able to make up for Democratic nominee Edward Rendell's two month lead in the race by quickly uniting the party, raising campaign funds and becoming a household name. Each is a formidable task. Central to the nomination debate is city Republican boss William Meehan, who is leading the selection process and will have a significant influence over the final choice. Last week, Meehan seemed to be leaning toward former District Attorney Ron Castille, his original choice in the May primary. Castille lost to Rizzo in a narrow three-way contest where municipal finance consultant Sam Katz also received a large portion of the vote. But after many Rizzo supporters indicated they would not back -- and might even fight -- Castille's choice, Castille told The Inquirer Saturday that he likes his current job practicing law but would be willing to drop out of the nomination race "to perserve party unity." Castille instead suggested Richard Glanton for the nomination, a partner at Castille's law firm who served as a top aide to former Pennsylvanian Governor Richard Thornburgh. Also mentioned for the nomination is Katz, who picked up the endorsement of several Philadelphia newspapers during the primary. However, many analysts think Meehan still resents Katz for taking away votes that may have helped Castille beat Rizzo last May. Frank Rizzo's brother Joseph Rizzo, a former city fire commissioner, announced Tuesday that he would accept the Republican mayoral nomination if it were offered to him. Frank Rizzo's press secretary Joseph Cascerceri said Joseph is currently the Rizzo campaign's first choice, but that the campaign would consider endorsing whichever candidate the party nominates. Initially, many in the Rizzo camp had suggested Rizzo's campaign manager and longtime friend Martin Weinberg. Weinberg, however, told The Inquirer Monday that he is a "private person" and would not seek the nomination. Republican party officials met Sunday night at the Torresdale-Frankford Country Club and again Tuesday evening at Palumbo's restaurant to discuss the nomination. GOP officials have said they may decide on a nominee by the end of the month. Another name which came up in the Sunday meeting was City Council Republican at-large candidate Joseph Egan, a former city development official respected in the local business community. He is competing with incumbents Thatcher Longstreth and Joan Specter -- who have both been mentioned for the nomination as well -- for one of two GOP at-large council seats. Choosing any one of the three as the party nominee would eliminate competition for the at-large seats. However, Republican party bosses may not get the final choice. John Trinsey, who went to court and successfully blocked party attempts to choose a successor to Senator John Heinz without holding a primary, has written party officials indicating that he feels the same laws apply in the mayoral nomination. If courts again agreed with Trinsey, Republicans might be forced to hold a special primary to select their nominee. The Associated Press contributed to this article.

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