Alum still seeking City Council seat

Sean Reilly isn't letting the odds get him down. The 34-year-old Republican and Penn alumnus is running for one of the seven at-large seats on Philadelphia's City Council -- unendorsed by the Republican Party. Republicans are a relative rarity in this city, outnumbered by Democrats four to one. It's a given that running a Republican campaign is going to be arduous from the outset, but Reilly must face the additional stigma of running without party endorsement. Far from slowing down or backing out, Reilly plans to move ahead at full steam. "We're out there collecting petitions now," he said. "We need 1,000 [signatures] to get on the ballot, and we're running to win." Reilly's first test will be the primary election on May 20. Only five Republicans will be allowed to progress to the general election in order to contest for an at-large council seat. The same restriction applies for the Democrats. This ensures that at least two of the seven at-large seats will be filled by members of the minority party. The Philadelphia Republican City Committee released its list of endorsements last Thursday after meeting with several potential candidates. Unfortunately for Reilly, he didn't make the cut. Current At-large Councilman and longtime Philadelphia politician W. Thacher Longstreth, who has served for six straight terms, also failed to receive Republican endorsement due to his declining health. Instead, the party is supporting two-term incumbent Frank Rizzo, along with former Council member Jack Kelly, Executive Director of the Philadelphia Regional Port Authority James McDermott Jr., attorney David Oh and Vice Principal for the Community Academy Charter School David Hardy. "Historically, we've done very well with our candidates," GOP Counsel Michael Meehan said. "We endorse the ones who we know and who we think can help Sam Katz get elected as mayor." Meehan explained that there was "nothing in particular" that dissuaded the committee from choosing Reilly. "We just found five people who [we thought] were more qualified," he said. Reilly, of course, begged to differ, citing his "background and work within the party at both the city and state levels." He had a brief career as a prosecutor in the Philadelphia District Attorney's office and recently served as state director for U.S. Senator Rick Santorum. Some believe that may be just the trouble. "I think that one thing Sean needs to be careful of is that his [former] boss is seen as being very conservative," said Marjorie Margolies-Mezvinsky, a senior lecturer at the Fels Institute of Government and former U.S. Representative. In comparison to Santorum, the Republican Party in Philadelphia is much more liberal. After all, their mayoral candidate is Katz, a former Democrat. Could this be why they neglected to endorse Reilly? "He has to make sure that his own views are made clear," Margolies-Mezvinsky said. "He has to make sure that he's seen as his own person." Reilly, who "stands for lower taxes, better schools and less government," according to a statement on his Web site, says he's dedicated to the Philadelphia Republicans, agreeing that in the end, it's about getting Katz elected as mayor. "Given the number of people that have been coming to our events... we're producing significant numbers for Sam Katz," Reilly said. "We are switching voters over to the Republican Party, we are registering a lot of young people that haven't registered before." Though he remains optimistic, Reilly realizes that he has a tough road ahead. "Running unendorsed makes the battle harder," he conceded. Mezvinsky agreed. "It's very tough because primaries are about organization, and if you don't have the people at the polls pulling for you, it's very challenging," she said. "But if he can pull together a good organization, and he might be able to, the more power to him."

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