Jannie Blackwell never thought she'd end up in city government.
"I always wanted to be a schoolteacher," said Blackwell, who quit teaching in 1976 and has represented Penn's district on City Council for the past 15 years. "Had I not met my husband, I would never have gone into politics."
The past three decades, however, have chronicled her rise to the height - or almost the height - of the long-dominant Democratic Party in Philadelphia.
For the first 15 years, she was an assistant to her late husband, Councilman Lucien Blackwell, who once held the seat that is now his wife's.
But since her election to Council in 1991, Blackwell has climbed high. Today, the self-proclaimed chocoholic and bad driver heads three of Council's 20 committees and is the council's majority leader.
And some say she might consider taking that last step up City Hall.
"She could possibly be a candidate for mayor," said City Council President Anna Verna, a Democrat who represents the 2nd District in South Philadelphia. "It's time for a woman to at least be considered."
Blackwell would be the city's first female mayor if elected, and she isn't shy about the possibility.
"Oh, please, I'd love to be mayor. I think I would be a great mayor," she said, adding, "In the polls, I do quite well."
The vote to replace two-term Democrat John Street, however, is just a little over a year away, and Blackwell hasn't declared her intention to run. Meanwhile, one of her former colleagues, Michael Nutter, has announced that he will run in the Democratic primary; at least five others are widely presumed to be in the running.
So can voters expect to see her name on the ballot in 2007? "One never knows. It's a possibility," Blackwell said.
She's certainly no political newbie, having won three re-election bids. A 2007 run wouldn't even be her first mayoral race, in a way; she managed her husband's campaign during his unsuccessful bids for mayor in 1979 and 1991.
Even so, however, there is no guarantee that Blackwell is trying - or willing - to take on responsibility for the entire city. Her reasons for entering politics, as well as the interests she pursues now, are bound up locally in West Philadelphia, where she has lived almost her entire life.
Blackwell's involvement in politics began when she met her husband during a parent-teacher conference at the Henry C. Lea school on 47th and Locust streets. Her husband, a labor leader at the time, attended the meeting for his son, Lucien Jr. "It was his commitment to his family, to the youth of the community" that Blackwell, who declined to give her age, admired during her first encounter with her husband, she said. At the time, Lucien was a single father with six children, three of whom Blackwell taught.
"As they say, the rest is history," Blackwell said of their 30-year marriage.
Lucien, who mentored current Philadelphia Mayor John Street, became known as an inspirational council speaker and advocate for the homeless and laborers. A mural reading "Thank you, Mr. Blackwell," still stands at 42nd Street and Haverford Avenue.
"They used to say, 'Lucien has a solution. We're the office with the chairs,'" she said. "We serve the people who have no place to go. We serve those at the bottom as well as those at the top."
Blackwell succeeded her husband in her current post when he was elected to fill a congressional vacancy in 1991. In no uncertain terms, she was there to continue his work.
"We opted for me to run so that our people could continue to get the level of service that they had," the councilwoman explained. "We didn't want to lose what we had begun."
The feat, Blackwell said, made them the first couple in the country to be elected on the same day.
The former U.S. congressman died three years ago, when his wife was running for council reelection. He was 71.
Lucien's death left Blackwell to advance their aims of combating economic blight and poor housing conditions. She says she sticks to those goals today.
"I have a good sense of how people feel and what's going on because I'm working all the time," she said. "I believe if you are blessed enough to have a position where you can serve and make a difference, then . you have to do what you can to help people."
Blackwell herself was born in public housing in North Philadelphia. A resident of the 4500 block of Spruce Street, Blackwell has lived in West Philadelphia since she was 13.
"When I started out, I could see revitalizing a house, or a store, or a building," Blackwell said of her early housing initiatives. "Now I know we have to do it by neighborhoods.
"All these things you learn."
When Glenn Bryan, assistant vice president of Penn's Office of City and Community Relations, came to Penn nearly 12 years ago, he worked with Blackwell to address a growing homeless problem on Penn's campus.
The two elicited the help of homeless shelters and community organizations. Some of the homeless individuals, Bryan said, even went into job training.
"The same feeling, the same theme, has run consistent through both Blackwells in making sure all of the constituents are represented," Bryan, a West Philadelphian, said. "That includes folks that are not as affluent."
Bryan has also worked closely with Blackwell on vending, zoning, educational and health care initiatives. Despite the fact that Blackwell's district includes Penn, Bryan said, the councilwoman isn't apt to support all University-backed legislation.
"She's an honest broker," he said. "She's not going to support Penn because it's Penn. She's going to support the issue so that everyone actually benefits from the activity or issue or legislation that's put forth," he said.
Vanda McMurtry, Penn's vice president for Government and Community Affairs, agreed.
"She'll work with you constructively rather than say, 'Okay, I looked at your project. It has some problems. I don't want to do it,'" he said.
The councilwoman's current legislative agenda includes the opening of a community health clinic at Sayre High School on 58th and Walnut streets, a construction trade apprenticeship program named in honor of her late husband and a newly-renovated senior center at 45th and Chestnut streets.
"She is what I would call a people politician," McMurtry said. "She cares about people. That's why she is in the business. She's tough."
And her passion shows, says Ira Harkavy, director of Penn's Center for Community Partnerships.
This past spring semester, Blackwell co-taught Harkavy's course on city planning.
"She has such energy with the students and is engaging and talks about the real-world aspects of what they're doing," Harkavy said.
He added that he admires Blackwell for her efforts to improve relations between the University and West Philadelphia and said he's not surprised she hasn't run for mayor yet.
"I expect that she'll focus on improving West Philadelphia," he said. "She's illustrated that, by focusing your efforts at home, you can do good things."
But, he added, "I think she would absolutely be a superb mayor."
The Daily Pennsylvanian is an independent, student-run newspaper. Please consider making a donation to support the coverage that shapes the University. Your generosity ensures a future of strong journalism at Penn.
DonatePlease note All comments are eligible for publication in The Daily Pennsylvanian.
