There's an interesting angle for Delaware County residents in the Democratic Philadelphia mayoral primary.
It could cost us a state senator.
That's because one of the front-runners, state Sen. Anthony Hardy Williams, actually represents a slice of Delaware County.
Williams' Eighth District state Senate seat includes parts of Collingdale, Colwyn, Darby Borough, Darby Township, Folcroft, Lansdowne, Norwood, Sharon Hill and Yeadon.
Williams is locked in a tight battle with Philadelphia City Councilman Jim Kenney and former longtime Philly D.A. Lynne Abraham for the Democratic nomination.
Of course with the overwhelming Dem voter majority in the city, the party's nomination is akin to being elected mayor.
I've had the chance to interview Williams several times. He's sat down with our editorial board for endorsement interviews as well as on some key issues in eastern Delaware County.
One of the issues that always surrounds Williams is his unabashed push for school choice.
You should note that Williams' Delco turf includes much of William Penn School District, one of the districts that has sued the state Department of Education, claiming the way the state doles out education funding is fundamentally flawed. That suit was tossed by Commonwealth Court, but is being appealed.
Williams raises eyebrows because of the amount of money that comes into his campaign from some heavy hitters in the school choice push. These guys are big bucks folks from the suburbs.
Williams never bats an eye when he's asked about it.
He wants every kid to have an equal opportunity when it comes to education, and is firmly committed to something other than the public schools if that's what is needed.
Williams picked up an endorsement from the Philadelphia Inquirer last weekend, although you could say it was lukewarm at best.
And guess why? Yep, concerns over that all that school choice money.
This race is likely going to come down to Williams vs. Kenney.
Voters in the city probably should be reminded that they do themselves no favors if they sit out this primary election. For all intent and purpose, this IS the Philly mayoral race. The winner of the Democratic primary will be the de facto mayor, unless there is some kind of a miracle third party candidate.
In the meantime, it also could mean a lot of people in eastern Delaware County may be looking for a new state senator.
Actually, there very likely will be two jobs in the state Senate up for grabs. Republican Sen. Dominic Pileggi, R-9, of Chester, who was ousted from his powerful position as the Senate Majority Leader, is seeking a job on the Delaware County Court of Common Pleas. He doesn't have to give up his Senate seat to run, but he does if he wins, which you can pretty much bet the house on.
With newcomer Sen. Tom McGarrigle, R-26, just settling into his first term, that's a lot of Delco clout that could be missing in Harrisburg.
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