Mayor Nutter endorses Cindy Bass in the Eighth District Council race

Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter today endorsed one of the seven Democratic candidates vying to fill the open Eighth District City Council seat.

Before a crowd packed into the Wired Beans Café in Mt. Airy, Nutter formally announced his support of Cindy Bass’ second run for City Council.

Bass is the Senior Policy Advisor on Urban and Domestic Policy to Congressman Chaka Fattah.

Referencing this, Mayor Nutter called Bass a candidate of substance.

“She actually has things to talk about and things that she’s done on her own, utilizing the resources of the Congressman’s office. She’s a great candidate with a great track record,” said Nutter.

“There’s a whole lot of talk, a whole of chatter, a whole lot of distraction,” he added. “Let’s get back to what this is really about.”

Nutter’s endorsement of Bass comes just days after one of her opponents Robin Tasco claimed she was “threatened” by one of Bass’ campaign members. Tasco said she was contacted by Steve Vaughn and told to drop out of the race or she could face a lawsuit in an unrelated matter. Bass said she had no knowledge of the meeting.

Today’s Mayoral endorsement was also used by the Bass Campaign to show her strong connections at all levels of government. Also in attendance were Congressman Fattah, State Representative Dwight Evans and State Senator Vincent Hughes. All of them said Bass was the best person for the job and pledged to help with her fundraising efforts.

“There is no one more qualified,” said Fattah. “There’s an opportunity now to elect someone who’s not just going down to have a job, but she’s going there to do a job and I’m convinced she’s going to be a leader in the Council.”

Fattah then took an apparent swipe at one of Bass’ opponents saying, “This is not a seat that’s going to be purchased.”

NewsWorks reported this week that real estate investor Howard Treatman, another Eighth District candidate, recently pumped close to $100,000 of his own money into his campaign.

Bass also received an endorsement from the 22nd Ward, where she is a committeewoman, as well as from Laborers Local Union 332.

“This is all about a record of serving the people and I intend to get downtown and do more of the same,” said Bass. “I have a record and history that I believe speaks for itself.”

In an interview afterward, Bass said the Mayor’s support is extra-special.

“I’ve gotten a lot of endorsements to date, but having one from the city’s chief executive speaks volumes about his confidence in my ability to perform. It really does mean a lot to me,” said Bass.

Bass added that while she’s talked to Nutter about an endorsement, she was not expecting him to make one.

Other candidates running for the Democratic nomination in the Eighth District include: Bill Durham, Andrew Lofton, Greg Paumier, Robin Tasco, Howard Treatman, and Verna Tyner.

Councilwoman Donna Reed Miller is not running for re-election. The Democratic primary is May 17. There are no Republicans running for this seat.