Tony Williams climbs into big rig, accepts Teamsters endorsement

We here at NinetyNine do not intend to cover every single mayoral-endorsement event between now and May 19. That’s what our regularly updated “Philadelphia Mayoral-Race Endorsement Tracker” is for, after all.

But for some reason, Monday morning’s “Teamster Union District Council endorsement of Senator Anthony Hardy Williams for Mayor” event tickled our fancy, so cover it we did.

After a press-release snafu brought us to the Philadelphia Regional Port Authority offices near the Tioga Marine Terminal, a quick spin down I-95 ended at a car lot on Oregon Avenue near Columbus Boulevard.

You’ve probably seen it while driving over the Walt Whitman Bridge; it’s the barbed-wire fence-protected facility laden with brand-new rides.

There, Williams climbed into the back of a tractor trailer emblazoned with the Teamsters Local 107 name and insignia along with the local’s president/business agent William Hamilton, who said that the candidate is running because “this city needs fixin’ and we couldn’t agree more.”

Williams then accepted what he termed an important endorsement with a speech loudly voiced from the back of the big rig.

“It means a great deal to me and to my campaign,” Williams told the dozens of workers, some clad in bright orange vests, wielding Williams signs and pins. “We all love Philadelphia. We just want it to work better.”

He closed his stump-speech about how he’d work to bring more jobs — like those held by attendees — to Philadelphia if elected by saying, “If you make a lot of money, you’ll pay a lot of taxes, and I like that.” (Translation: Taxes from better-paying jobs would go a long way to fix what ails the city, and specifically its schools.)

Then, he brought the 10-minute event to a close with a rather bold campaign promise. After asking for a show of Eagles fans’ hands, Williams proclaimed that, “In four years, we will get to the Super Bowl.”