Martina White
Voters in the 170th Legislative District will choose their new representative in a special election on Tuesday, March 24.
The winner will succeed Democrat Brendan Boyle, who is now a member of Congress.
The Republican candidate will be financial adviser Martina White.
Democratic ward leaders have not chosen a candidate. The decision is up to Mike Stack (58th Ward), Shawn Dillon (Ward 66-A) and Mike McAleer (Ward 66-B).
Their favorite appears to be John Del Ricci, a roadway operations manager with the Pennsylvania Turnpike, where he’s worked for 18 years.
“Everything is looking good,” he said.
Also strongly considering running is Seth Kaplan, chief of staff for state Rep. Kevin Boyle. He’ll likely run as an independent if Del Ricci gets the nod from the Democratic ward leaders. He’d have the support of the Boyle brothers.
“This is a community I care deeply about,” said Kaplan, who’d need to collect 300 signatures to run as an independent.
Del Ricci would have to take a leave of absence to run. Kaplan would have to resign his job to run. Del Ricci would also have to give up his part-time position attending meetings and handling constituent service issues for City Councilman Jim Kenney.
Del Ricci, 40, is vice president of the Parkwood Civic Association. He’s been a committeeman in Ward 66-B since he was 18. He’s a former Archbishop Ryan High School football player and assistant coach.
A married father of three, he thinks his rowhouse roots and Democratic Party affiliation would serve him well in the campaign.
“I don’t think an independent would have a chance,” he said.
Kaplan, 29, is president of the Somerton Civic Association and vice president of the advisory board for the Retired and Senior Volunteer Program, and serves on the boards of MaST Community Charter School, the Northeast Family YMCA and Northeast Victim Service.
Kaplan said he is flattered to be in the conversation to be considered as a candidate in the 170th. He sees it as a great position with great responsibility.
“Whoever wins this seat, I just hope that it’s someone who is active with strong community ties,” he said.
White, 26, is a graduate of Nazareth Academy Grade School and Villa Joseph Marie High School. She is a former captain of the field hockey team at Elizabethtown College, where she earned a degree in business administration, with a double concentration in finance and marketing.
“My focus is business, making sure that small businesses grow in our area,” she said.
While working with clients, she heard concerns from them about not being financially secure enough to retire. Others told her they worried about their children’s college debt.
A former resident of Somerton, she now lives in Parkwood.
On Saturday, she distributed campaign literature outside George Washington High School, where Bustleton Bengals basketball teams were playing. She was joined by Marc Collazzo, Republican leader of the 58th Ward and a candidate for the seat in 2010.
“This race is going to be very close. Every vote will count,” she said.
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State Sen. Mike Stack will resign on Jan. 20, the day he is sworn in as lieutenant governor. He had wanted to hold both positions for a short period of time so the 5th Senatorial District would not go without a representative for so long.
“For several months, I have been searching for a way to balance the need to control the cost of government with preserving a voice in the Senate for the people of Northeast Philadelphia who have put their trust in me for so many years,” said Stack, elected to the Senate in 2000.
“I have decided that there is no way to achieve a perfect balance without creating a distraction that could stifle the momentum toward a new direction for the people of Pennsylvania.”
Stack will call a special election to coincide with the May 19 primary.
“Although this will leave them without representation for some period of time, I believe that the people of Northeast Philadelphia will be served by my working full time to tackle the big issues, including a massive budget deficit, public school insolvency and the worst job-creation record in the northeastern United States,” he said.
Sen. Jay Costa, leader of the minority-party Democrats, has arranged for a continuation of constituent services in Stack’s district offices.
The leading Democratic candidates for the special election are state Rep. John Sabatina Jr. and ward leader Shawn Dillon. ••
