Mayoral musings, installment number next

Lots of chewy speculation about the frontrunners in the invisible psychological primary for Philadelphia Mayor, taking place some 18 months before the actual event. Top bits:

• Last week the Inquirer noted that US Rep. Chakah Fattah is keeping himself visible in the area, giving out lots of federal grant money on a variety of fronts, including school safety, park improvements, and a national memorial to colonial slaves.
  
  
• The City Paper did a double-header of profiles of a couple of the other local favorites:
  
  1. Michael Nutter "not as boring as you think" (!), a lengthy piece which reviews many of Nutter's recent accomplishments and missteps, and attempts to peer into his personality a bit.
     
  2. A day in the life of John Dougherty, a shorter riff on a man who may or may not still be a "regular working stiff" and/or a political outsider.
  
  
• Meanwhile, Mary Patel's "Political Notebook" muses on a few other figures shadowing the mayoral discussion, including Bob Brady and former Republican candidate Sam Katz. (This piece also discusses Carol Campbell's power as Ward Leader and other miscellany.)