A better option for the open Council seat?

Philadelphia City Councilman David Cohen's recent passing has left more than half of his term unfinished, with no strict requirement for how that vacancy should be handled. The main argument in favor of calling a special election is to prevent it's remaining open for two years and to guarantee the maximum number of voices on important bills (especially the anti-pay-to-play measures) coming before the Council in that interval; a primary advocate of this approach has been the Committee of Seventy (see here). The main argument against a special election is that it bypasses the usual primary process that allows real democratic consideration of possible candidates, and thus puts too much power in the hands of the Democratic City Committee to annoint the next holder of the seat (and confer incumbent advantage to that person in 2007); advocates of letting the seat stay open include the Daily News editorial page (see here). Many progressive groups also worry that the virtual appointment of a replacement would mean the installation of a new Councilperson whose views were substantially more conservative that those championed by Cohen.

Today brings the announcement that Cohen's widow, Florence Cohen, would be interested in running for his Council seat. She worked closely with him throughout his decades in city office, and would be expected to advocate for most of the same causes and viewpoints that he represented. More importantly, from the viewpoint of political wrangling (and Bob Brady's digestion; see here), she has made clear that she is interested only in serving out the balance of her husband's term, and would not seek reelection in 2007. This could afford the city leadership an opportunity to fill the seat, reassure its liberal wing that its priorities are not forgotten, and sidestep the need to pick among the various inside candidates (each with different strengths and baggage) whose names have been bandied about over the last week. A safe out for everyone on the political front, and a chance for Cohen's office and family to bring a more natural conclusion to his contributions to the city. I hope that Council President Anna Verna will give serious thought to this opportunity.