Friday political games

• Philly City Council at war with mayor over budget surplus and how to spend it. Specifically, Council wants to direct $30 million to police, fire, and reacreation facilities; they can approve the funds, but Street has to spend them.
  
  
• Another head-scratcher from Governor Rendell is summarized in the story's opening sentence:

  Gov. Rendell has picked a top lobbyist credited with killing the state's former lobbying-disclosure law as his representative on a panel drafting new rules for those who influence Harrisburg.

  Well, ok then...
  
  
• Speaking of Rendell, his monster gubernatorial fundraising capped out at $32 million. wow.
  
  
• Who will be Pennsylvania's next Treasurer, replacing Bob Casey? Some familiar and unfamiliar hats are in the ring. Rendell wants to appoint someone who won't run for reelection, which de-sweetens the pot a bit.
  
  
• New Jersey legislature close to approving a civil unions bill that satisfies no one but is the only game in town.
  
  
• John Grogan reads the tea leaves at the PA State House website -- where's Perzel? His continuing silence has speculation in triple-time.
  
  
• Apparently Perzel had time out of his busy back-room scheming to appoint a retiring colleague to the Gaming Board.
  
  
• Gar Josephs wonders about Saidel's sudden withdrawel from the Philadelphia mayoral race, just after big fundraising efforts and opening a campaign office; he suggests that some closet skeletons threatened to come forth... [Also other small gossip bits about political players here too.]
  
  
• John Baer reviews the current political rumors sure to be getting aired at this weekend's hoity event in New York.