State Rep. JOHN PERZEL is an integral figure to understanding Philadelphia’s Republican Party.
He is a power player in the city’s politics, even if he does his work in Harrisburg. Perzel still works with the Republican City Committee and its general counsel and de facto leader, Michael Meehan.
One doesn’t need Meehan’s permission to run, of course. But this state’s elections, like those in much of the country, expect it. The blessing of the Republican committee comes with the promise of making the ballot and much less competition than in the Democratic Party. In the small pond of the Republican Party, Meehan holds influence to divvy available jobs, which keeps some Philadelphians registered with the party. Thus, in deciding that the party will support a particular candidate, ward leaders and committeemen rarely deviate from Meehan’s choices.
This is machine politics in historic viability.
ery once in a while, the grind of reporting throws you a gem.You may see only frustration when someone cancels an interview you were going to conduct for a story you were writing. Indeed, at first, I did, too. But then, I got an email from the company’s communications director explaining why, and his words were, indeed, far more meaningful than a 25-minute line of questioning.
