Four candidates — possibly five — are gearing up to replace former state representative, now city Councilman Kenyatta Johnson in the 186th District.

Former candidate for City Council Damon Roberts, former Youth Commissioner Jordan Harris, ward leader Edward Nesmith and businessman Fawwaz “Jazz” Beyha have all thrown their hats in the ring.

It’s also rumored that former Rep. Harold James is going to try to recapture the seat he held for years.

James could not be reached Thursday for comment.

The race is complicated by several factors: the date for the vote, a special election, has not been set, and the boundary lines of the district are shifting under the state’s redistricting plan, so voters may be uncertain if they are even eligible to participate. In addition, the redistricting plan is facing a likely court challenge, which could further complicate things.

The speaker of the Pennsylvania House will schedule the special election to fill the seat.

Additionally, without an incumbent bringing the considerable resources typically commanded by incumbents to the race, the field is wide open. Johnson held the seat until January, when he resigned to take his new position as Council representative for the Second District. He held office as state representative for less than two terms.

James held it before that.

It’s likely that all the names on a potential ballot are familiar to voters in the district, which encompasses Southwest and a portion of South Philadelphia.

Roberts, a real estate attorney, has campaigned twice in recent years for the Second District Council seat. In his last campaign, he jousted against Johnson before ultimately dropping out and endorsing Johnson.

At the time, talk of a deal — denied by both candidates — surrounded the news of Roberts’ withdrawal. So it was widely expected that should Roberts run for the House seat, Johnson would endorse him. Instead, it was Harris who captured Johnson’s endorsement — and that of his sponsor and mentor state Sen. Anthony H. Williams Jr.

Roberts, for his part, remained philosophical.

“At the end of the day, every candidate is going to have their supporters and their detractors,” he said.

Roberts prefers to look to the future.

“I don’t believe that there is anybody better prepared to make a difference,” he said. Noting the diversity of the district, he added: “I believe I’m best prepared to represent everyone in that district. We do have a lot of issues, and I’m passionate about the issues.”

His career as an attorney will serve constituents well, he said.

“When you have a legislature that is so overwhelmingly Republican it’s going to take a master negotiator like me to get the job done,” he said.

Harris has the blessing of Johnson and Williams. That backing could give him a leg up among voters.

It will also give him an advantage if he wins, he said.

“Because of the relationship we have, we’ll be able to get a lot of things done,” Harris said. “And, to continue the work I started with Senator Williams and Councilman Johnson.”

Before resigning to run for office, Harris led the city’s Youth Commission. He has a history of community and political involvement, having first met Williams when he was still in high school, he said, and working with both the state senator and Johnson for years on various issues, among them Johnson’s Peace Not Guns initiative.

Harris said he felt compelled to give back to the community he grew up in and where he has spent his life.

I call myself a son of South Philly,” he said. “It’s my duty to give back.”

Nesmith, Democratic leader in the 2nd Ward, is a long-time ward leader, committeeman and activist. He sums up his qualifications in one brief sentence, “Experience, knowledge, service, the ability to get things done.”

Though the bulk of his political experience comes from being a committeeman and ward leader, that is not his prime qualification for the job, he said.

“I’m running on my service record, helping people,” he said. “That’s what people need to focus on.”

It is his second attempt to capture the seat. Nesmith ran for state representative against Harold James in 1994.

Beyha, too, is well known throughout the district, where most people know him as “Jazz.”

“I’m a community developer and a community employer,” he said, noting that he has six businesses in the district, from barbershops to a hair salon and a real estate development company. “I’m the largest minority employer in South Philadelphia outside of Kenny Gamble and Universal Companies.”

Beyha has never held elected office, but saw Johnson’s resignation as a chance to run.

He said he would bring greater community involvement to the post.

“I’m tied in on a community level,” he said. “As far as community ties are concerned, I’m the most connected to the community.”

Contact Staff Writer Eric Mayes at (215) 893-5742 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

The special election to fill the vacant seat in the state’s 186th Legislative District, formerly held by Councilman Kenyatta Johnson, seems to be shaping up into a contest between two front-runners — former Youth Commissioner Jordan Harris and former state Rep. Harold James, who held the seat for nearly 20 years.

Six candidates — Fawwaz Beyha, Tim Hannah, Harris, James, Ed Nesmith and Damon Roberts — will appear on the April 24 ballot. But, James and Harris appear to have important backers within the Democratic Party that make them the candidates to watch.

Two well established lawmakers are backing Harris — Johnson and his political patron Sen. Anthony Williams. Harris has a long history with Williams. The two met when Harris was still in high school, he said. Harris also worked with Johnson for several years, most notably on Johnson’s Peace Not Guns initiative.

In addition, Harris has secured endorsements from several labor organizations that will be able to mobilize voters.

Over the weekend, Harris announced that he had secured endorsements from the AFL-CIO, Transportation Workers Union Local 234, the Laborers Local 332 and the Fraternal Order of Police, Lodge 5.

Harris characterized his campaign as a community based “movement.”

“We are in the process of building a movement to engage a community that is often left out. We are building a movement of citizens who won’t sit quietly on the sidelines as they watch opportunity pass them by,” he said, noting the endorsements. “This is much bigger than an election and the community is an important part of this movement building.”

Backing from labor, Williams and Johnson would appear to give Harris, a political newcomer, a powerful boost in the contest for the seat.

But, according to one party official from South Philadelphia, who asked not to be named, the majority of ward leaders were expected to support James. It’s too early to tell if that will happen, or just how it might affect the race, but in Philadelphia ward leaders are political forces to be reckoned with. Many elected officials start out as ward leaders and retain the post after winning higher office.

James represented voters from the 186th District from 1989 to 2008.

According to the Tribune’s source, most ward leaders in the 186th would rather stick with a candidate they are familiar with and worked with for nearly two decades.

“They know Harold,” said the source.

James has been running a very low-key campaign. He has a campaign office at 20th and Federal streets, directly across the street from Harris’, but does not appear to have a website or Facebook page, two touchstones of modern campaigning.

He did not return the Tribune’s phone calls Monday afternoon.

In other special election news, Milton Street, brother for former Mayor John F. Street and perennial candidate for office, has reportedly withdrawn from the Democratic race in the 197th District to replace former state representative, now Sheriff, Jewell Williams.

Street reportedly plans to form his own party — the Milton Street Party — and run

Philly Clout reported that Street had withdrawn from the race where he faced a legal challenge to his nominating petitions but declined to say why.

“Now you’re looking for trade secrets,” Street told reporter Chris Brennan.

Contact Staff Writer Eric Mayes at (215) 893-5742 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

Former lawmaker James endorses Democratic candidate

Former state Rep. Harold James threw his support to Jordan Harris this weekend in the Democratic primary race for the state’s 186th Legislative District.

James, who held the seat for 19 years, said he made the decision to endorse Harris, 27, after considering the political situation in Harrisburg — and in South and Southwest Philadelphia.

“Looking at the climate of what’s going on in Harrisburg, you’re going to really need to build up some seniority in Harrisburg in order to build up a good presence there, with the Republicans in total control of everything as they are now, and we don’t have that,” James said, noting that he wouldn’t have the longevity in Harrisburg that he felt was needed. “He can build up some seniority when he gets up there.”

“I won’t be there in 10 years,” he said. “I don’t want to be there in 10 years.”

The endorsement, made formally Saturday at Harris’s South Philadelphia campaign headquarters, solidified the support of the Democratic Party establishment behind Harris, who also enjoys the backing of Councilman Kenyatta Johnson, who held the seat until January, and state Sen. Anthony Williams, Johnson’s political mentor.

“I thought it would be better if we worked together,” James said. “I’m looking at trying to create some unity in our community in South Philly here, because we’ve had a lot of division in politics going on and on. So, I decided to bridge the gap and create unity.”

As an example, James pointed to his relationship with former Council President Anna C. Verna, who remains a ward leader after her January retirement.

“I was able to get things for the community because the councilwoman and the state rep were working together,” he said. “So if we have council, the state rep and the senator we are working together.”

James had the backing of Democratic ward leaders, a fact that could have split the party faithful on Election Day, dividing Williams’ and Johnson’s supporters, united behind Harris, and James’ supporters.

Harris said the endorsement represented the passing of the leadership baton from one generation to the next.

“What you’re seeing is a coming together of the generations in order to address the massive issues that we have in the community,” Harris said. “It’s very important for someone like [former] Rep. James, who spent so much time in Harrisburg and has a lot of institutional knowledge to now be a part of our movement.”

James represented the district from 1989 until his retirement in 2008, when he stepped down citing health concerns. He announced earlier this year he would seek the seat again after Johnson stepped down to assume his council seat, but withdrew from the primary a couple of weeks ago. He remains on the ballot in the special election to fill the vacancy left by Johnson.

In the primary, Harris is now facing off against attorney Damon Roberts and business owner Fawwaz “Jazz” Beyha. Ward leader Ed Nesmith also withdrew several weeks ago.

Harris served as city’s Youth Commissioner for three years. He is president of the Board of Directors of Lincoln Day Educational Center, the oldest continually operating African-American day school in the country, serves on the board of the Ruby Bridges Foundation and the Christian Street YMCA, in addition he is a board trustee for the Richard Allen Preparatory Charter School.

Contact staff writer Eric Mayes at (215) 893-5742 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .