Robert Brady

Robert A. Brady has been a Democrat from Pennsylvania, representing that state's First Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives, since 1997.

Iraq War
Brady voted against the Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Iraq Resolution of 2002 that started the Iraq War.

Environmental record
For more information on environmental legislation, see the Energy and Environment Policy Portal

Announces candidacy
On January 22, 2007, Brady indicated his intentions to enter the Philadelphia mayoral race when his staff sent an e-mail to reporters promising that he would be "laying out a comprehensive agenda for making the community safer, improving public schools, strengthening the economy, and lowering the tax burden for small businesses and families." On January 25, Brady formally announced his intentions to run at the Pennsylvania Convention Center in downtown Philadelphia.

Brady’s candidacy brought the number of Democratic primary candidates to five. The others were Rep. Chaka Fattah (D-Pa.), State Rep. Dwight Evans, businessman Tom Knox, and former Philadelphia City Councilman Michael A. Nutter. The primary was set for May 15. Given that the city had not elected a Republican mayor since 1948, and that as of late January 2007 no Republican had declared his or her intentions to run in 2007, the primary winner was largely expected to be elected mayor. 

Other members of Congress who sought the job of mayor in a large U.S. city had been largely unsuccessful in the preceding decade. Since 1993, each of the four House members who pursued the job were defeated. These included :


 * Rep. John Conyers (D-Mich.) - Defeated in Detroit in 1993
 * Rep. Bobby Rush (D-Ill.) - Defeated in Chicago in 1999
 * Rep. Xavier Becerra (D-Calif.) - Defeated in Los Angeles in 2001
 * Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-N.Y.) - Defeated in New York City in 2005.

Platform
At the conference announcing his candidacy, Brady promised to address the issue of crime in Philadelphia if elected mayor. 403 murders were committed in the city during 2006, marking Philadelphia's highest total of the decade. Brady promised to add 1,000 police and patrol officers "on the beat" during his first term. 

Brady also promised to address city taxes. Philadelphia had long had one of the highest tax burdens of any municipality in the nation. Brady stated an intention to immediately work with the city council to lower the city wage tax and eliminate the business priviledge tax if elected. 


 * Watch Brady announce for mayor and discuss these initiatives courtesy of YouTube.

Polling
On January 31, 2007, a Philadelphia Daily News Keystone poll was released by Franklin & Marshall College. It showed Fattah leading with 26%, followed by Knox (22%), Nutter (12%), Evans (10%), and Brady (8%). The poll was conducted the week in which Brady announced his candidacy, leading some to believe that his support was not fully reflected. Brady was the least known of the candidates to voters (50% had not heard of him). 

On April 5, a second Keystone poll was released showing that Knox had the support of 24% of Democratic voters, while Fattah (17%), Brady (16%), Nutter (12%), and Evans (10%) followed.

Attendance in Congress
In January 2007, the month Brady announced his intentions to run, he missed three votes in the House (or 4.5% of all votes). By comparison, Fattah, who was also running in the primary, missed ten (14.9%). Brady sponsored two pieces of legislation during this period. One, introduced on January 17, would amend the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act to "enhance the protection of credit ratings of active duty military personnel who are activated for military service." The other, introduced on the 18th, would amend the Small Business Act "to direct the Administrator of the Small Business Administration to establish a vocational and technical entrepreneurship development program." Fattah did not sponsor any legislation during this period. 

As of April 6, 2007, Brady had missed 28 votes (13.2%) since the beginning of the 110th Congress.

As of May 15, 2007, the date of the primary election, Brady had missed 128 votes (36.8%) in 2007. Only Fattah and Rep. Jo Ann Davis (R-Va.), who was battling a recurrance of cancer, had missed more.

Campaign contribution limits
Brady opposed Philadelphia's recently implemented limits on campaign contributions during his run for mayor. He, along with Fattah, contended that they were unfair, for they curb one’s ability to fundraise, but allow individuals to spend unlimited funds on their own campaigns. As a result, Tom Knox (a multi-millionaire who pledged to spend up to $15 million on the race) was able to greatly outspend both Brady and Fattah in the race.

Disclosure issues
Brady failed to list his Philadelphia city pension ($8,727/yr.) on the financial-interests section of the nominating petitions. Once this error was revealed, he announced that he intended to file an amendment to the nominating petitions to correct the discrepancy. The issue, however, threatened to end his campaign on the grounds of an ethics violation, as similar omissions had disqualified local candidates in the past.

Tom Knox, one of several candidates challenging Brady for the nomination, filed an official challenge to his nomination petitions. On March 20, Brady was forced to appear at a court hearing to determine whether or not he could remain on the ballot. With regards to the form in which the pension was omitted, Brady stated, "I read them and didn't understand them and asked my accountant and attorney to do that...I checked with my accountant and attorney. They said it was all right and I signed it." Knox's attorney, Paul Rosen, argued that Brady's reliance on his lawyers and accountant did not excuse his disclosure mistakes.

On March 27, 2007, a judge ruled that Brady could remain on the ballot, citing the fact that the pension was a "governmentally mandated payment" that the disclosure forms tell candidates to omit.

Knox appealed the decision to the Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court, and ultimately the PA Supreme Court. Brady was ultimately allowed to remain on the ballot and amend the disclosure.

Losses Democratic primary
On May 15, 2007, Brady was defeated in the Democratic primary election by former City Councilman Michael Nutter, who recorded 37% of the vote. Following Nutter was businessman Tom Knox (25%), Brady (15%), Rep. Chaka Fattah (D-Pa.), and PA State Rep. Dwight Evans (8%).


 * Watch 2007 mayoral concession speech

Named chair of House Administration Committee
On May 24, 2007, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) named Brady as the chair of the House Committee on House Administration. He had been serving as interim chair of the panel since Rep. Juanita Millender-McDonald (D-Calif.) died several weeks prior. Pelosi stated “Congressman Brady’s experience as a leading member of the House Administration Committee and his in-depth knowledge of the internal functions of the House will make him a powerful voice as Chairman.” On learning he had been named chair, Brady stated “I appreciate Speaker Pelosi’s support and will continue the legacy of Congresswoman Millender-McDonald to correct oversights from the past…One of my priorities will be to make every effort to keep the Capitol Complex as secure as possible while remaining accessible for the millions of visitors every year.”

Bio
Brady was born April 7, 1945 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. After high school, he worked as a carpenter. Concerned with local issues, Brady was elected as a precinct committeeman for the Democratic Party in 1968. When his wardleader, City Council President George X. Schwartz was convicted and imprisoned in the Abscam scandal, Brady was elected to succeed him as the 34th Ward Democratic Leader. Brady was a staff aide in the Philadelphia City Council and in the Pennsylvania State Senate. He has been the elected chairman of the Philadelphia Democratic Party since June, 1986, and was a member of the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission from 1991 until his election to Congress in 1997.

Congressional career
When Congressman Thomas M. Foglietta resigned from the House of Representatives upon being named Ambassador to Italy, Brady ran and won the seat by a large margin. Brady received broad support from Philadelphia's racially and economically diverse communities. As a Congressman, Brady still spends time running the Philadelphia Democratic party while mediating disputes between city politicians, and between labor unions and management. Brady co-teaches a course at the University of Pennsylvania, despite not having a college degree himself. He currently is the only county Democratic Party chairman serving as a member of Congress, a position that provides added access to national Democratic candidates and leaders.

2006 elections
No major candidates announced their intentions to contest Brady’s seat in the November 2006 election. (See U.S. congressional elections in 2006)

Money in politics
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Committees in the 110th Congress (2007-2008)

 * House Committee on House Administration, Interim chair
 * House Committee on Armed Services
 * Subcommittee on Readiness
 * Subcommittee on Tactical Air and Land Forces
 * Joint Committee on Printing

Committee assignments in the 109th Congress (2005-2006)

 * House Committee on Armed Services
 * Subcommittee on Readiness
 * Subcommittee on Tactical Air and Land Forces
 * House Committee on House Administration
 * Joint Committee on Printing

Resources

 * Official website
 * Open Secrets - 2006 congressional races database
 * THOMAS page on legislation introduced by Brady during the 110th Congress
 * YouTube video of Brady announcing his mayoral candidacy, 1/2007
 * 2007 mayoral concession speech

Articles

 * Larry Eichel, "Taxed to the Max," Philadelphia Inquirer, April 23, 2006.
 * "L.A. vows gang crackdown after kids die," LA Times, January 21, 2007.
 * Michael Currie Schaffer, "Brady says he'll make it official by entering the race for mayor," Philadelphia Inquirer, January 23, 3007.
 * Greg Giroux, "House Seat to Mayor’s Office a Well-Traveled But Rocky Road," New York Times, January 24, 2007.
 * Sam Youngman, "Two reps running for Philly mayor could result in a special election," The Hill, January 25, 2007.

Local blogs and discussion sites

 * The All-Spin Zone
 * The Next Mayor
 * Young Philly Politics