Philadelphia Portal

Statue of former Mayor Frank Rizzo that stands in front of the Municipal Services Building in Center City Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Francis Lazarro "Frank" Rizzo, Sr. (October 23, 1920 – July 16, 1991) served two terms as mayor of Philadelphia, from January 1972 to January 1980; he was Police Commissioner for four years prior to that. Image File history File links Unbalanced_scales. ... Image File history File links Portal. ... Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 398 × 599 pixelsFull resolution (2000 × 3008 pixel, file size: 2. ... Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 398 × 599 pixelsFull resolution (2000 × 3008 pixel, file size: 2. ... Nickname: City of Brotherly Love, Philly, the Quaker City Motto: Philadelphia maneto (Let brotherly love continue) Location in Pennsylvania Coordinates: Country United States State Pennsylvania County Philadelphia Founded October 27, 1682 Incorporated October 25, 1701 Mayor John F. Street (D) Area    - City 369. ... October 23 is the 296th day of the year (297th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1920 (MCMXX) was a leap year starting on Thursday. ... is the 197th day of the year (198th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1991 (MCMXCI) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the 1991 Gregorian calendar). ... List of mayors of Philadelphia, arranged chronologically. ... Nickname: City of Brotherly Love, Philly, the Quaker City Motto: Philadelphia maneto (Let brotherly love continue) Location in Pennsylvania Coordinates: Country United States State Pennsylvania County Philadelphia Founded October 27, 1682 Incorporated October 25, 1701 Mayor John F. Street (D) Area    - City 369. ...

Police Commissioner

Rizzo joined the Philadelphia Police Department in the 1940s, rising through the ranks to become Police Commissioner in 1967. He served in that role during the turbulent years of 1967 to 1971, garnering a reputation as a tough, hands-on Commissioner. Philadelphia Police Officers with their Patrol Car The Philadelphia Police Department is the police agency responsible for law enforcement and investigations within the City of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. ...

One of the most notorious moves by Rizzo's police officers were the raids on the Philadelphia offices of the Black Panther Party on August 31, 1970. The raids took place a week before the Panthers planned to convene a "People's Revolutionary Convention" at Temple University. As pretext, the police used recent killings of two cops (one incident was the August 29, 1970 shooting of Fairmount Park Police Sgt. Frank Von Colln), which were not connected to the Panthers. Rizzo forced the arrested Panthers to strip and stand in their underwear in front of the news cameras. The picture ran on the front page of the Philadelphia Daily News. [1] [2] The Black Panther Party (originally called the Black Panther Party for Self-Defense) was an African American organization founded to promote civil rights and self-defense with a mission of domination in the United States. ... is the 243rd day of the year (244th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1970 (MCMLXX) was a common year starting on Thursday. ... is the 241st day of the year (242nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1970 (MCMLXX) was a common year starting on Thursday. ...

In other respects, Rizzo was also not a run-of-the-mill Commissioner. He sometimes quarreled with Philadelphia Mayor James H. J. Tate. He was boisterous and brooding, particularly to media. A biography of Rizzo, with an introduction written by future Philadelphia Police Commissioner John Timoney, recounted: "Of one group of anti-police demonstrators, he is reported to have said, 'When I'm finished with them, I'll make Attila the Hun look like a fag' ". A female reporter who covered the Rizzo years, Andrea Mitchell (now of NBC News), recounted routine brutish behavior as part of a broad pattern of bravado. [3]

Rizzo resigned in 1971 to run for Mayor.

Mayor of Philadelphia

Election to first term

In 1971, Rizzo faced three opponents for the 1971 Democratic mayoral nomination: Congressman William J. Green, a former Democratic City Chairman; State Representative (later State Senator) Hardy Williams, and former City Councilman David Cohen (later a long serving -- 1980 to his death in 2005 -- Councilman at Large). Cohen withdrew from the race and endorsed Green. Rizzo then won over Green and Williams. Federal courts Supreme Court Circuit Courts of Appeal District Courts Elections Presidential elections Midterm elections Political Parties Democratic Republican Third parties State & Local government Governors Legislatures (List) State Courts Local Government Other countries Atlas  Politics Portal      Further information: Politics of the United States#Organization of American political parties The Democratic... William J. Green, III, the son of Congressman William J. Green, Jr. ... David Cohen (November 13, 1914 - October 3, 2005), was an American politician, noted for his service in the administration of President Franklin D. Roosevelt (1933 to 1945), who, at the time of his death served in an At-Large seat in the Philadelphia City Council. ...

In the November election, Rizzo defeated former (and future) Councilman at Large and Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce President W. Thacher Longstreth. Rizzo, unlike his opponents, did not issue campaign position papers; he felt his slogan "Firm but Fair" explained his view of his role. W. Thacher Longstreth (1921-2003) was a Republican member of the Philadelphia City Council known as much for his influence as his quirky personal style. ...

First term

From the start of his first term in office, Rizzo faced many controversial political problems. The Philadelphia Inquirer began running a negative series about the Philadelphia police department during Rizzo's tenure as police commissioner almost immediately after the election. The Evening Bulletin interviewed former Mayor and School Board President Richardson Dilworth about allegations he made in the San Francisco Chronicle that Rizzo had used the Philadelphia police force for political espionage; Dilworth's elaboration of these previously obscure charges launched a new and enduring feud between two of Philadelphia's most charismatic politicians. The Philadelphia Inquirer is one of a two Knight Ridder newspaper duopoly daily for the Philadelphia area. ... Born 1898. ... Todays San Francisco Chronicle was founded in 1865 as The Daily Dramatic Chronicle by teenage brothers Charles de Young and Michael H. de Young. ...

Grateful for the positive publicity that local media had given him as Police Commissioner, Rizzo gave jobs to about two dozen local reporters. This apparent quid pro quo caused suspicion about Rizzo's previously good press, and, more importantly, removed Rizzo's most enthusiastic supporters from the media. As result, Rizzo was subject to greater criticism Quid pro quo (Latin for something for something [1]) indicates a more-or-less equal exchange or substitution of goods or services. ...

Two months after being sworn in, Rizzo endorsed Richard Nixon, a Republican, for re-election. In return for Rizzo's support, the victorious Nixon administration granted more federal funding to Philadelphia. However, Rizzo alienated many Democrats by supporting a candidate of the opposing party. The Democratic City Committee, especially, viewed Rizzo's support of Nixon as a betrayal. Democratic Party Chairman Peter Camiel and many Democrats on the City Council were also displeased with Rizzo's endorsement. Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913 – April 22, 1994) was the 37th President of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. ...

Rizzo's debacles with the media continued for some time into his term. He was known for frequently holding press conferences, where he discussed various relevant and irrelevant matters, often in colorful language and a bombastic attitude. In one incident, after Rizzo was accused by Democratic Party Chairman Peter Camiel of offering Camiel patronage jobs in exchange for permitting Rizzo to choose the candidates for District Attorney and City Comptroller, Rizzo retorted that Camiel was a liar. One reporter from the Philadelphia Daily News asked Rizzo if he would submit to a polygraph test in order to prove that Camiel was lying. Rizzo agreed, as did Camiel. City Commerce Director Harry Belinger, Rizzo's ally, also agreed to be tested as a witness for Rizzo. Rizzo was extremely confident that the test would come out in his favor. "If this machine says a man lied, he lied", Rizzo said famously before taking the test. However, the polygraph test revealed that Rizzo and Belinger lied about offering Camiel the positions in return for choosing candidates, and Camiel was found to have told the truth. The scandal was widely reported and politically ruinous to Rizzo's career; it ended any hope Rizzo had of becoming Governor of Pennsylvania. This scandal also ended Rizzo's close relationship with the press; he discontinued his press conferences for nearly two years, preferring to rebuild public support on a personal basis. The Philadelphia Daily News is a tabloid newspaper that began publishing on March 31, 1925, under founding editor Lee Ellmaker. ... A polygraph or lie detector is a device which measures and records several physiological variables such as blood pressure, heart rate, respiration and skin conductivity while a series of questions is being asked, in an attempt to detect lies. ... List of Pennsylvania Governors The office of Pennsylvania governor was created by the states Constitution of 1790. ...

Election to second term

In the 1975 Democratic primary, Rizzo defeated State Senator Louis Hill, Dilworth's nephew, who was supported by Camiel. In the November election, Rizzo defeated independent candidate Charles Bowser, a leading African-American attorney and former City Councilman at Large; and Thomas M. Foglietta, who later represented a large portion of the city in Congress. Languages Predominantly American English Religions Protestantism (chiefly Baptist and Methodist); Roman Catholicism; Islam Related ethnic groups Sub-Saharan Africans and other African groups, some with Native American groups. ... Thomas M. Foglietta (December 3, 1928 - November 13, 2004) was an American politician from the state of Pennsylvania, most notable for his time in the House of Representatives from 1981 to 1997. ...

Second term developments

It was during his tenure as mayor that African-American community activist and future Philadelphia mayor Wilson Goode sued the city in federal court, alleging racial discrimination within the ranks of the police and fire departments. The fire department was headed by Joseph Rizzo, the mayor's brother. The suit led to the adoption of the controversial "Philadelphia Plan" by the Nixon administration, calling for affirmative action in civil service hiring and promotions. W. Wilson Goode (born August 19, 1938), the first African American Mayor of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was born into a family of tenant farmers in North Carolina around 1938. ... This article is about discrimination in the social science context. ... Department logo Philadelphia Fire Department is one of the oldest fire departments in the United States and provides fire fighting service within the city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. ... Affirmative Action refers to policies intended to promote access to education or employment aimed at a historically socio-politically non-dominant group (typically, minorities or women). ... The Byzantine civil service in action. ...

An interesting feature of Rizzo's mayoralty was the establishment, with his complete approval, of a publicly-funded "Anti-Defamation Agency" to combat pejorative jokes sometimes told about Philadelphia. The agency's most publicized action was a boycott of S.O.S. Soap Pads, after a television commercial aired nationwide in the summer of 1972 which included a disparaging reference to the city. The manufacturer withdrew the offending commercial. Look up Boycott in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... The examples and perspective in this article or section may not represent a worldwide view. ...

During Rizzo's terms as mayor, construction started on The Gallery shopping mall and the Center City Commuter Tunnel, although Rizzo was not an economic development-oriented mayor.

The Philadelphia Gas Works, known locally as PGW, had been managed by a private company. During Rizzo's tenure, it was taken over by the city. PGW then implemented senior citizens discounts, generous municipal labor contracts and the expansion of patronage hiring. Formerly considered one of the best-managed municipal utilities in the country, it later became a long-running fiscal and management embarrassment to the city.

Tax increase and recall attempt

In his successful 1975 mayoral campaign, Rizzo had campaigned with the slogan "He held the line on taxes." Then, almost immediately after the election, he got the City Council to increase the city's wage tax from 3.31% to 4.31%, one of the highest in the nation. The juxtaposition of the campaign slogan, which had dominated the airwaves, mailboxes, and telephone polls of the city for months, with the record tax increase infuriated Rizzo's opponents and led fiscal conservatives to join them.

The Philadelphia city charter contained a provision for a recall if 25% of the registered voters signed recall petitions. Americans for Democratic Action, the liberal activist group that had played a key role in moving Philadelphia from Republican to Democratic control in the late 1940s and early 1950s, took the lead in gathering of the needed signatures needed. The committee to recall Rizzo methodically organized the wards of the city, and shocked political professionals by gathering well over the 250,000 signatures required. Americans For Democratic Action (ADA) was formed in January 1947, when Eleanor Roosevelt, John Kenneth Galbraith, Reinhold Niebuhr, Hubert Humphrey and 200 other activists. ... The Republican Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States of America, along with the Democratic Party. ...

The campaign to recall Rizzo attracted many thousands of volunteers and millions of dollars in campaign contributions. Polls showed Rizzo losing by a wide margin. Rizzo's allies counterattacked by challenging the validity of the signatures. They also challenged the constitutionality of the recall procedure itself. Then the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, by a one vote margin, declared the Charter's recall provision to be unconstitutional. The decision was written by Chief Justice Robert N.C. Nix, elected to the Supreme Court with Rizzo's support in 1971.

Rizzo opponents, while greatly disheartened, elected Ed Rendell as District Attorney in 1977, and organized a campaign to elect anti-Rizzo Democratic committee persons and elected officials in the 1978 primaries. Edward Gene Ed Rendell (born January 5, 1944) is an American politician and member of the Democratic Party. ...

Attempt for Third Consecutive Term

Rizzo, facing Philadelphia's two consecutive-term limit, got the Philadelphia City Council to place a Charter Change question on the ballot that would have allowed him to run for a third consecutive term in 1979.

The proposed Charter change had a significant effect on Philadelphia politics. In a record turnout for a Philadelphia municipal election, Philadelphians voted two to one against the change, thus blocking Rizzo from running in 1979. [4] In that election, Republican gubernatorial nominee Dick Thornburgh won a much larger than normal percentage of the black vote (for a Republican) and won the governorship against a heavily favored Democratic opponent. The anti-Charter change organization that was built would support a partially successful "Clean Sweep" ticket for municipal offices in 1979, including former Congressman William J. Green, who was elected Philadelphia Mayor.

Post-mayoral career

Between 1983 and 1991, Rizzo served as a security consultant -- controversially at The Philadelphia Gas Works, while drawing his city pension -- and hosted one of Philadelphia's most popular radio talk shows, a tradition later emulated by his son, Frank L. Rizzo, Jr. Frank L. Rizzo, Jr. ...

Rizzo had been a Democrat while mayor, even while supporting Richard Nixon; he ran unsuccessfully for the Democratic nomination for mayor in 1983, losing to Wilson Goode. In 1986, he switched to the Republican Party, and ran as a Republican in the mayoral elections of 1987 and 1991.

In 1991, Rizzo won the Republican primary against former Philadelphia District Attorney Ron Castille, in a hardball campaign where Rizzo making accusation about Castille's drinking habits and his veracity. Rizzo's win brought some rumblings of a last political hurrah, with Rizzo vowing to break stereotypes associated with his political legacy, and vowing specifically to campaign in black neighborhoods (which, in fact, he did).

For the November contest against Ed Rendell, a gregarious sort with a love for sports, there were also expectations that Rizzo would again employ hardball tactics. On July 16, 1991, Rizzo died of a massive heart attack shortly after his primary victory. He was pronounced dead at 2:12 p.m. EDT at Thomas Jefferson hospital . is the 197th day of the year (198th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1991 (MCMXCI) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the 1991 Gregorian calendar). ...

Funeral and memorials

Rizzo's funeral was legendary, with people lining the streets of the motorcade from the Cathedral of SS Peter and Paul, where his funeral mass was held, to his burial place in Cheltenham Township, and was carried on live television. He was interred at Holy Sepulcher Cemetery in Cheltenham Township, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. Cheltenham Township is a township near Philadelphia in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, United States. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Capital Harrisburg Largest city Philadelphia Area  Ranked 33rd  - Total 46,055 sq mi (119,283 km²)  - Width 280 miles (455 km)  - Length 160 miles (255 km)  - % water 2. ...

A literally larger than life statue of Mayor Rizzo waving one of his arms in greeting stands in front of Philadelphia's Municipal Services Building. The statue, one of Philadelphia's most recognizable landmarks, was paid for by contributions from Rizzo's family, friends, supporters, and admirers.

A popular site for appearances by political candidates is next to mural portrait of Rizzo in his stronghold of South Philadelphia.

Family

In 1942, Frank Rizzo married Carmella Silvestri, a candy maker, and they had two children. Their son Frank L. Rizzo, Jr. (born March 5, 1943) is a Philadelphia Republican city councilman. Their daughter Joanna Rizzo Mastronardo (born 1950) graduated from Chestnut Hill College in 1972, and married legendary sports bookmaker Joseph "Joe Vito" Mastronardo, Jr., in 1978.[5]Rizzo had only one grandson, Joseph Francis Mastronardo (born 1982). He is a distant relative of Bensonhurst, Brooklyn based Lucchese crime family soldier Daniel Rizzo who worked under Paul Vario from the 1950s until the Vario Crew disbanded in 1985 after friend and criminal partner Henry Hill became an informant for the FBI. Frank L. Rizzo, Jr. ... This article is about the day. ... Year 1943 (MCMXLIII) was a common year starting on Friday (the link will display full 1943 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Chestnut Hill College is a coeducational Catholic college in the Chestnut Hill section of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. It was founded in 1924 as a womens college by the Sisters of Saint Joseph. ... Bensonhurst Embankment is a common walkway in Bensonhurst Bensonhurst is a neighborhood located in the south-central part of the New York City borough of Brooklyn. ... The Lucchese crime family is one of the Five Families that controls organized crime activities in New York City, USA, within the nationwide criminal phenomenon known as the Mafia (or Cosa Nostra). ... Daniel Rizzo a. ... Paul Vario (July 9, 1914 - November 22, 1988) was a member of the U.S. Italian Mafia and a Caporegime in the Lucchese Family. ... The Vario Crew was a group, operating in several areas on New York, in the Lucchese crime family, run by Caporegime Paul Vario. ... U.S. Marshals mugshot of Henry Hill taken in 1980. ... The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is a federal criminal investigative, intelligence agency, and the primary investigative arm of the United States Department of Justice (DOJ). ...

Biographies

Sal Paolantonio's book Rizzo: The Last Big Man In Big City America is the current definitive biography; some think it has a somewhat fawning approach [5]. More critical comments on Rizzo's tenure as police commissioner and mayor are found in Andrea Mitchell's book Talking Back. Phylis Kaniss' book, The Media and the Mayor's Race, is an analysis of local journalistic coverage of the campaign, detailing Rizzo's last political campaign up until his death; it contains details on the political hardball he played against Castille, and planned to play against Rendell. [6] Sal Paolantonio (born June 13, 1956 in Queens, New York) is a Philadelphia-based bureau reporter for ESPN, primarily reporting on NFL stories. ...

Political Impact

Rizzo had a tremendous impact on Philadelphia politics. An extremely polarizing figure, Philadelphians were either extreme supporters or detractors. A Democrat, Rizzo's politics were primarily in the conservative wing of the Democratic party. His political appeal, however, transcended political parties. His switch from the Democratic party to the Republican party spawned a political term, "Rizzocrats" -- people who would follow Rizzo regardless of party affiliation.

Rizzo had a controversial relationship with the media. He sparred with beat reporters, including Andrea Mitchell, who was one of the first female urban beat reporters, and yet hired several into city posts after his re-election in 1975. His relationship with local television news anchor Larry Kane (WPVI-TV, WABC-TV, WCAU-TV, KYW-TV, KYW-AM, and now Comcast CN8) was especially noted. Both Mitchell, in her book Talking Back, and Kane, in his book Larry Kane's Philadelphia [7], said that when they heard about Rizzo's death, they broke down and cried. Andrea Mitchell Andrea Mitchell (born October 30, 1946) is an American journalist, television commentator, and writer. ... For the crime suspect see Zodiac Killer Larry Kane on KYW-TV in 1995. ... WPVI-TV, channel 6, is an owned-and-operated station of the Walt Disney Company-owned American Broadcasting Company, located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. ... WABC-TV, channel 7, is the flagship station of the Walt Disney Company-owned American Broadcasting Company, located in New York City. ... WCAU, channel 10, is the NBC owned-and-operated television station serving the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania market, with studios on the border between Philadelphia and Bala Cynwyd, and transmitter in the Roxborough neighborhood. ... KYW-TV, channel 3, is a television station in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, owned by the CBS Corporation and affiliated with the CBS Television Network. ... KYW is a class A AM radio station on 1060 kHz licensed to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. ... The Comcast Network (also known as CN8) is a TV station broadcast in many parts of the Northeastern United States: Mid-Atlantic and New England. ...

Quotations

"The streets are safe in Philadelphia -- it's only the people that make them unsafe."

"Who the hell you want me to give 'em to...my enemies?" Mayor Rizzo, in 1976, when asked by a reporter why he kept giving city jobs to his friends.

External links

• Biographical sketch of Rizzo's controversial methods
• The Sayings of Chairman Frank: Or, I Never Saw My Mother Naked Memorable quotes by Frank Rizzo