derstand that office is truly responsible for the quality of life we lead in this city. It can ferret out problems, address them and abate them before they become bigger. Everyone, every neighborhood, all our communities, deserve to live in peaceful neighborhoods, not plagued by circumstances beyond their control and the lack of response by city officialdom to those problems.” Grossman is planning her campaign around the need for the public to look to the DA’s office as its champion, especially with the continued rise in killings now occurring in this city. “People are tired,” she finds. “They want a return to a decent quality of life in this city…ranging from the elimination of drug corners, drug houses, nuisance bars, and neighborhood nuisances such as poorly maintained rental properties which often lead to their occupancy by drug traffickers.” She is passionate about rescuing neighbors whose homes were being affected by the conditions of those properties. “Their voice was heard while I was there. We got rid of many eyesores,” she boasts. She resigned from the
DA’s office over a year and a half ago and became the chief of staff to the Commissioner of L&I, bringing with
her a great deal of knowledge on how to rid the city of nuisance properties. She is the endorsed GOP
candidate and awaits the announcement of the party’s choice for city controller to intensify the campaign.
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with vital tidbits on a laptop she carries everywhere. Grossman believes she can fuel the resentment of many Democratic voters over the long record of convictions of local elected officials in their party. She says, “It’s a doable challenge.” She brings up the fact the Castille-Gola Team for DA and Controller changed the way politics was played when they won an uphill fight against Democratic incumbents back in 1985. She is convinced “Democrat voters are fed up with corruption in this city due to a long line of convictions of their party’s city and state officeholders. I see Philadelphia voters are patient, but there comes a time when enough is enough, especially among those suffering in crime-riddled neighborhoods.” Her familiarity with the Office of District Attorney is obvious, based on her more than 21 years of service in it, dating back to the beginning of the reign of DA Lynne Abraham. “DA Williams,” she says, “changed the course of the office almost continuously. Neither he nor those seeking to replace him will ever un-
F E B RUA RY 16, 2017
BY JOE SHAHEELI ETH GROSSMAN would be a natural shoo-in for Philadelphia District Attorney if everyone agreed the individual with the most credentials for that office would be the one supported. She’s served in almost every capacity in that office. She would need the acclaim of the daily press media and local TV talking heads on Sunday mornings interviewing her for voters to decide she indeed knows that office inside out. Alas for her, that won’t happen since she is running on the Republican ticket in a city where the Democratic registrations are still 7 to 1. To her dismay, her easiest target, incumbent DA Seth Williams, has removed himself from the race. With Williams, whom she was betting would survive the primary, out, she now loses the role as the “better government” candidate, having to share the same with a host of Democratic challengers seeking the Democratic nomination in the primary for that office. She remains undaunted, taking her campaign to everyone who will listen, recording the support she garners along
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GROSSMAN UNDERSTANDS THE ODDS
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