Ken Trujillo expected to become second candidate for mayor tomorrow
Please note: This article is published as an archive copy from Philadelphia City Paper. My City Paper is not affiliated with Philadelphia City Paper. Philadelphia City Paper was an alternative weekly newspaper in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The last edition was published on October 8, 2015.
Ken Trujillo
Former city solicitor Ken Trujillo on Wednesday is expected to formally announce his candidacy for mayor at a press conference at the School District headquarters. He would become the second candidate to enter next May's Democratic primary election, joining former Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority director Terry Gillen.
While well-known among the city's political elite, Trujillo's name will be relatively unfamiliar to voters, a product of years spent working in powerful positions outside the limelight. His resume includes heading the city's law department under Mayor John Street; prosecuting labor corruption and drug cases as an Assistant U.S. Attorney, and sitting on a number of important boards, including the Pennsylvania Intergovernmental Cooperation Authority (which oversees Philly's finances), the Delaware River Port Authority and the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board.
Outside of government work, Trujillo has been a successful lawyer and businessman, owning a radio station and a handful of other small businesses. Dave Davies has reported on WHYY's Newsworks that Trujillo is ready to spend a sizable amount of his personal wealth in the race. Indeed, Trujillo has already put together an impressive — and presumably expensive — campaign staff.
If elected to replace Mayor Michael Nutter when his term ends in January 2016, Trujillo would be the city's first Latino mayor. Gillen would be the city's first woman mayor.
They are getting a small head start in what many believe will be a crowded primary race. State Sen. Anthony Williams, Councilman Jim Kenney, former District Attorney Lynn Abraham, former Councilman Frank Rizzo Jr., and City Controller Alan Butkovitz have all expressed an interest in running.
Other names mentioned for potential runs include Council President Darrell Clarke, city Managing Director Rich Negrin and former Common Pleas Judge Nelson Diaz.
Negrin and Diaz would be particularly unwelcome competition for Trujillo, as both are Latino. Latinos make up 13 percent of Philadelphia's population. Even with neither Negrin or Diaz in the race, it's unclear whether the city's Latinos would rally behind Trujillo, who has had a famously testy relationship with influential community members that include former councilman Angel Ortiz and Al Día publisher Hernan Guaracao.
