Knox continues his domination of primary dialogue Council members blasted his backing of Jannie Blackwell, and activists pressed for public campaign financing.

Even on a day when he kept a relatively low profile, businessman Tom Knox continued to dominate the dialogue in Philadelphia's Democratic mayoral primary.

At City Hall, six council members held a news conference to blast his Wednesday endorsement of City Councilwoman Jannie Blackwell as the next council president, calling it inappropriate meddling in Council's affairs.

Outside the building, a coalition of political activists announced that four mayoral candidates had signed a petition calling for public financing of city elections - a move spurred in part by Knox's self-financed campaign.

And in East Falls, candidate Dwight Evans traveled to the public housing project where Knox grew up, Abbottsford Homes, to collect the endorsement of the tenant representatives in the city's public housing developments.

The six council members criticizing Knox were Frank DiCicco, Bill Greenlee, Jim Kenney, Joan Krajewski, Donna Reed Miller and Marian Tasco - all of whom are supporting other mayoral candidates.

"He [Knox] has no right to try to dictate to this council before he even gets elected," said Krajewski. "I'm very angry about it."

Added Kenney: "I really do believe, and I think we all concur, that this is not a good sign for what a Knox administration would be like."

Blackwell, who tried and failed to unseat Council President Anna Verna in late 2003, seemed surprised by her colleagues' reaction to the deal she struck with Knox. But she did not lash back.

"They have a right to criticize. I accept that," she said.

Knox, in a live interview on NBC10, defended his backing of Blackwell for Council president, saying a mayor needed a close ally leading Council to get things done.

Asked whether he was undercutting his image as an outsider by selecting her, he replied: "You have to pick someone in City Council, and everyone there is an insider."

As for the petition calling for public financing of elections, backing came from Democrats Evans, Chaka Fattah and Michael Nutter as well as Republican Al Taubenberger.

The petition was circulated by MoveOn.Org, Common Cause/Pennsylvania, Philadelphia Forward and the Public Campaign Action Fund. There could be no public financing without action in Harrisburg.

At Abbottsford Homes, Evans received the endorsement of the Resident Leadership of Public and Assisted Housing, whose members represent more than 80,000 residents of public housing.