to Allegheny County Executive Dan Onorato, and an embarrassment to Rendell, who supports Onorato to succeed him.
But once Williams entered the fray with the support of Brady and the city delegation, no one had enough votes to win the endorsement.
So Williams is in to help Onorato?
When I ask Williams, he first says, "OK, let me stop laughing." He does so. Then he says, no, he wasn't encouraged by Brady or Rendell.
I run the theory past Brady. "Not true," says he. He says Williams is running because he's running and "I'm supporting him."
I ask if he thinks Wagner would have won party backing absent Williams' candidacy. "Maybe," says Brady. But he adds, "You know how you write that politicians ought to be changed (term-limited)? Well, maybe writers ought to be changed. You get too suspicious."
I tell him he's not the first person to suggest this to me.
Next is the theory that Williams tore a page from his father's playbook and made a pact with Republicans: Get in the race with Republican money and, because of a vote-rich base, cause disruption in the May 18 primary.
This forces Onorato, Wagner and Montco's Joe Hoeffel (the only other southeastern candidate) to spend more, leaving whoever emerges financially drained for the fall election, handing state Attorney General Tom Corbett, the GOP front-runner, an extra advantage. In exchange, Williams becomes Corbett's go-to guy in the Senate and has a friend in the governor's office.
So Williams is in to help Corbett?
Seems a stretch. For one thing, Corbett doesn't appear to need help. For another, if two Democrats split a western base and two others split a southeast base, who knows who emerges?
Corbett's campaign manager doesn't return my call. Williams reacts to the theory this way: "Really? That's exciting. Intrigue!" But he says it isn't so.
