Former City Managing Director Rich Negrin Joins Philly D.A. Race

Negrin is the third Democrat who will challenge two-term incumbent Seth Williams.

Richard Negrin.

Richard Negrin.

Former city managing director Rich Negrin has entered the race for Philadelphia District Attorney.

Negrin is the third Democrat to announce a challenge against embattled two-term incumbent Seth Williams. He served in former Mayor Michael Nutter’s administration from 2010 to 2015, before leaving to become a partner at Obermayer, Rebmann, Maxwell & Hippel, a politically connected Philly law firm.

Negrin, a Cuban-American who has served on the city’s Board of Ethics, had previously expressed interest in the 2015 mayoral race. He released a promotional video yesterday that stated his intention to run an ethically centered campaign bent on helping communities impacted by violence and crime. In the video, he speaks of witnessing terrorists murder his father, who fled Cuba during Fidel Castro’s regime, when he was just 13 years old.

Negrin cited controversies involving Williams while speaking about his decision to run, the Inquirer reports.

It’s been a contentious year for Williams. He is the subject of a federal investigation, according to the Inquirer. This past August, Williams also belatedly disclosed that he’d received more than $160,150 in gifts between 2010 and 2015. That includes more than $20,000 in travel expenses and more than $45,000 in roof repair and expenses for Phillies, 76ers and Eagles tickets, according to the Inquirer.

Two other Democrats — former federal prosecutor Joe Khan and former Municipal Court Judge Teresa Carr Deni — are also running against Williams in the primary.

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