LL reached a rather distraught Marshall Brown moments ago.

Brown (along with fellow politico and ex-Barry aide Bernard Demczuk) is first among local politickers as a denizen of Ben's Chili Bowl, and as a friend of its proprietor, Ben Ali, who died today at 82. He remembers his longtime friend with this line: "He came here ansd he wanted to do three things: He wanted to have a family, which he did; he wanted to have business, and he did; and he wanted to help somebody, which he did."

Ali, he says, "helped the entire community in any way...whether your church needed anything or your school needed a playground or you just needed a place to meet, you could count on Ben." And, he says, Ali made his restaurant a sort of sacred space for local officials and operatives looking to do a little business, have a quick bite, or make a big splash.

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Those of you searching for a candidate chomping at the bit to take on Mayor Adrian M. Fenty and his $2 million-plus war chest, look out: An honest-to-God 2010 mayoral challenger has made his first nibble.

Well, his dad has, anyway.

Marshall Brown, the longtime political organizer and father of At-Large Councilmember Kwame R. Brown, sent out an e-mail on Sunday night soliciting support for a mayoral draft campaign aimed at his son.

"Would you lend your name to the Kwame Brown for Mayor Draft Committee," the short e-mail asks, telling recipients to "send this to your email list." Two sources consulted by LL also report getting calls from Marshall Brown inquiring whether they might lend support to a Kwame-for-Mayor campaign.

Read More "Kwame Brown’s Dad Collecting Names for Mayoral Run" »