I did a post on my personal ranking of Philadelphia's mayor's best-to-worst (in the last 50 years) and got these two responses. One is from state Rep. Mark Cohen, who said I should have ranked Goode and Street higher. Another from a reader who says that Rizzo deserves some credit for the Gallery project.
Here are the comments:
I think that Street and Goode should be ranked ahead of Green and Tate because they both were public leaders with clear public agendas in a way that Green and Tate were not.
They also deserve credit for governing in a very inclusive manner, personally attending numerous events, and laying the basis for a politics that minimized racial conflicts.
They strived to be mayors of the whole city, and stand in contradistinction to Mayor Richard Hatcher of Gary or Mayor David Dinkins of New York, each of whom was somewhat paralyzed by identity politics. Nutter's victory owes something to the non-threatening precedents that Street and Goode established as to how a black mayor functioned as Mayor of Philadelphia.
Posted by Rep. Mark Cohen | September 16, 2007 6:53 PM
David R Smedley:
I do think Rizzo deserves some credit for, strangely enough, economic development with the Gallery. There never seems to be enough of an appreciation for that, considering that it was against his political instincts.
I also think Street would be more thought of, for his first term, due to his explicit focus on neighborhood politics, if he didn't have the issue of having followed Rendell.
And finally, doing something on the web highlighting the mayors since Home Rule would be good to educate about those prior to Rizzo since Tate and Dilworth would fall into them realm of "history".
My response:
There is much in what you say.
And I was a fan of what Street accomplished in the first half of his first term. He (wisely) decided refocus government on the neighborhoods. He also did well in handling the state takeover of the school district. But after that?
As to Goode, I am afraid I judge him not on his intentions, but on his results.
-- Tom Ferrick
Comments (4)
There's another consideration to think about. A lot of Philadelphia political history involves the fact that there have been people who have been very influential in politics and policy regardless of whether they were elected officials. Off the top of my head I am thinking of Charles Bowser, Bob Brady, the David Cohens (aide to Rendell and the City Councilman at-Large) and Billy Meehan (a really interesting study in running a minority/decaying political infrastructure after his party dominated Philadelphia politics pre-Home Rule for a century). I'd love to see some list of who you and others would think have been the most influential Philadelphians, regardless of whether elected; think it would be an interesting thing to consider.
Posted by David R Smedley | September 17, 2007 1:21 PM
Posted on September 17, 2007 13:21
In response to David's comment about influential Philadelphians, the Sunday Breakfast Club - a quiet little discussion group for ... influential Philadelphians, did a list of the 75 most promiment city residents during its 75 year history, then took a little informal ballot at its meeting last spring to see whom those in attendance thought were the most influential Philadelphians of all.
I believe the top five vote-getters were: 1) Dick Dilworth 2) the Rev. Leon Sullivan 3) Ed Rendell 4) Ed Bacon 5) Ernesta Ballard.
That's from memory, though. I'll check and correct.
chris
Posted by Chris Satullo | September 17, 2007 1:38 PM
Posted on September 17, 2007 13:38
Mark Cohen doesn't seem to quite fathom that it's really easy to borrow, borrow, borrow, rack up big debt, and leave it the next guy to deal with. That's the idiot pol's guide to running a city.
Street only just started collecting property taxes again, with something like $700 million owed to the city. I'm pretty sure that Street's policy of de facto noncollection is why Vallas left in disgust, unable to finance critical reforms in the schools.
If promising to reform the machine and then making it apple pie for your contributors is good policy, then sure, Street deserves a higher ranking. But the reality is that a lot of the benificiaries of NTI didn't finish or even start what they set out to do. Odude's senior housing is three vacant lots still. Thanks for that. Waterfront compared to Chicago, NYC -- barren. Thanks Shariff.
Universal's success in building on what they hold is probably in the single digits. But hey, Kenny Gamble, he's never a "failed affordable housing builder" whose Royal Theatre is a vacant building. He's a "record mogul" to you guys because you have the impression that he delivers votes. It's a false impression.
NTI lined a lot of pockets, and without a doubt will be the source of continued FBI investigations into Philly politics.
And the debt. Street can't run his own household finances, much less the city's! Budgeting is still a wreck, no public citizen can weigh in, it just focuses on spending items, not on results.
There's no way any responsible, brave, objective observer could conclude that Street belongs on any kind of list of a good adminstrator. He's clueless. Drink more water? Do your job.
He didn't touch any taxes. Left it for Nutter to do the dirty work. Wage taxes are still killing this town's jobs and growth while the region blows past us.
Didn't touch collecting critical revenue, until, like, last month. Insane. Is there a more insane response to rotten schools and high murder rates than not collecting revenue owed the city for DECADES?
Wages taxes, BRT, it's all essentially intact. Any reductions are so incremental as to be irrelevant to creating jobs.
Street avoided all tough decisions, defied critical partnerships with the region, racked up huge debt that will be painful to pay off. The new Philly under Nutter has to be profoundly different than the relic Street leaves behind him.
But sure, Street governed in an inclusive manner. The bruthas and sistahs are in charge, he said. Whahhhhh? He ran his machine for one type and class, upper income black supporters and the few whites who rode in with them. That's not progress. That's status quo. The city's few betterments were due to a mixed income and race coalition of city lovers who wouldn't take no for an answer -- that's the reason for the Barnes, the Perelman annex, and cleaning up the corners after the Safe Streets money ran out.
If you see Street, please put a boot in his butt for me.
Posted by Anonymous | October 3, 2007 5:13 PM
Posted on October 3, 2007 17:13
Oh, yeah, Health Dept. -- a shambles.
Schools finances -- study on why it's in shambles aborted.
City government unresponsive unless you can get your councilperson to intervene.
Taxes high, debt high, yeah, sure, undoing what Rendell did, sure yeah.
How did Street even make the list of mayors? He's been a cipher for eight years.
Posted by Anonymous | October 3, 2007 5:17 PM
Posted on October 3, 2007 17:17