PASSING THE TORCH: Mayoral RACE 1999

The victor in the city's mayoral race will inherit a Philadelphia vastly changed since 1992. As eight years of unparalleled success under Mayor Ed Rendell near a close, Philadelphians are faced with an enormous challenge: finding a successor for the man who lifted the city from financial ruin and transformed it into a model of American urban recovery. In just 97 days, voters will go to the ballot boxes and pick two candidates to face off in the November mayoral election. The candidates represent a wide array of backgrounds -- two former City Council members, a state legislator, two lifelong politicos and a longtime public servant. In a city which has gone 48 years without a Republican mayor and where Democrats outnumber Republicans by a 3-to-1 majority, the Democratic primary will all but decide the race. There is just one man running for the Republican nomination. Voters will be electing a mayor to run a Philadelphia that in many ways barely resembles the city that Rendell inherited from former mayor Wilson Goode in 1992: budget surpluses are now the norm, a new convention center has opened and corporations like Disney are helping to revitalize the Center City area. And just last week, the state agreed to help fund two new sports stadiums. Although the city has shown marked improvement under Rendell, the first mayor of the new millennium still must deal with ongoing issues like education, welfare reform, crime and perhaps the most difficult issue of all -- working in Rendell's political shadow. The Candidates This year's field features six candidates -- five Democrats and one Republican -- in a race that many political experts are claiming could be surprisingly competitive. The Democrat pool is comprised of former City Council President John Street, former City Council member Happy Fernandez, ex-Philadelphia Housing Authority Director John White, State Representative Dwight Evans and Marty Weinberg, who was a top aide to former Mayor Frank Rizzo and is scheduled to officially announce his candidacy next week. The winner of the Democratic primary will face off in November against businessperson Sam Katz, the lone Republican. With the primary election day just a few months away, no clear favorite has emerged and political experts have been quick to underline the strength of this year's field. Although the still-popular Rendell -- to whom the public may look for guidance -- has voiced support for Street, his longtime City Hall colleague, analysts are unsure of what role this will play in the election. "People can't transfer their popularity," said Ed Schwartz, president of the Institute for the Study of Civic Values. And Rendell has been careful to praise all those hoping to succeed him. "Each of the six candidates possesses a wide range of skills that would make him or her a very good mayor," Rendell spokesperson David Yarkin said. "I think the city will be in good hands." Still, Rendell reserves special words for Street. "John's strength, leadership and courage have earned him the right to be mayor," Rendell said on Wednesday when Street officially announced his candidacy. "He's the best-qualified person." But the controversial Street, who leads his competitors in most polls, is burdened by the fact that a large number of people remember him from his rabble-rousing days in the 1970s and say they would not vote for him under any circumstances. With three African-American candidates --EEvans, Street and White -- in the contest, Schwartz indicated that race could play a crucial role in the election. "I think race plays a role in every election," Schwartz said, adding that if the black vote splits among the three candidates, Weinberg could walk away the surprise winner. But race is not the only key factor in this year's election --Emoney, as always, is the engine that drives a successful big city campaign. On that front, the politically connected and deep-pocketed Weinberg seems to be in the lead. He has already raised over $2.6 million, far surpassing any other competitor. That war chest will be key as he tries to increase his low name recognition among Philadelphians. "Marty Weinberg is almost like a silent film star," Schwartz said. "We haven't heard much from him." Weinberg, who is expected to officially announce his candidacy next week, will use his funds for a television advertising blitz in the coming months to combat that problem. Tough Problems to Tackle Last month, the Annenberg School for Communication released the results of a city-wide survey which showed that Philadelphia voters are most concerned with crime, the economy and education reform. Not surprisingly, these issues have taken center stage in this year's road to City Hall. While Rendell has concentrated his mayorship on economic development, several areas -- including those cited by the Annenberg poll -- still demand improvement, and the new mayor will have to pick up where time forced Rendell to leave off. "Ed Rendell was brilliant in stabilizing the government and stimulating business development," Schwartz said. "But Rendell does not know anything about schools or poverty. The new mayor needs to focus on these problems or we are going to fail." Schwartz emphasized that major problems like crime are directly related to Philadelphia's high poverty level and if the situation is addressed properly, connected issues like crime will improve. "I think [crime] is a problem of perception," he added. "[It] is a deeper function of the problem of poverty." Penn History and Public Policy Professor Ted Hershberg, who also serves as director of the Penn-based Center for Greater Philadelphia, said that the economy should remain at the center of the new mayor's agenda. In particular, he suggested a further reduction of the city wage tax -- which Rendell has slightly lowered during his term -- that continues to drive investment outside city limits. "As long as the city has very high taxes, it will continue to be unattractive to businesses," he said. While History Professor Michael Katz also said he believed fiscal discipline to be essential, he explained the importance of education reform -- an area in which many say Rendell has been unsuccessful. "If the city is going to attract middle-class families with children, it must improve education," Katz noted. "The people are going to look at the next mayor to improve education." Filling Rendell's Shoes Will the next mayor of Philadelphia have difficulty following Rendell? It might seem an imposing task to live up to the reputation of the man Vice President Al Gore calls "America's Mayor," but many think Rendell's successor should build upon, rather than imitate, the outgoing mayor's accomplishments. "People are going to compare," Katz said. "It's going to be hard to have the shadow of Rendell hanging over people's heads." Hershberg said he thinks the new mayor should avoid trying to copy Rendell. "I think you set yourself up for failure if you want to be another Ed Rendell," he explained. How Rendell's successor will handle the new role remains to be seen, but nearly all agree that the new mayor must keep Philadelphia pointed in the right direction, regardless of the methodology. "The momentum we've built up the last seven years will continue long after Mayor Rendell walks out of City Hall," Yarkin said. "The next mayor is going to be compelled to carry [the city's fiscal responsibility] out," Yarkin said. "And if they don't, if they waver and don't have the courage to say 'no,' the city is going to be back where it was." Fast Eddie And "where it was" is a place no one in the city ever wants to be again. In his nearly eight years at the helm of America's fifth-largest city, Rendell has led a financially unstable metropolis into a period of prosperity -- through a war with the city's unions, the closing of the Navy Yard and a fiscal crisis that saw annual deficits of over $200 million. With his innovative tactics, Rendell has commanded national recognition for both himself and the city his administration has tried so desperately to save. Since entering City Hall in 1992, the Rendell administration has brought financial stability to a city teetering on the edge of bankruptcy. Business and tourism growth are starting to surge. And Philadelphia's landing of the 2000 Republican National Convention next year shows that people are finally starting to notice the rebirth of the City of Brotherly Love. Hershberg put the Rendell years in perspective, focusing on both physical and emotional growth. "Rendell has dramatically altered the psyche of the city," Hershberg said. "He has been this incredible political cheerleader." And Michael Katz noted that Rendell's high level of energy is responsible for much of Philadelphia's recent development. "Rendell's proved to be a very remarkable spokesperson for the city," Katz said. "He has a very infectious kind of enthusiasm. That has improved the reputation of the city with other people. There's kind of a psychological dimension to the progress of the city."

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