Poll: Crime the No. 1 issue for Phila. residents

The Annenberg School for Communication's poll asked Philadelphia voters to list their greatest concerns. Crime, the economy and the state of public education head the list of problems plaguing Philadelphia, according to a city-wide survey released last week by the Annenberg School for Communication. Forty-nine percent of the respondents said crime was the largest problem in the city --Edwarfing jobs and the economy at 26 percent and public education at 18 percent. Annenberg researchers conducted over 2,300 telephone interviews between November 30, 1998 and December 16, 1998, in hopes of identifying "key issues of concern to Philadelphians over the course of the 1999 mayoral campaign," according to a press release. Each respondent was able to choose up to three different answers to the question, "What do you personally think are the most important problems facing Philadelphia?" Although the figures for crime nearly doubled that of any other problem, Annenberg spokesperson Dan Romer emphasized that the other categories could prove to be even more significant. "Crime is the biggest concern and that was no surprise because it is also a national concern," he noted. "Philadelphia is reflecting what's going on nationally. But it's the other issues that get really interesting." Romer focused on crime's tremendous influence on the other problems cited by the survey. For example, he said, if public education improves and jobs becomes more plentiful, crime would subsequently decrease. "Crime links to all these other issues directly," he said. With just months remaining before the general mayoral election in November, the poll aims to highlight the major issues facing the successor to Philadelphia Mayor Ed Rendell -- whose second and final term expires on December 31. "The responses are really quite encouraging," Romer said. "The intent is to make the election a lot more issue-conscious." Organizers plan to hold a series of "deliberative forums" with 300 of the respondents. The forums, part of an Annenberg initiative combining neighborhood and media resources, is designed to let citizens discuss the issues face-to-face. In a written release, Annenberg Dean Kathleen Hall Jamieson described the enthusiasm of the poll's participants. "Contrary to conventional wisdom, the Philadelphians who took part in the survey were not apathetic," she said, citing the fact that two out of every three people surveyed wanted to participate in the forums. Annenberg plans to conduct three additional surveys in the months ahead. Rendell spokesperson Kevin Feeley said he wasn't surprised that crime was at the top of the list, but he said the city has been making progress in the war against crime. "We're starting to see some results," Feeley said. "But it's not to say that crime is an issue that is solved." Feeley referred to the decrease in city homicides and the increase in narcotics arrests as accomplishments but singled out gun crime as a lingering concern. Rendell has contemplated joining other big-city mayors in filing a lawsuit against gun manufacturers for the past year, but has wavered recently in making a decision. Feeley said there are benefits to pursuing alternatives like legislation and gun design improvements instead of legal action. "The threat of filing a suit may be greater than actually filing a suit," he said. "That puts tremendous pressure on the [gun] industry. There are a lot of avenues of attack." Rendell, considered to be a candidate for statewide office after he leaves City Hall, could face difficulties in the mostly-conservative Pennsylvania if he goes through with the suit.