Street announced bid to enter mayor's race

Former City Council President John Street is backed by Mayor Ed Rendell in the crowded race. Spirits were high yesterday when former City Council President John Street -- surrounded by hundreds of supporters including an enthusiastic Philadelphia Mayor Ed Rendell -- announced his candidacy for mayor. At the announcement, which has been expected for months, the two men took turns praising each other and the great strides Philadelphia has taken during their seven-year partnership. Street pledged a platform that focuses on public education improvement, further economic development and crime prevention. "This is an extraordinary day of passage on my personal journey -- an opportunity to serve at the highest level the city I love, the city to which I have enthusiastically devoted so much of my life," said Street, 55, who began the program by introducing his family, including son Sharif, a third-year Penn Law student. An enthusiastic crowd of several hundred people, packed into a small Community College of Philadelphia lecture hall, heard from a range of speakers -- including a union director, religious leaders, Rendell and finally, Street himself. Recent polls indicate that the controversial Street is leading the Democratic field in people who say they will vote for him, but he also has the highest percentage of voters who strictly oppose him. Though Rendell all but announced his support for Street last week, he saved the official endorsement for yesterday, when the mayor sealed the deal with perhaps the most important vote in the election. "There has never been a more qualified mayor running," Rendell said, adding that although the other five candidates are certainly worthy, Street is the right man for the job. "John's strength, leadership and courage have earned him the right to be mayor," he said. "He's the best-qualified person." In an election with no clear favorite, Rendell's endorsement of Street certainly creates an advantage, but public opinion of Street has wavered -- a topic Rendell briefly eluded to. "He's tough to get to know," Rendell said. "John Street is not good at blowing his own horn." Still, Rendell -- who is credited with picking the city up by its bootstraps and carrying it to fiscal stability -- emphasized that neither he nor the city would be as successful had Street not been behind the scenes. "That's why we're in the shape we're in," Rendell said. "John Street became my partner. I emerged as a better mayor." In a speech slated for only five minutes, an energetic Rendell spoke for three or four times that amount, noting that he and Street share the same socially liberal but fiscally conservative philosophy. "John Street has been a fiscal conservative and will be a fiscal conservative [as mayor]," he said. "He will be ready to pick up the torch and keep running in stride." When Rendell left the podium, he and Street embraced and raised their hands victoriously, as the pro-Street crowd applauded and cheered. A call to "continue the legacy" from one audience member symbolized the meaning behind Rendell's endorsement. But there would likely be differences between the two administrations. During his speech, Street spoke at length about improving Philadelphia's public education -- an area for which Rendell has been criticized during his seven years in office. "If Philadelphia is to have a bright future, we cannot give up on our public school children," he added. "Those schools are producing the future work force for our city." Still, the two men made it clear that they have grown quite fond of each other over the years. Citing his successful partnership with the mayor -- highlighted by their work in turning a $250 million annual deficit into six consecutive years of budget surpluses -- Street thanked Rendell for their mutually beneficial relationship. "I was fortunate to have a governing partner of his skill, strength and determination," Street said. Street also touched on his vision for the future of Philadelphia. "As the new millennium dawns, we have put Philadelphia on a path toward progress," he added. "But there is much work to be done." City Council member Augusta Clark, who stood in the gallery behind Street and Rendell during the presentation, afterwards described the crowd as both "enthusiastic" and "diverse." She also noted that the endorsement of a popular mayor may not in itself guarantee Street's victory. Patrick Vizzini, a member of the Laborers' Local Union 57, said, "I liked [Street's] stand on everything.? He's going to keep the city going in the same direction, the way Rendell did." The mayoral primaries are scheduled for May 18 and will see Street face off against former City Council member Happy Fernandez, former Philadelphia Housing Authority head John White, State Representative Dwight Evans and political insider Marty Weinberg, who is scheduled to officially announce his candidacy next week.

Please note All comments are eligible for publication in The Daily Pennsylvanian.