Eliot Sherman: New leadership in Philadelphia -- even if it's the wrong party

You wouldn't know it from reading the Inquirer or other local papers, but there is in fact a mayoral election coming up this November. Of course, since it isn't a race in Basra, Nasiriya or charming Baghdad, I don't see why anyone would want to cover it.

The main contenders will look familiar, as they are none other than Sam Katz and the incumbent John Street. In the grand tradition of hot pre-emption, I intend to take this opportunity to tell you why, as an unapologetic liberal who loves voting for black people, I will be voting for Katz.

I really do love voting for black people, you know -- for my belief in equality, first, and also because nothing pisses off the old guard GOP more (with the possible exception of sensible tax policy). But I am also a realist, and my first priority is this city. And Street, during his tenure, has unequivocally run Philadelphia into the ground.

Recognizing his less-than-sound record on Philadelphia even before the fiascos of the last few years, Street's last chance to hold onto my vote came during the 2000 Republican Convention (a time during which, I am told, the underground dominatrix and S&M; business in Philadelphia did record business, but I wouldn't know anything about that). I figured that even if he wasn't a great mayor, maybe he could be a good Democrat.

But when the party was over and I was left with sordid images of Street-Bush hand-holding, as well as Street letting the GOP get away with the implication that the convention was saturated with black people by focusing their cameras on the 10 in the crowd, I gave up.

During Street's tenure, the teachers went on strike. So did SEPTA. The blight initiative went nowhere. It seems likely that more money changed hands while picking a site for the new ballpark than in a week on Wall Street. Street's a former councilman, and to me, it looks like he runs the city like the council: favors and intimidation. It hasn't worked, it doesn't work and you and I shouldn't have to tolerate it any longer.

Street's biggest problem is the leverage organized labor has in his operation. Check out www.hallwatch.org to find out just how much labor gave him in contributions. It's quite a hefty sum, and while I don't know enough about the behind-the-scenes goings-on to make serious accusations, my cynical side tells me they probably got their money's worth.

I think labor is great, usually, but not in this city. Labor is supposed to protect the little guys and give them a fighting chance against the Carnegies and the Rockefellers of our age. But the way it has evolved in Philadelphia makes it almost impossible to fire a corrupt police officer with double-digit excessive force citations and a drinking problem.

You can't change a light bulb in this city without getting a visit from the teamsters. There is no more perfect example of this than the convention center. Labor disputes and turf wars have held up a planned expansion for seven-plus months. That's all anyone wanted to do: make it bigger. Conventions draw a huge amount business, and many major cities are scrambling to make their centers palaces.

Washington, D.C.'s was completed about a week ago. Our center is making money, but the rules for which union handles what activities are harder to untangle than the freakin' Gordian knot. This deters business and may have serious consequences in the next few years.

I cannot lay the blame for the convention center mess entirely at Street's feet. I think he did his best with a rocky situation and came up short. But that doesn't change the fact that it's still a huge black eye for Philadelphia and that certain circles seem to be worried that this may well prevent a lot of businesses from coming to Philadelphia in the future, which is the absolute last thing we need.

Sam Katz as a politician is a largely unknown element, and I'm not sure that's necessarily a disadvantage at this point. The little I do know about him seems good; he has a strong background in financial matters, he's a political moderate and former Democrat, and one thing is for sure: given how close the last election was, he will bring with him a whole lot of Republican money. Hopefully, that money will keep flowing into Philadelphia if he is elected this fall.

It's a little early at this point to know what the intricacies and hot-button issues for the election will be. But I do believe that Philadelphia is in a very precarious position right now and in serious danger of getting left behind as businesses go elsewhere and people flee to the suburbs. Regardless of whether all that is Street's fault, I think it is time for some new leadership.

Eliot Sherman is a sophomore from Philadelphia, Pa.

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