The campaign for mayor of Philadelphia has been less than stellar. Neither incumbent John Street nor challenger Sam Katz has proven himself to be the bigger man, instead attempting to pin the other as the more corrupt candidate. This city would certainly have been better served by a campaign based on issues and qualifications. Instead, the election is marred by divisiveness and name-calling.
But while both candidates clearly have their flaws, this city has seen what Street can do over the past four years. Katz offers both a fresh take on the city's problems and new plans to solve them. It is with that in mind that we endorse Sam Katz to become Philadelphia's next mayor.
Street's four years in office have been successful on several fronts. His Neighborhood Transformation Initiative and Operation Safe Streets programs have attempted to clean up and rebuild the city's roughest areas, with a direct emphasis on benefiting marginalized communities that have long been ignored. He fought for local control over city schools, and since the compromise he helped strike with the state, the Philadelphia School District has shown signs of life and recovery.
However, the Street administration has been tainted by the mayor's own flaws as a leader. Recent allegations of corruption aside, his admitted "pay-to-play" methods of awarding city contracts -- including a $1.2 million no-bid contract for his brother's dubious equipment maintenance company -- have left a blemish on the integrity of City Hall. Philadelphia's economy is hemorrhaging, and with businesses and residents fleeing the city in droves, Street's economic plan does not go far enough toward creating more jobs in the present.
Katz's ethics have come into question as well, with widespread allegations about his past business dealings. There are valid concerns about his ability to adapt his CEO mentality into one that best serves the city, and his plans to borrow even more money are risky.
But Katz has a plan for Philadelphia's economy that will benefit the city almost immediately. He has a vision for Philadelphia as a prosperous business community, something that should strike a chord with Penn students who will soon be entering the business world with the economy still in flux. His plans to reduce the wage tax and eliminate the gross receipts tax are long overdue and will hopefully stop the massive exodus of resources that has plagued the city in recent years.
Katz may not have the political experience that Street does, but his fiscal experience is what this city needs. While he has said he will make budget cuts to Safe Streets, he has also pledged to maintain the NTI program and continue the work that Street has started even in the city's most underprivileged communities. And unlike Street, Katz's plans for growth should benefit all areas of the city within a short time frame.
John Street's plans largely focus on maintaining the status quo, but Philadelphia needs a mayor who will build on Street's successes and tend to the areas in which Street has failed. Sam Katz is not a perfect candidate, but he is the best option for a city in need of a fiscally responsible and economically minded leader.
