Mayor John Street may have just begun his second term in office, but the controversy surrounding his administration continues to carry over from his first term.
Street faces many challenges in the next four years, including regaining the citizens' confidence in ethical government, facing enormous budget deficits and improving the local economy.
Despite the fact that Street began his new term as mayor of Philadelphia this January after a landslide victory in November, citizens' distrust of the city government has been consistently rising.
The September disclosure of the Federal Bureau of Investigation's probe into the way Street's administration has awarded city contracts bolstered his re-election campaign. However, since the election, the mayor has not regained the public's trust.
"People seem to be waiting for the other shoe to drop," City Councilman David Cohen said regarding the FBI's investigation. "When the city is involved in that, it's difficult to get anyone thinking clearly."
Cohen called the city's "pay-to-play" system of dealing with contracts a poor approach on the part of Mayor Street, and argued that any kind of government run by "cronyism" will never be effective.
Street "has got to clear the atmosphere" surrounding the probe, Cohen said. "I haven't heard a word from" Street concerning the role of local attorney Ronald White, or others involved in the investigation.
White has been one of the main subjects of the probe and is known as a major fundraiser for Street's political campaigns.
Any issues that face the city's government this term will be difficult to resolve, Cohen added, until the City Council and the mayor work as a more unified body. Street "does not involve the council in decision-making," Cohen said. "There has to be a change in the mayor's approach ... [he] has to have a lot of channels of communication open."
Cohen's statement regarding the dynamic between the council and the mayor contradict the mayor's own praise of the work the groups do together.
"Although much has been said about the relationship between City Council and my administration, notwithstanding our 'special moments,' on the issues most important to our future, we have worked together to make strong decisions in the best interests of this city," Street said in his inaugural address given on Jan. 5.
Other members are more concerned about issues like the tax reform commission and the increasing deficit, despite Cohen's assertion that the most pressing issue during the term is the FBI's probe.
Bob Previdi, spokesman for City Council President Anna Verna, noted that the deficit has become a large concern. Though the mayor moved his annual budget address to the City Council from January to March 18, he has already announced some predictions for the upcoming fiscal year.
"The mayor's told us that he expects the deficit to be $150 million out of a budget of $3 billion," Previdi said.
"That's up significantly," Previdi said, adding that the council expects "the mayor's budget to come in with a lot of cuts."
According to Previdi, the mayor will have to ask certain areas of government to cut 5 to 8 percent of their budget. "We still want to try to encourage growth in our economy," Previdi said, while at the same time taking into consideration the growing deficit.
