American politician and lawyer John Street was the 97th mayor of Philadelphia and the city’s second African American mayor. He was elected twice, but in 2005, he was named one of the three worst big-city mayors in the U.S. by Time magazine. A Democrat, Street served for 19 years on the Philadelphia City Council before becoming mayor. Learn more about his political career at philadelphiayes.
Early Life and Education
John Franklin Street was born on October 15, 1943, in Norristown, Pennsylvania, to a family of farmers. He attended Conshohocken High School and earned a bachelor’s degree in English from Oakwood College in Huntsville. He then enrolled at Temple University, where he received his Juris Doctor degree.
After finishing his studies, Street took a clerkship with a judge at the Court of Common Pleas. However, he was quickly fired for unsatisfactory performance. He then became an elementary school English teacher before teaching at the Philadelphia Opportunities Industrialization Center.
Later, John Street opened his own law practice and got married, eventually having four children. During this time, his brother, Milton, was a member of the state legislature and ran for mayor twice. Inspired by his brother’s example, Street decided to try his hand at politics as well.
Path to Politics and Mayoral Election
John Street took his first step into politics in 1979 when he decided to run for City Council. His opponent was the incumbent and respected Fifth District councilman, Cecil B. Moore. Street’s bold challenge drew negative reactions from many voters. Moore passed away shortly after, and Street won the election. He later supported a bill to rename Columbia Avenue in Moore’s honor to help ease the tension surrounding his campaign.
In 1992, Street became the City Council President and was re-elected to the position in 1996. During this time, he worked closely with Mayor Ed Rendell to develop and implement a financial plan that helped the city overcome a budget deficit.
John Street was elected mayor during the 1999 election, which was one of the most contentious in Philadelphia’s history. Street narrowly defeated Republican Sam Katz.
The two politicians faced off again in the next mayoral election in 2003. At the time, Street was under an FBI investigation for corruption, but he was endorsed by Pennsylvania Governor and former Philadelphia Mayor Ed Rendell. John Street won the election again. This campaign was detailed in the documentary film The Shame of a City.
Mayor John Street’s Policies
During his first term, Street focused on the Neighborhood Transformation Initiative (NTI). Introduced in 2001, this program was the first of its kind to combat urban blight in parts of the city. The project aimed to revitalize communities, create quality housing, clean up streets, and develop cultural institutions.
Opponents of the program objected to the demolition of abandoned buildings, arguing instead for their restoration and reuse. However, residents of the blighted neighborhoods supported the project, and its implementation had a positive impact on the city and its housing market.
Another of Street’s priorities was child welfare. He officially declared 2000 the “Year of the Child” in Philadelphia. The mayor helped increase funding for after-school programs, created the Philadelphia Children’s Commission, and fought school truancy. It’s worth noting that the city’s public schools were in poor condition at the time. At Street’s initiative, they were privatized. To help the city’s school district overcome its financial crisis, Street transferred the Philadelphia Parking Authority to the Pennsylvania government in 2001.
When Men’s Fitness magazine named Philadelphia the “fattest city in America” in 1999, the mayor created the Office of Health and Fitness. The magazine had cited a lack of sports facilities and a high number of fast-food restaurants. Around the same time, Street signed a smoking ban into law.
He also championed the creation of a city-wide Wi-Fi network. It was to be managed by a non-profit organization called “Wireless Philadelphia” in partnership with the city and commercial internet service providers.
At times, John Street’s remarks were criticized for stoking racial tensions. As the second African American mayor, his tenure still encountered some misunderstandings. During his time in office, Philadelphia’s murder rate rose, though it remained lower than in the mid-20th century. This trend began to worsen in 2007, but the mayor never commented on the crime rate. In 2006, he launched the Youth Violence Reduction Partnership.
One of John Street’s most controversial decisions was banning skateboarding in the world-renowned LOVE Park. This decision was made after Philadelphia hosted the X Games in 2001 and 2002 and sparked outrage among skateboarders. In 2004, the American brand DC Shoes offered $1 million to renovate the park to accommodate skateboarding. The mayor rejected the offer. What’s more, the city allocated $800,000 to install additional obstacles to deter skateboarders.
While in office, John Street frequently clashed with the City Council and other politicians. For instance, public disputes often erupted between him and Michael Nutter, who would later become the city’s 98th mayor. One of their disagreements was over the public smoking ban.
During his second campaign, the FBI conducted a massive investigation into municipal corruption and planted listening devices in the mayor’s office. This uncovered several corruption schemes. Despite this, John Street won the election, although he struggled to repair his reputation afterward.
Later Career
John Street’s career as Mayor of Philadelphia ended in January 2008. He had intended to continue his political career, but the previous corruption scandals stood in his way. Instead, Street accepted an offer to teach a course on urban politics in the Political Science department at Temple University.
Additionally, he became the head of the Philadelphia Housing Authority, but the organization’s activities soon came under fire. It was accused of imbalanced spending and ethical violations. Control of the organization was taken from the city and transferred to the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) in 2011. Two years later, the authority was revamped and returned to City Council control.
As for John Street, he switched his party affiliation from Democrat to Independent in 2011. He claimed there was nothing special about the move, but journalists speculated that Street wanted to challenge the incumbent Democratic mayor, Michael Nutter, in the upcoming election. However, these predictions did not come true. John’s brother, Milton Street, challenged Mayor Nutter but lost. John Street never returned to major politics. In 2023, he celebrated his 80th birthday.