John F. Street facts for kids

Quick facts for kids John F. Street
Street in 1999
97th Mayor of Philadelphia
In office January 3, 2000 – January 7, 2008
Preceded by	Ed Rendell
Succeeded by	Michael Nutter
President of the Philadelphia City Council
In office January 6, 1992 – December 31, 1998
Preceded by	Joseph Coleman
Succeeded by	Anna Verna
Member of the Philadelphia City Council from the 5th district
In office January 7, 1980 – December 31, 1998
Preceded by	Cecil B. Moore
Succeeded by	Darrell Clarke
Personal details
Born	John Franklin Street (1943-10-15) October 15, 1943 (age 81) Norristown, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Political party	Independent (since 2011)
Other political affiliations	Democratic (until 2011)
Children	4, including Sharif Street
Relatives	Milton Street (brother)
Alma mater	Oakwood University (BA) Temple University Beasley School of Law (JD)

John Franklin Street (born October 15, 1943) is an American politician and lawyer. He served as the 97th Mayor of the City of Philadelphia. He was first elected in 1999 and served two terms, from January 3, 2000, to January 7, 2008.

Street is a member of the Democratic Party. Before becoming mayor, he spent 19 years on the Philadelphia City Council. He was also the council's president for seven of those years. He became mayor after Ed Rendell and was Philadelphia's second African-American mayor. During his time as mayor, he faced some challenges and criticism.

Early Life and Political Start

John Street was born in Norristown, Pennsylvania. He grew up on a farm. He finished high school at Conshohocken High School. Later, he earned a degree in English from Oakwood College in Huntsville, Alabama. He then got his law degree from Temple University.

After law school, Street worked for a judge and the United States Department of Justice. He also taught English at an elementary school and at the Philadelphia Opportunities Industrialization Center (OIC). He practiced law for a short time before starting his career in public service.

Street is married and has four children, including Sharif Street. He is a practicing Seventh-day Adventist. His brother, Milton, was also a politician.

Joining the City Council

In 1979, Street decided to run for a seat on the City Council. He challenged the current councilman, Cecil B. Moore. Moore was a well-known civil rights leader. Sadly, Moore passed away before the election. Street won the election.

To honor Moore, Street helped pass a bill to rename Columbia Avenue after him. This helped ease some of the tension from his decision to run against Moore.

Leading the City Council

In 1992, other members of the City Council chose Street to be their President. He was chosen again in 1996. As President, Street worked closely with former Mayor Ed Rendell. They created a financial plan that helped Philadelphia. The city went from having a large debt of $250 million to having a big surplus of money.

Even though business and wage taxes were lowered for four years, Philadelphia still had a high tax burden. This was because the city had to pay for prisons, old debts, and benefits for city workers.

Mayor of Philadelphia

Mayoral Elections

1999 Election

John Street was elected mayor in one of the closest elections in Philadelphia's history. He won against Republican Sam Katz by less than 7,500 votes.

Before Street officially became mayor, the City Council President, Anna Verna, briefly ran the city. This happened because Mayor Rendell resigned early to lead the DNC. In 2001, Street was named "Politician of the Year" runner-up by PoliticsPA.

2003 Election

Street ran for re-election in the 2003 mayoral election. Again, his opponent was Sam Katz. Even though Street faced some challenges during this time, he had the support of Pennsylvania Governor and former Philadelphia Mayor, Ed Rendell.

Street won with 58% of the votes. The political website PoliticsPA named him "Politician of the Year" in 2003. They said he was very clever to turn a difficult situation into a positive one. A documentary film called The Shame of a City covered this election.

Key Policies and Initiatives

Street's relationship with the City Council was sometimes difficult. He often had public disagreements with former councilman Michael Nutter, who later became the next mayor. However, Street eventually agreed to a revised smoking ban in Philadelphia in 2005.

John F. Street with President George W. Bush in Philadelphia during Independence Day in 2001

During his first term, Street focused a lot on the "Neighborhood Transformation Initiative" (NTI). This program started in 2001. Its goal was to improve Philadelphia's neighborhoods. It aimed to fix up communities, create good housing, make streets cleaner and safer, and build new places for fun and culture.

Some people worried that the program focused too much on tearing down old buildings. Others praised it for bringing needed money to poorer neighborhoods. The program had positive results. Since 2000, the average home value in Philadelphia went up by about 30 percent. Many new apartments and condos were also built.

Street also cared a lot about children. In 2000, he called it "The Year of the Child" in Philadelphia. He wanted to give more money to after-school programs. He also created the Philadelphia Children's Commission. This group advised him on ways to help children in the city. He also worked to reduce students missing school.

Schools and City Services

When Street became mayor, Philadelphia's public schools were struggling. In 2001, Street and the state government made a deal to privatize some of the schools. This meant that private companies, like Edison Schools, took over running some of the lowest-performing schools. Some universities also took over a few schools.

In 2001, the state government took over the Philadelphia Parking Authority. This was done to help the Philadelphia School District with its money problems.

Mayor Street celebrating President George W. Bush's 55th birthday in Philadelphia.

Street also made a decision that upset many skateboarders. He banned skateboarding from the famous Love Park. This happened after Philadelphia hosted the X-Games there in 2001 and 2002. In 2004, he turned down a $1-million offer to keep the park open for skating. Instead, the city spent money to add obstacles to stop skaters.

Street created the Office of Health and Fitness. He did this after a magazine called Philadelphia the "fattest city" in 1999. The magazine noted the low number of sports facilities and many fast-food restaurants. Street also signed a smoking ban into law in 2006.

He also supported building a citywide Wi-Fi network. The goal was to help poor Philadelphians get internet access and make the city more appealing to young people.

In 2002, Street gave a speech at a convention for the NAACP. He said that "the brothers and sisters are running the city." He added, "We are in charge of the City of Brotherly Love. We are in charge!" Some people criticized these strong words.

The murder rate in Philadelphia increased during Street's time as mayor. In 2005, there were 380 murders, up from 330 in 2004. Many of the victims were young people. The murder rate continued to rise in 2006 and 2007.

To help with violence, Street started the Adolescent Violence Reduction Partnership (AVRP) in 2006. This program aimed to help young people (ages 10-15) avoid violence. He also expanded another program, the Youth Violence Reduction Partnership (YVRP).

In 2007, Philadelphia Police Commissioner Sylvester Johnson, with Street's support, asked "10,000 black men" to patrol the streets to help reduce crime.

After Being Mayor

John Street's time as mayor ended on January 7, 2008. After leaving office, Street became a teacher at Temple University. He taught classes on urban politics. He said he really enjoyed teaching.

Street was also the Chairman of the Philadelphia Housing Authority (PHA) board. This board faced criticism for not managing things well. Control of the PHA was taken over by the federal government in 2011 to fix these issues. It was returned to the city in 2013 with a new board.

In 2011, Street changed his voter registration from Democrat to Independent. He said this was to keep his options open in politics. Some people thought he might run against Mayor Michael Nutter in the 2011 mayoral election. However, he did not run. His brother, Milton Street, ran instead but lost to Mayor Nutter.

Mayoral Election Results

See also

• Timeline of Philadelphia, 2000s-present