John F. Street was elected in the Philadelphia City Council in 1979, he officially succeeded the office in 1980. In his 20 years of service, Mayor John F. Street represented Philadelphia's Fifth Council District. His prime concern has always been social activities and working for the needy people in and around Philadelphia. He represented one of the most economically and racially diverse districts of Philadelphia. The district comprised of 11 wards in North Central Philadelphia and Center City with some affluent locales and also depressed areas.
John F. Street is widely respected as one of the most well-educated and efficient leaders of Philadelphia City Council history. He was elected unanimously by the council members as president in 1992 and again re-elected in 1996. Mayor Street's major areas of contribution have been issues related to city budget, building housing complexes, education system and crime regulation. He also worked in close association with the former Mayor Edward G. Rendell. In that tenure, the financial plan passed by the Council, converted a $250 million shortage into the greatest surplus in financial history of the city. They reduced the business and wage tax for 4 consecutive years and made up the crisis of 30- years of job scarcity in Philadelphia. He retired from the city council in 1998 and was nominated for the post of Mayor of Philadelphia.
Biography of John F. Street
John Franklin Street was born on October 15, 1943. He is the 97th Mayor of the City of Philadelphia. He was first elected as a Mayor on January 3, 2000, and was re-elected for his second term in 2004. Before he was elected the Mayor of Philadelphia, for 19 years he served as a member of the city council including 7 years when he served as a President. He assumed the post formerly held Edward G. Rendell as Mayor in 2000.
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Mayor Street was born in a rural and poverty stricken locality called Norristown in Pennsylvania. He witnessed the hard way of growing up; living amidst the dark without electricity or even proper sanitation. However his education was never hampered, owing to his inner will power and thirst for knowledge. Mayor Street graduated from Conshohocken High School and eventually got admission in Oakwood College in Huntsville, Alabama with exceptional grades. He was a student of English and was honored with a Doctorate degree from Temple University Law School in 1975. To pay his expenses, he became a part-time vendor near the university's campus. After his graduation, Street started his career as a clerk to the United States Department of Justice and Common Pleas Court Judge Mathew W. Bullock, Jr. He also taught English at an elementary school and at the Philadelphia Opportunities Industrialization Center. Eventually he became a private lawyer, which proved to be a gateway to the public service in his life.
Contributions of John F. Street
Street acted as a dedicated leader of the society, developing housing complexes for the poor, and advised the Philadelphia School Board to look after the welfare and the needs of the students. Mayor Street also worked hard to bring upon a closer cooperation between police and the society to fight firmly against crime and drugs in the city. He made the gun laws more strict and tough, thus subliming the act of crime. He organized after- school recreation hours for young people. He took every possible measure to decrease the crime and drug addiction that was mostly affecting the youths living in the city. Moreover education, shelter and other associated matters also enjoyed priority under the tenure of Street's mayoralty.
John F. Street has been one of the most effective leaders of this city. He was the mayor of Philadelphia until 2007 when Michael Nutter won his position by the Democrat ticket.
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