In the wake of a two-year blitz of corruption scandals, Philadelphia Mayor John Street is now working to erase the political blemishes on his administration.
This summer marked the conclusion of several trials and investigations that stemmed from an FBI probe of various offices related to City Hall.
Street has not been charged with any crimes, but a U.S. District Court judge sentenced former City Treasurer Corey Kemp to 10 years' imprisonment for offenses that included fraud and conspiracy.
Two Commerce Bank executives and two businesspeople were also convicted of conspiring with Ronald White -- a key fund-raiser for Street -- to acquire influence over city contracts though bribery and gifts. White died in November, before he could be tried.
In a separate and more recent set of indictments, three other Philadelphia officials have been charged with inappropriately using funds from the Keep Philadelphia Beautiful program.
Though the Philadelphia political arena is blazing with scandals, many of which have tainted the Mayor's Office by association, Street continues to assert his intolerance for "corruption of any kind."
In response to the scandals, Street has been more receptive to ethical reforms, and he is concentrating on self-named priorities like public safety and a possible ban on smoking in most establishments.
Still, the scandals may affect Philadelphia politics in the long run, especially with the 2007 mayoral elections looming.
Political consultant Larry Ceisler said that the scandals are among the reasons that the public is already beginning to focus on a mayoral election that is still more than two years away.
"People want to put this probe and administration behind them," Ceisler said.
But though the public may want to look past these events, Ceisler said that they will shape the political atmosphere leading up to future elections.
"I think a lot of the campaigning is going to be framed in what has happened in this ongoing federal probe," Ceisler said.
While Street could not run for re-election if he wanted to -- by law, no one can serve more than two terms -- potential candidates for the 2007 race include Philadelphia Democratic Party Treasurer John Dougherty, businessman Tom Knox, City Controller Jonathan Saidel and several others.
In the meantime, however, Ceisler said that the Street administration will be working to strengthen its public image
"I think that people do not like governmental corruption and that any [criminal] conviction undermines confidence in the Street administration," Ceisler said.
"The administration's attention is not focused on the day-to-day needs of the city, and they are focusing on a lot of the details involved with the scandal," he said, adding that as the trials wind down, "the administration can go back to doing what they are supposed to do."
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