He served in the U.S. Army Security Agency from 1967 to 1971 and studied German at the Defense Language Institute in Monterey, California.
[5] He changed party affiliation to Democratic in 1982 and was elected to the Pennsylvania State Senate for the 4th district and served from 1983 to 1987.
Rocks ran for Philadelphia City Controller in 1989, where he lost to Democrat Jonathan Saidel.
Among the more wild accusations was the assertion from the Schwartz campaign that Rocks had an alcohol problem and engaged in promiscuous behavior.
The comments had apparently been prepared as a joke by a staffer, released accidentally, and Schwartz apologized, but the campaign became increasingly acrimonious from that point forward.