This is an accepted version of this page John Franklin Street (born October 15, 1943) is an American politician and lawyer who served as the 97th Mayor of the City of Philadelphia.

Following his graduation from law school, Street served clerkships with Common Pleas Court Judge Mathew W. Bullock, Jr. and with the United States Department of Justice from which he was quickly terminated for poor performance.

In his first professional job Street taught English at an elementary school and, later, at the Philadelphia Opportunities Industrialization Center (OIC).

Moore was a popular and respected civil rights leader in the city who was active within the NAACP, and Street's decision to challenge him drew the ire of some.

[6] Street was chosen unanimously by members of the Council to serve as President in 1992, after incumbent Joe Coleman retired, and was re-elected in 1996.

Street, working closely with former Mayor Ed Rendell, was instrumental in crafting and implementing a financial plan that passed Council unanimously, and turned a $250 million deficit into the largest surplus in city history.

This is due to the financial burden to run the city's prisons, pay debt service, and employee pensions and health benefits.

[8] In an unusual circumstance, the City Council President at the time, Anna Verna, was briefly in the position of running the city before Mayor Street was sworn in, as Rendell resigned the post in December 1999 to become the head of the DNC (per Article III, Chapter 5, Section 3-500 of the Philadelphia Home Rule Charter).

Despite an ongoing FBI investigation, Street was aided by Pennsylvania Governor and former Mayor of Philadelphia, Ed Rendell endorsing and campaigning for him.

Initially, opponents raised objections to the program's emphasis on demolishing abandoned buildings rather than seeking re-use or restoration of the sometimes historic properties.

The network is to be run by the non-profit organization Wireless Philadelphia in partnership with the city and commercial internet service providers.

Supporters hope that the plan will help bring information access to poor Philadelphians and make the city more attractive to young and educated people.

[17] The murder rate in Philadelphia hit a seven-year high during Street's tenure, but the overall trend was significantly lower than in the 1970s under Frank Rizzo.

During the re-election campaign against Sam Katz, the FBI acknowledged that it had placed listening devices in the Mayor's office as part of a sweeping investigation of municipal corruption.

[23] The FBI's investigation uncovered a corruption scheme led by Street's friend and fund raiser Ron White, who died before going to trial.

[24] Former city treasurer Corey Kemp, a member of Street's administration, was sentenced to 10 years in jail after being found guilty on 27 corruption-related charges in May 2005.

[26] One additional prosecution of members of Street's administration took place in the wake of the Kemp conviction and resulted in an acquittal of Mayoral Aide John D.

[citation needed] In September 2005, a prominent Muslim clergyman, Shamsud-din Ali, in Philadelphia was sentenced to more than seven years in prison on racketeering and other charges.

Prosecutors said the cleric, who was once a member of Mayor John F. Street's transition team, used his political connections to obtain dubious loans, donations and city contracts.

[26] The 2003 Philadelphia mayoral election was captured in the documentary film The Shame of a City by Tigre Hill, which gave viewers an inside look at the campaign and portrayed Street in a negative light.

[29] The Scouts argued that the city's action violated their right to freedom of assembly guaranteed under the First Amendment to the United States Constitution.

Upon leaving office, Street accepted an adjunct faculty position in the Temple University Department of Political Science.

The board was accused of improprieties in its legal spending, of failing to oversee president Carl R. Greene before he was fired from the agency, and of other ethical violations.