From the October 20, 2005 edition of the Notheast Times Street proud of Northeast Philly By Tom Waring Times Staff Writer Mayor John Street delivered what he called a "feel good" speech on Monday afternoon to the Greater Northeast Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce. Street insisted the speech wasn’t hard to deliver — plenty of things are going well in Philadelphia, including the Northeast. "Our schools are better. Our neighborhoods are better," he said. Street ditched his prepared speech and spoke off the cuff in front of several dozen business people at Deer Meadows, a retirement community at 8301 Roosevelt Blvd. The mayor was accompanied by Commerce Secretary Stephanie Naidoff, Mayor’s Business Action Team officials Vince Dougherty and Mike Kowalski and Philadelphia Commercial Development Corporation CEO Curtis Jones. The crowd included attorney and former City Councilman Dan McElhatton, a member of the city’s ethics board, and Northeast banker Marty Bednarek, who sits on the School Reform Commission. Street gave thumbnail sketches of some of his achievements and hopes for the city. He promised to bring his entire cabinet to the Northeast for a day to discuss issues like gaming, taxes, public education and the proposed smoking ban in restaurants. He selected Naidoff as the point person. Al Taubenberger, president of the local Chamber of Commerce, immediately accepted the offer. And the administration at Deer Meadows offered to host the event. It was a busy day for Street, who turned 62 on Saturday. The mayor toured Agusta Aerospace Corp. and Cardone Industries, two major Northeast employers. After the speech at Deer Meadows, he attended a memorial celebration of the life of Councilman David Cohen, who died Oct. 3 at age 90. Calling himself the "neighborhood mayor," Street said his administration has decreased its workforce and cut taxes every year, even more than former Mayor Ed Rendell. At the same time, he’s invested in neighborhoods and Center City. "We have tried to strike that balance," he said. Street, who served the 5th Councilmanic District for 19 years before being elected mayor in 1999, explained that the Northeast is home to 25 to 30 percent of the city’s jobs. A strong business climate is good for quality of life in neighborhoods, he said. In turn, good neighborhoods can be good for business. The mayor recalled some of his proudest achievements — removing abandoned cars from streets, targeting street-corner drug transactions and cleaning vacant lots. While some wanted a private educational firm to oversee the School District of Philadelphia, Street said he insisted on a CEO. Today, he credits schools boss Paul Vallas with leading a turnaround in standardized test scores. In a bold statement, Street declared that the real estate market is so hot that there is not one "abandoned property" in Philadelphia. "Remove that word from the lexicon," he said. Street is also proud of the coming Pennsylvania Convention Center expansion and the newly built Citizens Bank Park and Lincoln Financial Field, adding that the stadiums make Philadelphia a contender for a future Summer Olympics. New York, he said, blew its chance to host an Olympics because it could not finalize plans to build a stadium. More recently, Street said it was Philadelphia’s obligation to open a shelter for evacuees from Hurricane Katrina. Locally, Street said, Fox Chase Cancer Center’s expected expansion will bring several thousand jobs. The cancer center, which wants to grow into Burholme Park, has the OK from the Fairmount Park Commission but is facing several other hurdles. The mayor credited former U.S. Rep. Bob Borski with developing the vision to build houses along the North Delaware Avenue riverfront. "That’s great for the Northeast," he said. On a larger scale, Street pointed to this month’s issue of National Geographic Traveler magazine, which called Philadelphia America’s "Next Great City." The city will become even better, Street believes, once it implements Wireless Philadelphia, an ambitious computer and technology initiative. There are challenges, the mayor cautions. He calls the potholes and general street disrepairs "pathetic" and promises to address the problem. Street also worries that a cold winter and increasing natural gas prices will force many poor Philadelphians to miss making utility payments. He’s offered to adopt a family to pay for their 2005-06 gas bills. He’s also met with U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter to see if the federal government can provide assistance for low-income individuals. For all other Philadelphians, Street urges them to conserve energy. He also accused oil companies of "gouging" consumers. On Tuesday, Street joined Councilwoman Joan Krajewski at the new Northeast Municipal Service Center, commonly known as mini-City Hall. The mayor closed the original site and agreed to open another office only if the rental payments were reduced. Street, in his chamber address, said technology is the future of the city. He wants to see a Philadelphia where people conduct business "online, not in line." "It’s the right thing to do," he said of reopening mini-City Hall, "but it’s not the future." Reporter Tom Waring can be reached at 215-354-3034 or twaring@phillynews.com.