In article . com,
wrote in part:

and I understand there are plenty of corruption investigations going on
in Phil too.

There sure are. And I believe the main reason Philadelphia has corrupt
politicians is because Philadelphians are willing to elect corrupt
politicians.

Philly's current mayor first ran for election in 1999. In the primary,
it was apparent that a critical endorsement (by the Black Clergy of
Philadelphia and Vicinity) was going to go to whichever black candidate
was most conservative on "family values". John street, who has been
pro-gay most of the time before and after, took a stand against domestic
partner benefits at that time, and got the endorsement and won the primary
election. Shame that either so many people believed he was sincere, or
cared more about perpetuating discrimination than about dumping the
politicians that have been running Philadelphia into the ground. (John
Street was on City Council at least since 1980.)
The following November he barely won, continuing over half a century of
1-party rule in Philadelphia.

4 years later, while the investigation was known to be in progress, John
Street beat the same Republican opponent by a larger margin. It was
widely believed that John Street actually gained votes from having the
Feds investigating him as part of a corruption probe.

Most members of Philadelphia City Council leave office by dying of old
age, going to prison, retiring when old, or by losing re-election to
someone with a different skin color after their district experiences a
racial change. One ran for a different office and his wife got elected to
the office he left and has since been reelected. The current mayor was on
City Council until he ran for mayor. Less often does a member of City
Council leave by failing to be re-elected for reasons other than race.

- Don Klipstein )