Milton Street to seek 195th District state House seat
What, you thought you had heard the last of former federal prison inmate and state Sen. T. Milton Street Sr.? No chance. Street is out circulating nominating petitions to run in the April 24 Democratic primary election for the state House's 195th District, currently held by rookie state Rep. Michelle Brownlee. Hat-tip to Newsworks, where we saw this first.
Milton Street to seek 195th District state House seat
Chris Brennan
What, you thought you had heard the last of former federal prison inmate and state Sen. T. Milton Street Sr.? No chance. Street is out circulating nominating petitions to run in the April 24 Democratic primary election for the state House's 195th District, currently held by rookie state Rep. Michelle Brownlee. Hat-tip to Newsworks, where we saw this first.
Street tells us he hopes to build his campaign on the same platform he used last year to challenge Mayor Nutter in the Democratic primary election -- the need to deal with crime in the city and to help prison inmates re-enter society.
"I think we made a lot of progress," Street said. "But I think we lose all that progress if I don’t stay involved. I think I can do that better as an elected official than as a community activist."
Street was still on supervised release after serving 26 months in federal custody for not paying taxes when he took 24 percent of the vote last May, a healthy showing for a guy recently released from prison and a good way to remind voters in Philadelphia about who he is.
Street said a review of last May's election results showed he did well in the neighborhoods that make up the 195th District -- parts of North Philadelphia, Fairmount, Brewerytown and Mantua. [Here's a map of the district, though the boundaries have changed a little with redistricting plan approved in December.]
Brownlee, who worked for 37 years for the last holder of the 195th District seat, former state Rep. Frank Oliver, gave both a sigh and a laugh when we called her in Harrisburg this afternoon to ask about Street. She said she has not spoken to him or anyone else about his campaign.
"Milton has the right to run, I guess," Brownlee said. "I'm almost sure it will be loads of fun. Let's say that."
What state is this? The state of insanity?— psyrus
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- This comment has been deleted.— gbullock
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- Add the word "trash" after any of the Streets names and you'd have an accurate description.— Bill E. Penn
- Does "convicted Federal Felon" mean anything anymore???? WTF!!— cubalaw
Why won't this guy just go away? He's like a roach infestation, spray and the go away-for a little while then they return
That hicky on the side of his head is actually the size and location of of his brain. Cocaine is a helluva drug.- I thought convicted felons were barred from running for office. Oh, I am sorry; I forgot his last name is Street and he is above all the laws of our country and state.— oneway
- hook him up with arlene,,— hardball
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- Did he ever provide an accurate accounting of campaign donations? Check his pockets...— dee99999
- Doesnt he still owe about a million in back taxes? Just because he went to jail doesnt mean the tax debt went away.— tdoc
- Milton Street = The black Uncle Fester— MrBigDizzle
- I saw Milton when he was singing to an upright coffin downtown. We need people like Milton to brighten up the day with his antics. Who else would sing to a coffin?— neddyflanders
- Neddy flanders, John debella?— Bill E. Penn
- He might be better than BROWNLEE, this PERSON rarely pays her WATER OR TAX BILL.— FairmountFrank
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- By "represent them better" he really means "I'll make more money". That's all these poverty politicians are about: pandering to the poor so they can keep their nice political jobs.— Gilliam
- The Miltons think the government is their playground— DoomsdayCritic
- I meant the Streets— DoomsdayCritic
- Are those airport moving walkways fixed yet?.. come on milton, get them fixed,, you had the contract didn't you??— STEVE5444
- I hear there's a vacancy on Traffic Court...
- Wow.. what a shame. Its time for this cat to hang it up. He already soiled his nephew's name. Shariff is a really good guy; not from the same cloth as his father or uncle.. not a rabble rouser, etc.— bmp02
- Why not ???? He may be as great as Rendell.— Nutball
- Run Milton, Run!!!!— Tyrone Biggums
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- He's no better or worse than the rest of the politicians we're stuck with-his corruption is just more obvious,which I actually prefer.— oakster
- Let's see things as they are. The PA legislature is nothing but a circus. What better place to send a clown like Street? He'll fit right in with the rest of the crooks.— DonQ
- This idiot joke seems to be growing horns!— thepaguy
The Streets see elected office as a vast, great opportunity to enrich themselves, like they were human vacuum clearners, sucking up money that has little accountability, or cheating on taxes outright. Their goal is not the improvement and uplifting of the city, but in acting like ticks on a dog, and thinking.."How much blood can I suck from the host before it drops over dead from my feeding at the expense of the public?"— Lila G. Moskowitz- the scary thing is he could actually pull this off, just look what the fine residents of washington dc, that have the exact same expetations of their elected officials as the voters of the 195th dist. did when their fine upstanding mayor marion barry was caught in a motel room smoking crack with a hooker, they waited for him to get out of prison and RE-ELECTED him— tmstr929
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- Well if he does not win in an election maybe there is a job for him at the DRPA!!!!lol
— Shore Girl - Where can I donate a few hundred bucks? He's the only thief running that is 100% transparent. Go Milton Go.— Wilhelm Von Humboldt
- Thanks to Bush and the Republicans, people think it is OK to racially slur minorities all the time. Mr. Street had some issues, yes, but he has paid his debt to society and should be able to return to elected office if the people vote for him, unlike Bush, who stole the election with the help of his cronies on the Supreme Court, and then started two illegal wars and systematically destroyed the lives of women, children, minorities, and gays. Mr. Street would continue his works as a dedicated public servant dedicated to the eradication of racism, sexism, and homophobia, like all Democrats, and he would find the rich Republicans who steal from the poor every day to give to Bain Capital, Halliburton, and Big Oil. Good luck to Mr. Street.— eldiablodelsol2009
- Felon running for political office. He'll feel right at home. His hood cronies will pad the votes, and maybe we can get the Black Panther chapter to stand on the corner and intimidate citizens. Mad Max city.— dogman5
- he'd be a great politician, there all crooks anyway.— krautmef1
- Doesn't anyone remember him switch for Democrat to Republican that last time he was elected to Harrisburg? Hasn't this idiot and his brother lined their pockets with enough taxpayer money? What is wrong with the voters in Philadelphia?
BTW: He lives in NJ, how can he run for a state office in PA?— lostInPhilly
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David Gambacorta spent a small eternity writing about cops, drug dealers and serial killers. Now he’s writing about power and politics – which sometimes reminds him of the old crime beat. He joined the Daily News in 2005. And yes, he knows you’re not quite sure how to pronounce his last name. E-mail tips to gambacd@phillynews.com
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Jan Ransom, a native New Yorker, joined the Daily News in 2010 after graduating from Howard University. She has since written about the difficulty of filing police complaints, tax deadbeats and life after violent home invasions. She joined the Daily News City Hall Bureau in 2011 and has plunged headfirst into reporting on administration budget battles and City Council shenanigans. E-mail tips to ransomj@phillynews.com
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Sean Collins Walsh is from Bucks County and went to Northwestern University. He joined the Daily News copy desk in 2012 and now covers the Nutter administration. Before that, he interned at papers including The New York Times, The Dallas Morning News and The Seattle Times. E-mail tips to walshSE@phillynews.com
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