T. Milton Street Plans To Challenge Nutter For Mayor
T. Milton Street is rested and ready for action. The former state legislator and brother to former Mayor John Street says he plans to challenge Mayor Nutter in the May 17 Democratic primary election. Street, sentenced in 2008 to 30 months in federal prison for tax evasion, was released to a halfway house in June and then to supervised release in November.
T. Milton Street Plans To Challenge Nutter For Mayor
T. Milton Street, 71, is rested and ready for action. The former state legislator and brother to former Mayor John Street says he plans to challenge Mayor Nutter in the May 17 Democratic primary election. Street, sentenced in 2008 to 30 months in federal prison for tax evasion, was released to a halfway house in June and then to supervised release in November.
Street said his time behind bars made him better aware of the issues offenders face. He estimates that there are 300,000 ex-offenders in the city of Philadelphia and he hopes to use them as a political army to confront issues like crime, unemployment and poverty.
"I'm going to deal with those issues," Street said today. "They deserve to be discussed. They have to be on the front-line. They're basically being ignored."
A spokeswoman for Nutter's re-election campaign declined to comment today on Street's announcement.
Street said he will use cell phone texts to mobilize his army of ex-offenders, a tactic he says that will be "so much cheaper" than raising campaign funds to air television ads.
"My hope is to organize those ex-offenders and let them know that they have to be a viable part of the electoral process," he said. "What I found out in prison is all these offenders and their families, while they may not have a computer, they have cell phones. And they text. That's all young people do is text, text, text."
There is one person Street won't be texting about his plans -- his brother. Street said it would be "grossly unfair" to his brother to try to get the former mayor involved in his plans.
Street's last shot at elected office came in 2007, when he finished 17th out of 19 candidates in a failed Democratic primary bid for a City Council At-Large seat. Street said he is living with family in the Mayfair section of Northeast Philadelphia since leaving the halfway house.
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didn't somebody pound a wooden stake into this character years ago??!!??— FasterEddie- Great. Now the CONVICTED crooks want to run for office... Just what this great city needs! Is he convinced that the number of Philadelphia ex-cons is greater than the number of non-convicted citizens, and that is how he is going to win? He might be right!— dee99999
- The Tonner thought running for political office was not possible due to the Tonner's checkered past and numerous liasons with women of questionable moral fiber. This story gives the Tonner new hope.
- Can ex-cons vote?— jgmckin
- Yes just as long as they've served their time included probation and parole. — MrBigDizzle
- A quick check says that in PA, ex-cons need to wait 5 years to vote. so here is a guy that wants to run for mayor that won't even be able to vote for himself. Enough said about this Loser.— jgmckin
- ACLU website says ex-cons can vote as soon as they are released from prison. Argh! — jgmckin
- I don't think they can vote if on probation or parole — MrBigDizzle
- Comment removed.
- Oh my God he lives in my neighborhood. I thought he would have at least stolen enough money to move to Chestnut Hill.— thatsreal
Thank [insert religious or spiritual figure here] I do not live in Mayfair anymore!- This isn't possible,is it? He can't even vote.— sueneely
- T. Milton Street says "I'm going to deal with those issues," what how not to get caught on tax evasion. Cut us all a break and stay out of politics!!!!!!!!!
- No thanks! The city doesn't need another controversial leader.— TWEB
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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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