I grew up just a block away from where I live now at 11th and Federal Streets.  Like most teenagers, when I was growing up I didn’t care about politics or understand how they could affect my life.

Until the night I got locked up.

When I was 18, I did what most kids at the time did – I hung out on the street corner and played halfball.  We didn’t do anything wrong.  We didn’t harm anyone.  We simply had nowhere to go.

Sometimes, in those days, police officers didn’t appreciate teenagers’ free time and didn’t always treat those teenagers well.  And that’s the situation I found myself in.

After we were arrested, we were taken to the Roundhouse and I spent a few hours in a cell.  I was shocked that I could be arrested and abused for playing halfball.  I was even more surprised that, rather than release me, the magistrate was waiting for a politician to vouch for me before he let me go.

It was my first view of a political system that needed to be changed. 

I vowed that I would dedicate my life to changing that system and make it work for everyone – not only the well-connected.

I began my career in public service as a Committeeman in 1967. In 1972, I began a long stint at Philadelphia Traffic Court, where I served as Director of the Scofflaw and Enforcement Units, Director of Courts, and Director of Violations and Cashiers.

After leaving Traffic Court in 1986, I became a Budget Analyst for the Pennsylvania State Senate, where I gained much of the fiscal experience that would be helpful to me in the future.  In 1990, I brought my fiscal skills to bear as the Deputy Director of Special Investigations for the Philadelphia City Controller.  In this post, I investigated waste and abuse and supervised the auditing and surveillance functions of the department.

In 1993, I finally returned to Traffic Court as Administrator, where I served with distinction until I resigned to run for the First District City Council seat.  Under my administration, collections of overdue fines from scofflaws improved dramatically and the Court was run more efficiently, reducing costs and increasing revenues.  I also proposed legislation to the Commonwealth that would aid in the impoundment of unregistered and uninsured vehicles from City streets.

After 11 years in office, I am proud to have the reputation of a consensus builder.  This skill has enabled me to maintain all of our fire stations and our neighborhood libraries, enact long-term wage tax cuts and the 10-year tax abatement, reach a compromise to establish Wi-Fi Philadelphia and the City-wide Smoking Ban, and continue to push quality-of-life initiatives that have made our neighborhoods better places to live.

I currently serve as Chair of the Streets and Services Committee; I am a member of the Finance Commitee, Labor and Civil Service, Parks Recreation and Cultural Affairs, Commerce and Economic Development, Fiscal Stability and Intergovernmental Cooperation, Housing and Homeless, Technology and Information Services Committees.

I believe that a strong community starts with community involvement.  Towards that end, I founded the Italian Market Civic Association and co-founded the Citizens Alliance for Better Neighborhoods.  I serve on several boards, including Historic Philadelphia, Inc. the Reading Terminal Market, the Philadelphia Convention and Visitors Board, Penn’s Landing Corporation, Delaware River Port Authority, and the Fund for Philadelphia and Jefferson Square CDC. I have been a Mummer for many years and am a board member of the Mummer’s Museum. As the father of two grown sons, I am proud that my children have also committed making their lives in Philadelphia.