The 2011 Mayors Race: More At Stake then you Think!

John Street: Not MY Mayor!

The 2011 election season in Philadelphia is a hot one, and it promises to do something we haven't seen in Philadelphia since the Renell Administration: A Chance at some real change and good times. Now, keep in mind, I'm not saying Ed Rendell's administration was without problem, but his leadership did a lot of good for Philadelphia. This time around, we can see something even more: Real and Dynamic Change!

For starters, a bunch of establishment City Council members are no longer running for re-election. Frank Dicicco (1st District), and Anna Verna (2nd), Donna Reed Miller (8th District), Jack Kelly (At-Large), and Frank Rizzo (City Council-at-large) are out, each of which have served no lest than 14 years on City Council. With them go a lot of the establishment politicians and politics of the past, and the chance for change on the 17-member City Council.

Not only that, but the level of discontent with Mayor Nutter has been growing steadily over the past 3 years, and with nearly 20 years in Philadelphia Politics, he seems to have become subject to the same culture and establishment he fought against on City Council. His only opponet in the Democratic primary is Milton Street, who has racked up endorsements with the Firefighters Union and Local 33 (the sanitation workers union), both of whom are disgruntled at Nutter.

So when we see a Nutter Primary win, what do we have to look forward to?

Tom Knox, who came in a close second in the 2007 Democratic Primary, has stated he wanted to run against Nutter as an Independent in the fall. To me, this is the best thing possible to happen to Philadelphia. We've been under one-party rule in Philadelphia for the last 30 years, and no non-Democrat has won the office of Mayor in over 50 years. Something like this would shake up the political landscape and, along with a lot of new blood and faces in City Council (hopefully progressive!), a lot of good can be done NOW to start shaping Philadelphia in the years to come!

Then there's THIS asshole: John Street has changed his voter registration to "Independent". All arrows point to him wanting to run for a 3rd term as mayor.

Here's the bare-bones problem: Right now, there's a large portion of the city who is against Nutter and, if given a clear alternative to him, will gladly vote against party lines for them. In this case, that's Tom Knox. John Street running would do nothing more than split the anti-Nutter block and cause Nutter to win!

For starters, NO ONE thinks Philadelphia was better off under the reign of the idiotic, corrupt, and immoral Street Brothers. NO ONE. Well, except everyone they wound up helping when they were in office. It took 4 years to clean up their mess, and neither one of them think they can win. Milton ran in the hopes of getting the Street's their power back, and John is positioning himself to run as a back-up. In the end, their only goal is to try to get back into office and start up the old Democratic Machine.

Here's what I think is going to happen: If John Street runs, he's going to assure a Nutter victory. That is, unless Tom Knox can do a LOT to kick up the dirt and fight back!

As for the Republican nominees... well, I wish them well. I sincerely do. I'll have more on them in the upcoming days.

I Don't Want to Be the "Angriest Man in Philadelphia" Anymore

I don't want to be so angry anymore.

Back in December, I met someone who was awesome and great. She was smart, funny, and more than anything else, just a great person to be around and know. We became friends fast, and for the last 6 months, shes been the single greatest supporter I could have. In a lot of ways, if it wasn't for her, I don't think I would have accomplished 90% of what I have. Her support is just amazing.

Last March we had a photo shoot at my house. I was trying to get her to act angry, so I faked how I looked when I get mad. She was actually kinda shocked since I'm such a nice guy. She's mentioned it from time to time since then.

On Friday we hung out in New York City. I was having a great time, something happened, and I got angry for the first time around her. I went to a store to cool off, and someone blocked my way into the store trying to get me to buy their CD. I don't mind, but they were right in my way. As my friend joined me and we left the store, I was able to calm down... until the guy came at me again. I snapped and yelled at him, full tilt. He finally left us alone.

We sat in a park and talked and everything seemed OK. We went around Manhattan having fun and pulling pranks, and we soon got to Times Square. When we did, someone else tried to sell me their CD. I told them "No thanks", and then they got personal. It got even uglier, my friend having to hold me back.

She was quiet the rest of the night and took a cab home from the bus station. I took the train.

I haven't heard back from her since.

I thought about why. I thought about it a lot. I talked to the only other person I can talk to about these things and they were, surprisingly enough to me, the bluntest I've ever seen about this. I already knew the problem, and I'll share this with you. Maybe you're in the same spot as me, or maybe you're close to it and you don't realize it.

I've said I hate people. I don't like when they make fun of me, I don't like when they stare, and I don't like how they act. The reality was that it was never about them; it was always about me. I'm not happy with myself. I haven't been happy with myself for a long time. In turn... I'm always angry.

I thought I was showing my friend who I was; the reality was that I wasn't. I was showing her the ugliest side of me, the one I hate the most, the one where I'm not happy with myself or anything. The side of me that is nothing but anger and rage.

And I don't want to be that guy anymore.

Being angry all the time doesn't work. It doesn't help. All it does it make you worse and worse and worse. If you bottle it up, if you don't handle it right, it doesn't just go away. Instead, it festers and feeds and transforms and turns you into something you know you're not! It turns you into something you're better than!

It turned me into a monster. I saw the monster, dead in the eye... and I don't want to know him anymore. I don't want to be a monster. I want to be a man.

Its not for her sake that I do this; its for the sake of myself. Its not for all my friends who have either never seen that side of me, and its not for all my friends who have and were scared off. Its not for the people who care for me, or the people who will or did. Its for myself, for the sake of my well being, for the sake of being a better person!

I don't want to be the "Angriest Man in Philadelphia" anymore. I just want to be a man.




PS: I'm also asking that all my friends who see this please give me a hand with this and please offer some encouragement with this. This is something I can really only succeed in with some help.