Milton Street outlines campaign strategy

The person who appears to be Mayor Michael Nutter’s only primary challenger is expected to formally announce his candidacy Wednesday. 

Milton Street has a big name, but also plenty of baggage — including a 24-month stay in federal prison.

Former Mayor John Street’s brother, Milton Street said he wants to run on a four-plank platform for mayor:  Jobs; Nutter’s inability to negotiate contracts with the city labor unions; safer streets; and an end to the “stop and frisk” police tactic.

“I’m going to hire 3,000 people to patrol their own community. It’s going to cost me $61 million, $62 million.  But, there’s 3,337 prisoners in the city in the city and county of Philadelphia right now,” said Street. “It costs approximately $30,000 a year to keep them in prison, so why not give them $15,000 or $20,000 to keep them out?”

Street was convicted of three counts of tax evasion back in 2008 but he said that’s unimportant.

“The people that are going to vote for me don’t care about that, they care about things that are affecting them in their community,” said Street.

Street said he’s not worried that he has no campaign war chest.  He said he plans to run a campaign based on new media, even though as of Monday he didn’t have his own Facebook account.

“The need for money is not great.  I have ex-offenders, as we sit here and talk, hooking up their Facebook all across this city and the number of interested ex-offenders I’ve gotten since I made the announcement is mind-boggling,” said Street. “They are in a thirst for somebody to give them some hope.”

Street said he wants to debate Nutter, but doesn’t expect Nutter will agree.