Milton Street intends to run for state-house seat

Milton Street, who lost to Mayor Michael Nutter in last year’s Democratic mayoral primary, started circulating nominating petitions Tuesday for what he said is a campaign to win the 195th district state-house seat.

The district, which is currently represented by Michelle Brownlee, a longtime aide to retired Rep. Frank Oliver, covers Strawberry Mansion, Mantua and a section of North Philadelphia.

Street said he collected signatures for his candidacy along Ridge Avenue on Tuesday, the first legal day for potential candidates to do so. He said the uptick in crime, as well as a desire to continue his efforts for ex-offenders, like himself, are his motivating factors.

“Nobody appears to be upset about it. The community is not rallying to say ‘We can’t tolerate this.’ The only people who can stop the crime is people in the community where it’s happening, where they live,” Street said. “This has absolutely nothing to do with [Brownlee]. A lot of the crime is going on in the area where I started my political career.”

Stay tuned to NewsWorks for more information later today.

UPDATE: Street said he is out in the district gauging potential support from community leaders today. NewsWorks will catch up with him Monday to delve deeper into the story.

Clay Mason, a constituent-services specialist who answered the phone at Brownlee’s Girard Avenue office, said the representative would be calling Wednesday afternoon to weigh in on the news.