Shame of a City

Tonight I went to a screening of The Shame of a City hosted by the Philadelphia chapter of the Log Cabin Republicans. The film discusses the problem of corruption in Philadelphia politics as it follows the Street vs. Katz mayoral race of 2003, the race which made national headlines when an FBI surveillance bug was found in the incumbent Street's office.

Sam Katz, who lost the race, was there tonight and gave some remarks before the screening. There was a bittersweet feel to his comments, and it was clear that he is still haunted by the last few weeks of that election. After losing his second attempt at the office of Mayor, he says he will not run again. It's our loss, if for no other reason than to have a viable Republican candidate in a city that has been under Democrat rule for over 60 years.

I'll spare you my review (read the synopsis from Phila Film Fest), but if you care about life in Philadelphia, it's politics, or American politics in general, you will do yourself a big favor to order the Shame of a City DVD which hits shelves in April.