Even on a superficial level — what about appearances?
What about the lack of dignity of the city’s chief executive wearing workout clothes and sitting in a lawnchair near a Dumpster?
Sure, Ed Rendell made himself look ridiculous on occasion. But when he was photographed in a
swimsuit doing a cannonball dive, it was to publicize that his administration opened the public pools on time.
When he was photographed on his hands and knees, scrubbing a bathroom floor, it was to promote the fact that his administration was literally cleaning up City Hall.
It wasn’t about getting himself a new gadget.
Look, what Street did is a damn sight better than what the Washington, D.C., mayor did: scarfed up so many iPhones before they went on sale that members of the public were sent away empty-handed and furious.
But, frankly, for a smart man, Street can be monstrously dumb.
DAILY NEWS: Can You Say ‘iPhone Envy’? Sure You Can
EDITORIAL: As one of the earliest media outlets to jump on this story — second to KYW, who broke the story, best we can tell — we are a bit surprised at what a mountain this molehill has become. We have two things to say about all this: First, Lord knows we have never been fans of the mayor, nor have we ever pulled the lever for him. However, do we think that John Street has worked his ass off for this city? Absolutely. As such do we think the Mayor is entitled to do his job waiting on line for an iPhone, just like everybody else? Again, absolutely. Secondly, to all the people who accuse John Street of fiddling in line while Rome burns — well, you’re glib. Er, your naive. Rome will continue to burn until at least November. The John Street era is over, has been for some time, and to expect that ANYTHING substantive is going to happen between now and November — least of all a pause in the daily slaughter — is wishful thinking. We are running out the clock folks, sad but true, and really, all things considered, we can’t think of a better way to do it than waiting in line at the AT&T store.