Listening Device Found In Mayor's Office

AP ^

[Stew Padasso]

Listening Device Found In Mayor's Office

............ ERIC TUCKER Associated Press

PHILADELPHIA (AP) -- Police conducting a routine security sweep of Mayor John F. Street's City Hall office found a hidden listening device Tuesday morning, authorities said.

Street, who is seeking re-election, quickly sought to reassure city residents that his office was not the subject of an investigation.

``I have done nothing wrong,'' Street said at a news conference.

FBI spokesman Linda Vizi said the device was not connected to any campaign espionage, but she refused to say whether Street was being investigated or whether the FBI planted the device.

Police said officers inspect the mayor's office every three or four months.

Tuesday's discovery comes near the end of a heated mayoral campaign that pits Street against Republican challenger Sam Katz for the second time. Street beat Katz four years ago by less than 10,000 votes in the city of 1.5 million, and polls show a neck-and-neck race again this year.

The Katz camp had nothing to do with the device, campaign spokeswoman Maureen Garrity said.

In August, someone tossed what might have been an unlit firebomb through the window of a Katz campaign office, and Katz has accused a Street supporter of brandishing a gun and telling Katz and his wife, ``You're going down.''

Supporters of Street, who is black, have accused Katz, who is white, of race baiting.

Street said he was confident the device was not placed by law enforcement.

``The question that ultimately will get raised in the minds of some people is who's investigating the mayor's office?'' Street said. ``Well, in response to that question, I want to assure the people of this city that this mayor is not being investigated. I have done nothing wrong.''

[Russ]

"I have done nothing wrong"

We'll see...

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[Pete]

I read this article on Drudge this morning and I was left with the clear impression that the Feds are obviously investigating the Mayor and planted the bug.

I grew up outside Philly and just recently moved from there. Street has smelled bad from the beginning. Here's hoping Katz gets in - he was close before and the latest stench to rise from City Hall is sure to put him over.

[hford02]

"I have done nothing wrong."
Famous and familiar last words.

[trebb]

"I have done nothing wrong." Famous and familiar last words.

Coming from a Dim, it's as good as a confession...

[bvw]

Philadelphia City Hall is a building unique in the world. It was up until the Empire State Building was built, the biggest or tallest or both building in the world. It is huge. It is OPEN. I mean as in fully OPEN to the public. An absolutely amazing building and should be everyone's list of place to get the tour of in Philadelphia. You don't need the tour in most historic and interesting places, usually -- most are pretty self-explanatory or well-known. Not Philadelphia City Hall. Like a great opera, or Shakespearian play, City Hall, the building, rewards those who take the time to take a guided tour.

While the mayor's office is more guarded, still ... it's pretty open. Almost anyone could have planted the bug. I'd bet some union, second guess a developer.

[AD from SpringBay]

Coming from a Dim, it's as good as a confession...

Not once is political affiliation mentioned in the article. Is this a sure bet he's a dim?

[Calpernia]

Ping

[GOP_Proud]

< An absolutely amazing building and should be everyone's list of place to get the tour of in Philadelphia. You don't need the tour in most historic and interesting places, usually -- most are pretty self-explanatory or well-known. > Basphemy! Go to Phila and NOT visit Independence Hall? Yes, City Hall is a site worthy of a visit to Philadelphia. Just go to Independence Hall also. Isn't the Liberty Bell being relocated this weekend? I haven't seen the new location. I can only hope it's in keeping with the "colonial" style of the area. I hated that ugly building it has been in.

[bvw]

Independence Hall, imho, is not anywhere near as interesting as City Hall. I prefer living places to museums and masoleums of past dusty things.

[trebb]

Not once is political affiliation mentioned in the article. Is this a sure bet he's a dim?

They mentioned his oppnent is a Republican and that Street is Black. I may be stretching it, but a Black politician in Philly, who has supporters threatening physical violence on his opponents adds up to a Dim...

If that isn't enough, a Web Page has the following info:
Location: Largest city in Pennsylvania, coextensive with Philadelphia County, located in the SE corner of the state, at the junction of the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers.

Population (2000 Census): 1,517,550 (5th-largest city in the U.S.)

Mayor: John F. Street (Democrat)

The page is at URL: http://www.worldalmanac.com/200107WAE-Newsletter.htm

[MissAmericanPie]

I live next door to a 5ft2 firebrand. Gad, she is great and such an inspiration. She grabs the local politicians by the nose and twists, she can organize a crowd in a few days, and talk anyone into anything.

She found out some dirt on a city council woman, some double dealing, and was going to make it public, plus she was supporting a local doctor for mayor, because the mayor in office was a dud. What did the enemy camp do? Threatened her, harrassed her, showed up at her front door time and again. She asked to stick a sign in my yard and told me about all she was going through with these people showing up at her front door attempting to intimidate her all the time.

So we made our plan, my phone would ring once and I would fly out my front door and saunter over to her and ask to be introduced to her friends, be a witness. It only took one time and they never showed up again. Our guy won btw.

[blackdog]

I used to be a copy machine repair guy for about six years in center city. My territory was from the Delaware river to the Schukyill river and from Front Street to Girard Avenue. I've been in just about every city, state, and federal agency office in the downtown district(including the judges chambers at traffic court) and man-o-man do I have some fly on the wall stories! The state was innocuous but the city and feds were just outrageous!

You are right about the city architecture. It's amazing! City Hall is right out of old Europe. I was in that area during the whole time Penn was caged and being restored.

[GOP_Proud]

< Independence Hall, imho, is not anywhere near as interesting as City Hall. I prefer living places to museums and masoleums of past dusty things. >>



But won't City Hall eventually BE one of those "masoleums (sp) of past dusty things"? Wouldn't you want future generations to visit it?

[blackdog]

The Customs House is amazing too. The federal area has some very nice digs and some nice restaraunts. The state OTOH has crap. That Building at Broad and Spring Garden was right out of some nutty architect who never even had one oar in the drink. Not one angle in the place that falls outside of the 90 degree zone and as sterile and cold as an ice sculpture of Hillary.

[Stew Padasso]

That is great! Typical bullies, once confronted they scurry with their tails between their legs.

[Aquinasfan]

I hated that ugly building it has been in.

That was a building?

[Aquinasfan]

the city and feds were just outrageous!

C'mon, tell us!

[Havoc]

Note that they point out his challenger is a Republican. They note his denial. They note the Feds involved; but, they don't note that he is a democrat. The immediate impression is to cast suspician on the Republican ala tricky dick. Standard Dim line...

[Stew Padasso]

Mayor Street's office bugged

A sophisticated electronic listening device with multiple microphones was found yesterday morning hidden in the ceiling of Mayor Street's City Hall office.


http://www.philly.com/mld/philly/6957314.htm

[blackdog]

Well, the parking authority staff is full of people who do absolutely nothing and many of their hours are spent like a scene in the Soprano's when Tony and his crew are sitting outside the butcher shop playing cards and sunning themselves.

Once when I had to repair a copier for a field operation of the DEA which was working Girard Avenue area and about to haul everyone in, and before letting me in the agent area to fix the copier they wanted to strip search me! I told them to go copy "this" and walked out.

The Social Security offices are like a DMV office. Nobody wants to do anything more than is done by anyone else. Bedroom slippers on the feet. Televisions on the desks. (sickening)

Then there is the alchoholic federal crowd. I once polished off an entire bottle of Stolichnya with some Social Security Administrator at Los Amigos in a half hour(I had two chilled doubles and she had about ten) They pack those society hill restaraunt bars at lunch time and get wasted. When Moshulu was in town, that was a big draw for the lush crowd too.

The Federal Reserve bunch was pretty cool and on track with a decent work ethic. The Greene courthouse was a real joke. Just what the eff do all those people do in all those offices anyhoo? I never saw much except grumbling grand juries.

City government is busy. They are just busy having a grand o'l time being as incompetent and wasteful as possible. It's expected.

I always found it offensive that the City Council, judges, mayor's staff, and court employees get to park their cars on the sidewalks and courtyard areas outside City Hall.

Then there was this one time that this lady who was in an executive position with the National Parks Service was chatting with some fellow hens in the copier room. One of them asked her what her job was there? She gave them her title, followed by an admission that she had no idea what her job duties were and that she thought it had something to do with contractor service contracts, but nobody had given her anything to do in two years. It was her intention to file a sexual harrasment claim because a man above her asked her out to lunch and she refused. Shortly thereafter she was being asked to document her time etc....

It was working those government accounts that turned the light on for me and made me a conservative.

[_Jim]

Police conducting a routine security sweep of Mayor John F. Street's City Hall office found a hidden listening device Tuesday morning ...

...

FBI spokesman Linda Vizi said the device was not connected to any campaign espionage

Hmmm ... would there normally be a LOT of 'campaign activity' taking place in the Mayor's office on city property anyway?

[blackdog]

FWIW folks....Fixing copiers is boring simplistic work that leaves the technician with little to keep his or her mind occupied other than gleaning what they can from the political dynamics of your office. They visit fifty a week. They become schooled very quickly on how an office does or does not work.

Office equipment repair people make the perfect listening devices.

[dljordan]

The house slippers comment brought back my time working for the Tennessee State Goverment. We had lots of women in the office who shuffled around in them and didn't do Sh*t. We had one guy that NEVER showed up, he just hung around on the corners with his thug friends. I'd say about ten percent of the people actually ran the department and the rest were dead weight. I got fired for writing a program that showed how many people who were getting retirement checks had been dead for years. Whoopsie!

[Aquinasfan]

Seriously, you should post #22 as a separate thread. "What I saw while working in government offices."

That post is a bleepin' work of art. One of the best I've ever read.

BTW, how can anyone suggest cutting government budgets! There's no fat left to cut!

[Temple Owl]

I think they got him.