A prayer for the city

Mayor Edward Rendell will do almost anything for Philadelphia. He will clean the bathrooms in City Hall, endure a joint appearance with Mickey Mouse, and personally lobby President Clinton to keep jobs in the city. He is that rare politician who is larger than life in his ambitions, compassion, and flaws - a man wise enough to see the comic absurdity of his job, yet crazy enough to think he can actually revive his declining city. To succeed, Rendell must negotiate a tough new contract with city workers who are threatening to strike and wreak havoc on the city. He must allay African-American leaders engaged in a zero-sum game of racial politics. He must combat the loss of tens of thousands of jobs that have brought the Workshop of the World to its knees. As Rendell and his brilliant chief of staff, David Cohen, fight these political battles, four citizens of Philadelphia engage in their own personal struggles, each one connected to events at City Hall. At turns heart-wrenching and hilarious, A Prayer for the City dramatically illustrates high-pressure politics and the threat of economic decline facing so many cities.