Editing Ed Rendell (section)

== Early Career ==

Edward Gene Rendell was born in New York City in 1944 and moved to Philadelphia to attend law school at the University of Pennsylvania. He worked as an assistant district attorney before winning election as Philadelphia's district attorney in 1977. As DA, Rendell developed a reputation as an aggressive prosecutor and skilled politician, though his tenure was not without controversy. He ran unsuccessfully for governor in 1986 and briefly retired from politics before running for mayor in 1991. His election came at a moment of crisis: Philadelphia faced mounting deficits, deteriorating services, and the possibility of bankruptcy. The city needed leadership willing to make difficult decisions.<ref name="weigley">{{cite book |last=Weigley |first=Russell F. |title=Philadelphia: A 300-Year History |year=1982 |publisher=W.W. Norton |location=New York}}</ref>

Rendell inherited a city in desperate condition. Decades of [[Deindustrialization|deindustrialization]] and population loss had eroded the tax base. The [[W. Wilson Goode|Goode administration]] had struggled with fiscal crisis without resolving it. City services were deteriorating. The bond rating agencies had downgraded Philadelphia's debt to near-junk status. Business leaders and residents questioned whether the city could survive as a functioning entity. Into this crisis stepped Rendell, promising tough measures and a new approach that combined fiscal discipline with energetic promotion of Philadelphia's assets.<ref name="bissinger"/>