A few have been chained to Philadelphia by circumstance or statute and feel anger about it.

What united the more than 460 residents who took part in January's Citizen Voices '99 forums on the mayoral election was a sense of caring about where Philadelphia is headed.

Their dialogues, their ideas, their good humor and passion for their city got this Editorial Board project off to a good start.

The 25 forums were held at neighborhood sites around the city, from the United Methodist Church of the Redeemer in Burholme to Norris Square Community Center to St. Maria Goretti High School in South Philadelphia.

Five themes emerged as dominant, though each neighborhood tended to put its distinctive spin on them. Rendered shorthand, those issues were: Education, Jobs, Safety, Neighborhood Quality and Government.

These will become the focal points of the Citizen Voices '99 program as it moves forward with issue workshops later this month, an issues convention in April and citizen-candidate conversations in May.

Education, it would be fair to say, was the theme receiving the most consistent, intense attention at these forums. Citizens saw it as the linchpin of success in other areas, from attracting jobs to reducing crime. And the concern about education was not just about K-12. It included talk of lifetime learning, of better day-care and Head Start options, and job training.

The neighborhood theme included a strong focus on housing (including vacant lots and buildings) and a deep yen for more effective citizen activism. At some forums, race/ethnic relations and the desire that someday every Philadelphian might feel comfortable walking through any city neighborhood played a major part.

In the area of public safety, for every person who felt improving police training and behavior was vital, another thought more controls on a lenient judiciary were the answer.

The government issue also hinged on ideas about citizen involvement. One participant summed up an oft-expressed desire this way: "Philadelphia needs to become a citizen-driven city." Many residents view the city's political apparatus as self-absorbed, venal and beside the point of their lives. They yearn for a citizen movement that would attack habits of corruption.

The Citizen Voices dialogues - in person, in print, online - will be a major piece of the Editorial Board's coverage of this watershed election. To request more information on the project, e-mail citizen.voices@phillynews.com or call 215-854-5956.