One guy gets an "A" for packaging a campaign idea. And the other gets a chance to showcase a big endorsement.

Democratic mayoral hopeful John Street used campaign funds to hire architects and bring a backhoe to a trash-strewn vacant lot in Juniata yesterday, all to illustrate his previously announced quarter-billion-dollar plan for blight-removal across Philadelphia.

"We needed to create a visual for people so they could really understand what this means," Street said yesterday as grateful neighbors watched crews cutting weeds and removing debris.

By tomorrow, the vacant lot between rowhouses on Glendale Street near Erie Ave. will be a community garden, with a wood-chip path winding through grass, mums, and azaleas.

"It's about time," said neighbor Marian Gormley. "I've lived here for 17 years. Since my children were young we've tried to get this cleaned up. If it takes an election, that's great."

Street's demonstration occurred in a relatively stable, largely white working class area, and that was no accident.

"There are some people who believe this program is only for bombed-out areas in North Central Philadelphia," Street said. "But there is blight throughout this city, and this lot is important to the people who live in this area."

Republican Sam Katz, greeting voters at the "Italy in the Park" fair in South Philadelphia, replied with a rhetorical question.

"Mr. Street's been the president of City Council for seven years," Katz said. "Did he just find out about blight? This is a pre-election gimmick, designed to give everybody a good photo opportunity."

Katz was beaming with confidence after his endorsement yesterday by the Inquirer.

"This endorsement is the momentum-builder for the last five, six days of this election to put us over the top," Katz said, "and I think undecided voters all over the city read a powerful and persuasive endorsement of my candidacy."

Street noted that the endorsement editorial also praised his experience and accomplishments.

"I think the overwhelming majority of the people in this city won't pay any attention to that endorsement," Street said, noting that he's proud to have the endorsements of Mayor Rendell, District Attorney Lynne Abraham and a host of other Democratic leaders and labor unions.

"This is a tremendous shock and a jolt to the Street campaign," Katz said. "They're spinning that it doesn't matter."

At his blight removal news conference, Street continued to hammer at Katz's proposal to sharply reduce the city wage tax.

"Rowhouse Philadelphia, the people in the unions, they're worried about their future," Street said. "They want to see something in neighborhoods, and they want to see it now. They don't want to see it deferred a day longer because we're on some grandiose tax reduction scheme, which nobody knows is going to work, ever."

Katz is responding to the Street charge that his tax cut proposals are reckless with radio commercials asserting they can be paid for by cutting 2 percent of the city's budget.

"If you don't believe the city can be managed 2 per cent better," the announcer in the Katz commercial intones, "why are you even running for mayor?"