Democrat John Street, who started as a community activist, is seen by more Philadelphia voters as the candidate who would improve neighborhoods, city streets and race relations.

Republican Sam Katz, a financial consultant by trade, is seen by more Philadelphia voters as the candidate who would do better at cutting taxes, improving the local economy and balancing the city budget if elected mayor.

And despite frequent criticism of Katz by Street for supporting school vouchers, a healthy majority of city voters supports the idea.

Those are some of the findings of the Keystone Poll of 520 likely Philadelphia voters to determine what people are thinking about the biggest issues facing the city.

As has been the case in virtually every poll taken in Philadelphia for years, crime and drugs are still the most frequently voiced concerns of city voters, cited by 37 percent. Education was cited next, by 27 percent, as the most important problem the city faces.

Voters seem divided on which candidate offers the better approach to both issues. Street was cited as better on improving schools by 38 percent, with 34 percent favoring Katz. Katz was thought to have a better approach to crime by 35 percent, compared to to 33 percent for Street.

When voters were asked what affected them and their family the most, the top issue wasn't crime but personal finances and the economy, named by 23 percent.

That could aid the GOP candidate, since voters gave him a significant edge on cutting taxes (41 percent to 25 percent), improving the economy (46 percent to 27 percent), and keeping the city in good financial shape (45 percent to 28 percent).

Street has made it a major part of his campaign strategy to woo liberal Democrats by stressing Katz's support for government grants to parents who choose to send their children to private or parochial schools, also known as vouchers.

But the poll found that vouchers have the support of 57 percent of city residents, while they are opposed by 33 percent, with 10 percent undecided.

This week, the Street campaign is attacking the notion that Katz would do better on economic issues by challenging the GOP candidate's call for reducing the city wage tax, now 4.61 percent, to 4 percent or lower by 2003.

Street, who supports more gradual reductions, has said that Katz's plan would hurt city services by cutting the budget too steeply.