Sam Katz usually doesn't go out of his way to mention the fact that he's a Republican, but it probably wouldn't have mattered last night. He received a warm reception from about 75 people gathered at the Wissinoming Presbyterian Church.

Civic Association President Glenn Devitt, who said John F. Street's schedulers told him that Street was booked solid, said that on Election Day, Wissinoming voters might not be there for Street, either.

"They say to me, 'I want to vote D., but I like what this guy [Katz] is saying."

In his brief appearance, Katz said that despite what Street's ads might lead them to believe, he was not running for mayor "to destroy the city."

Katz also said he wondered what city Street was talking about in declaring, according to Katz, that all Philadelphia really needed was some more public school funding.

"Is he traveling in Wissinoming, Torresdale, Northeast Philadelphia?" Katz asked. "Is he seeing what I see?"

What he sees, Katz told the group, is the need to cut the wage tax to keep people and businesses from leaving the city; the need for more school funding and more school choices; and, in general, more communication between City Hall and the citizens.

For all the progress in reviving the downtown, Katz said, "many, many neighborhoods have suffered neglect of all kinds of levels. . . . What the city needs to be to the neighborhoods is a good partner."

Asked by Devitt what he would do for small businesses, which Devitt said were "hurting" and "struggling" in Wissinoming, Katz said he thought the city's current economic development policies were too focused on big enterprises, such as DisneyQuest. "I don't believe the culture of city government is thinking about keeping small businesses," Katz said.

To change that, Katz said he would convene a "workshop" involving city economic officials and merchants "to help the people in city government understand what it takes to run a small business."

Recognizing the fact that most of the people in the audience were life-long Democrats, Katz made a point of insisting that he had no national or statewide political agenda and was not pushing any candidates for president or governor.

"I'm a Philadelphian, first and foremost. . . . I need the people in this room who are Democrats to overlook partisanship."

As mayor, he said, he would work with Joan Krajewski, the area's longtime and extremely popular Democratic councilwoman. Citing his endorsement by unsuccessful Democratic mayoral aspirants John White Jr. and Happy Fernandez, Katz said he was confident he could build a working coalition in City Council and city government.

When Katz called for questions, there were only a few and none that was challenging or hostile. When he concluded, he received a round of applause.

Devitt, who also is president of United Northeast Neighbors, an association of the leaders of 29 community groups, said he thought many Democratic voters in the area were wavering.

While the vast majority of area residents vote Democratic the way they breathe - automatically - Devitt noted that the neighborhood had gone Republican for Richard Nixon and for Frank Rizzo when he attempted a comeback on the GOP ticket.

"People here split their ticket," Devitt said.

Last night's appearance clearly indicates that Katz believes he can get more than an even split.