They're wondering: Is it intentional, a part of the Democratic nominee's political strategy? Or is it just a case of an overworked and overwhelmed campaign staff?

Neither, says Street spokesman Ken Snyder.

"It's easy for people to think there are grand strategies in place," he said. "Frankly, the strategy is to try to get everywhere we possibly can, reach as many groups we possibly can reach."

Two weeks ago, an Olney group's candidates' night came and went without organizers ever hearing whether Street would attend. A roomful of 450 real estate executives in Center City recently wound up with a solo appearance by Republican nominee Sam Katz at what was supposed to be a joint candidates forum. And in West Parkside, leaders of one business group have taken to using blunt language in a letter to provoke Street to debate Katz on Thursday.

The frustration isn't entirely new. Katz and community groups criticized Street over the summer for being virtually out of sight on the campaign trail.

Other political figures have echoed the sentiment. Two of the Democrats who lost to Street in the primary, John White Jr. and Happy Fernandez, surprised party loyalists by endorsing Katz -- citing his accessibility and commitment to rebuilding neighborhoods.

J. Whyatt Mondesire, president of the Philadelphia NAACP, all but endorsed Katz in remarks that WHYY-TV taped for broadcast later this month. Mondesire said he had "significant concerns" about supporting Street for mayor, citing "his personality, his style and his inability to reach out and talk to people one-on-one."

Katz, he said, would be "a wonderful mayor."

The Rev. Kermit Newkirk, a lifelong Democrat, also expressed frustration with Street.

"Is this how you run a campaign? Usually when people are campaigning, they will give you access," said Mr. Newkirk, pastor of Harold O. Davis Baptist Church in Logan and an organizer of the Philadelphia Interfaith Action. With members from 43 churches, the multiracial group will hold a candidates' forum Thursday that is expected to draw 800 members.

Mr. Newkirk said he had met with Katz five times since the primary and had his firm commitment to appear at the forum. He said he had had no such luck getting a response from Street, despite sending letters to and making phone contact with campaign workers, and even cornering the candidate outside City Hall last week.

"We were under the impression that he was meeting Katz somewhere else, but Katz is confirmed to be with us," Mr. Newkirk said.

Snyder called such communication lapses "unfortunate" and said they stemmed from the sheer volume of requests for appearances by Street.

"I'm sorry if folks haven't received confirmation that we're coming or not coming," he said. "Street's been invited to well over 400 events. Everyone has the right to feel they're being addressed, that they're important. But the fact is, no candidate can possibly attend every event."

The frustration has reached the competitor's headquarters, where Katz's schedulers say they are getting an earful from groups trying to book both men.

"Obviously, they've got a style that's different from ours," Katz campaign manager Bob Barnett said. "Sure he's 'somewhere,' " he said of Street, "but most of the 'somewheres' have been places where you don't have to take questions from people."

Street has appeared with Katz several times since Labor Day, the traditional start of the fall campaign, including at a Center City Residents Association forum and a similar event in Society Hill. Organizers from both groups said they had had no problems with the Street campaign.

Though Street has made the rounds of many Democratic ward meetings, he has missed recent campaign events at the Union League and the Apartment Association of Greater Philadelphia, stopping at the latter only at the tail end of a cocktail hour and ditching the dinner speaking request.

"He was an hour late and stayed 10 minutes. People were disappointed," said Pam Bennett, executive director of the association, which represents owners of more than 86,000 apartment units in the region. "Whatever the party line was, there was a belief that [ Street ] definitely did not want to appear in the same room with Katz."

And then there was Thursday night's Fairmount Civic Association forum.

In early September, Street's staff said no to the event in his former City Council district, which is overwhelmingly Democratic. A week later, the schedulers called back -- shortly after White's endorsement of Katz -- to say that Street would attend after all.

On Thursday night, the situation unraveled again. An hour into the forum, while Katz was speaking to the crowd of 180, organizers received word by cell phone that Street would be late. Then, at nearly 10 p.m., another call: Street wasn't coming.

"We looked bad to some of our neighbors by announcing an appearance that didn't happen," Fairmount organizer David Thomsen said. Many people left after Katz finished. Others stayed for refreshments, socializing in a sweltering church basement while they waited for Street.

"There was some annoyance. People finally left," he said.

Ed Schwartz, a neighborhood advocate and former City councilman, said he can sympathize with the community groups and with Street's staff.

"Having run citywide, I know what a nightmare it is to have to choose between competing events. There are always more invitations at any time than you can possibly handle. If you accept one, you've likely angered four others," said Schwartz, who runs the Institute for the Study of Civic Values and who has endorsed Street.

City Controller Jonathan A. Saidel said that Philadelphia is a "touchy-feely town," where people expect and value personal politics, despite the demands that makes on candidates.

"There's a difference between someone seeing me on television and seeing me up close. You shake their hands and they know you're just like they are. That's what what people want to know: that the leaders of their city understand where they live, understand their experiences," said Saidel, who has campaigned with Street at transit stops across the city.

"If you don't come, they feel alienated."

That's just the feeling that Carol Golden's Olney neighbors were left with when their Sept. 24 candidates' forum came and went without Street's staff ever saying whether he would attend.

The event drew Katz and a small crowd, but no Street. "I'm still waiting to hear from them," Golden joked.

A Republican ward leader in a Democratic neighborhood, Golden said she worked especially hard to make sure both parties were represented at the event.

"If they had called me up and said, 'Look, we don't think [ Street's ] going to make it,' I would have appreciated it," she said. "I understand. I've worked on political campaigns. I know these people are human."

Instead, she said, even the Democrats at the forum felt that the lack of response from the Street campaign sent Olney a negative message: "We don't care about your neighborhood and we just wanted to make sure you know that."

Across town, Miller Parker is struggling to get Street to debate Katz in West Parkside this week. The first sentence of his group's latest letter to the campaign shows the frustration: "Dear Mr. Street: Do you value our vote?"

Organizers have called Street's campaign a half-dozen times. So far, Parker said, he has received a phone call and a letter saying only that the campaign is reviewing the request.

"It's going to look really bad for Street not to be here. This is his constituency," said Miller, who is organizing the event for both the Parkside Association, which represents 9,000 residents, and the Business Association of West Parkside, which has 150 company members.

"If I were a voter and Street wouldn't come and face me -- and the other guy would -- I'd be asking, 'Who wants my vote the most?' "

That's a question weighing heavily on Mr. Newkirk, whose mother was a Democratic committeewoman and ward leader. He said he had been surprised by Katz's courting and Street's silence.

"I've been at this church for 26 years. I've never had a Republican reach out. I felt as though they wrote us off," said Mr. Newkirk, whose church has 1,500 mostly African American, Democratic members -- Street's core constituency.

"Mr. Katz has been very accessible. He has listened. We have listened to him," Mr. Newkirk said. "He has a grasp for what needs to be done to keep people in the city."

Conversely, Mr. Newkirk said, dealing with Street and his staff has been "very difficult" and "tense."