[Finally, after many years, I've gotten around to writing
this story.  It amused the heck out of me at the time...]

	About a year into Rendell's first term, Philadelphia 
Magazine, in one of its yearly futile attempts to increase
its circulation, published the "Philadelphia Sex Survey!" --
a typical supermarket-tabloidesque, statistically void and
vaguely titillating questionnaire on its readers sexual habits.

	Now at the time, I was a starving college student,
supporting my bad habits (like food) by whoring my 90wpm
fingers to the highest-bidding temp agency.  When this particular
issue of Philly Mag came out, I was working in one of the
more deadly boring of those assignments: full-time transcriptionist
for the Radiation Oncology Department at Thomas Jefferson
University Hospital.  (Which is another, depressing, story in 
and of itself.)

	Being quite starved for mental stimulation, I would,
on my lunch breaks, raid the hospital newsstand for anything
with printed words (if I hadn't brought a book).  In addition
to my usual load of newspapers, I bought a copy of Philly
Mag.

	Later on in the day, there were no more reports to
transcribe, so I was sitting at my desk, twiddling my
thumbs.  As no more work seemed to be incoming, and it was
yet 45 minutes until 5:00, I pulled out a pen and began
idly filling in answers on the sex survey.

	Most of it was the kind of deadly dull stuff that
faux 'researchers' on Usenet solicit in hopes of getting
juicy masturbatory tidbits about lesbianism and incest.
(Or better yet, lesbian incest.)  Who, how, where, how many
times and so forth.  I filled it all in dutifully, figuring
that the unvarnished truth of my sex life, even back then,
might turn a few heads in P.M.'s suburban offices, or failing
that at least up the representation for polymorphously
perverse polyamorous perverts in the sample.

	I came, finally, upon the last question:

	WHICH LOCAL OR NATIONAL PUBLIC OR POLITICAL
	FIGURE WOULD YOU MOST LIKE TO HAVE SEX WITH?

	Without the slightest bit of hesitation, I
filled in:

	MAYOR RENDELL AND HIS WIFE, MIDGE - SIMULTANEOUSLY.

	...ripped it out, sealed it in an envelope, and
mailed it off.

	So flash-forward nine months.  My girlfriend of that
time and I were being frighteningly domestic, and shopping
for groceries.  In the checkout line, I happen to spot the
latest issue of Philly Mag:  "The RESULTS of our fabulous
SEX SURVEY!"  Wondering if perhaps any of my material had
been worth of comment (publicity slut that I am), I dropped
it into the cart.

	We get back to her apartment, and after unpacking
the groceries, I start to idly leaf through the article with
the survey results, and it's about as awful as one would
expect.  Shock!  There are homosexuals in Philadelphia! Shock!
We have sexual fantasies that we would never act out!  Yadda
yadda yadda.  I toil through about five pages of this, and
I'm rapidly losing hope.

	Finally, I come to the very, very end of the article.
Only in the last ten paragraphs did they bother to even
mention the "Which famous person would you want to screw"
question; I guess the results must not have been that 
exciting.  But one thing apparently stood out.

(I'm quoting from memory here, but considering how many times
I've read and re-read it, it's probably pretty accurate.  The
emphasis added in one paragraph is by me.)

	"We asked our readers which local or national
	public figure they would most like to have an
	affair with.

	"Surprisingly, poltical power turned out not
	to be as much as an aphrodisiac as people might
	have expected.  Most local and national politicians
	didn't even place, with the majority of the honors
	going to people like Randall Cunningham [Philadelphia
	Eagles quarterback] and [the KYW-TV weatherman].

	"Two notable exceptions to that rule were President
	Bill Clinton, whom a number of women reported having
	fantasies about, and Mayor Edward Rendell.

	"In fact, one ambitious reader reported a desire to
	take on both Rendell and his wife (Philadelphia
	property attorney) Midge Rendell at the same time.

	"WHEN WE CALLED THE MAYOR FOR COMMENT, his response
	was: 'Sounds like a creative guy.'"

And _that_ is why I love Fast Eddie Rendell, and Philadelphia.