The Cat and Phoenix brimmed with life. As many Philadelphians from the Old Town as could be found were present, as were some notable figures from out of town. Jack stood at the bar with the newest barkeep, Runa Katte, and scanned the room while his thoughts whirred. The newcomer appeared to take note of when silence was desired, which Mezzo appreciated. His energies needed to focus on finding the right words to engage the room. The gathering appeared to note when the time had come and settled. Jack tapped the bar, rolled the empty glass out of his hand toward Runa, and stepped toward the crowd.

"My friends, this morning I was presented with an appeal to confirm the Pier's backing for a new mayoral candidate of Philadelphia. The interaction was brief, though I learned a great deal from the potential and parted from their company with a puzzling new debate to bring you.

"Much of our strength across the six cities has been our ability to remain diplomatic, compromising and personable. This approach is true across cross-city relationships, between city districts, crews and individuals," the man spoke with steady sentences, ensuring each was given appropriate time to digest.  

"Now this election may not be due until some unknown future time, however the challenges it imposes may be something we should consider today. The introduction of a new mayor raises the possibility of discord, tension and conflict. The policies of their professional agenda and personal motivations can have drastic consequences, especially if designed to disrupt our community."

Mezzo draws a letter from his jacket and opens it. Reluctantly he also needs to produce a pair of reading spectacles, too.

"This is from the office of Chester Eden, one of the gentlemen running for election. In short, his telegram offers greater leniency from law enforcement on businesses which keep the 'riff raff' off the streets... a 'generous' observation of the previous tax rates imposed by our current Mayor and a 'respectable' cut of our drug front operations..."

There was a collective mumbling from the crowd. Jack allowed the group to ruminate before returning the letter to his jacket. 

"In short, Mr. Eden would like to loosen up the grip of the law on our drug properties, maintain tax rates and allow himself a private cut from our business profits. Which alone, sounds reasonable, however," he lifted a judging finger and held it before them, "Mr. Eden himself has more than just political gains in mind. I knew the minute I met him, he wishes to break down our way of life and incite internal war between us. How? By applying his policies to members of certain folds, and not others. Wise Guys will be allowed greater freedom of their movements, where as established members of La Cosa Nostra will be scrutinised and leant on. Individual districts will be taxed at varying rates, bleeding some operations dry and favouring others. And his relationships with New York and Delaware will mean our narcotics suppliers are given more favourable prices outside of Philadelphia, therefor driving a wedge between us."

There was further grumbling. Nobody liked change, this was a known fact, however there were serious considerations to make at this stage. He raised his voice and used his fist as a gavel on the counter. 

"These could be serious changes! These could mean some thrive and others are left in turmoil! Each of us here could one day wake up on the shit side of a political agenda, while a friend is reaping the rewards. How do we respond to this?

"This man obviously poses a threat to our way of life, to our diplomatic ties and our profits. The opposition has yet to grace my door with a full mandate, neither have I had the chance to measure them up as a candidate, or understand what motivates him. The question though, my friends, is how do you feel about the possibility of an election brought to our shores, to any of our cities, which could change the way we work? One which might draw lines between associates and divide them. 

"What is more, how do we address the fact that we are expected to have a hand in this 'election', to use our power and influence to cast the deciding vote, knowing that brothers and sisters will suffer as a result?"

Runa was staring at JackMezzo with rapt attention the whole time he was speaking. She was pretending to dry a pint glass, and realized at the end of the speech that she'd been drying the same glass for almost ten minutes. As the echoes of Jack's voice faded, she waited for someone to respond. And waited. And waited.

Ridiculous. 

"Well, since no one else is responding, I'll take a crack at it, Jack."

Runa put her glass down and pondered the speech, then cleared her throat and spoke.

"Seems to me that both powerful mafiosi like yourself and elected officials like the mayor- well, you both serve as symbols to the people. The regular guys, the little people, they've got their hands full just trying to take care of themselves and their families. But sometimes, there's a problem so big that even the most stubborn man will need some help. Some people believe in governments to fix their problem. Other people believe that government is the problem, or at least too much of it, and so they need a friend who's willing to stand against it."

She leaned against the bar.

"Some people might lean strongly toward the government or the underworld, but deep down I think most people are a mixture of both. Sometimes they need a government to give their kid a good school. Other times they need someone willing to break the law to get a bottle of harmless whiskey for a family celebration."

Runa shrugged.

"Sometimes you might get a crooked mayor. Other times you might have a very charitable mafioso. But most times, there tends to be a distance there between official and unofficial power. It sounds like this Eden guy wants both. He sets people against each other, and I'm sure he'll benefit personally from that."

"My two cents is that it seems like you've got a good thing going here, and I'd hate to see some politician rock the boat. Any election that changes the day to day of what happens in the underworld makes me kinda nervous."

She paused.

"I'm no politician, but if this guy wants to walk across that boundary and start messing with our- I mean your- business, then I say you should start messing with his. Either by backing his opponent or running for mayor yourself."

Runa cracked a smile.

"You'd get my vote."