1 May 07: I LIKE MIKE (TOO)!
Philadelphia Magazine likes Mike. The Philadelphia Inquirer likes Mike. A Smoke Filled Room likes Mike. Dovate likes Mike. According to a Pennsylvanians for Effective Government, more and more people like Mike. And now, with exactly two
weeks before the
primary election, if I may be so presumptuous to represent a team of friends that includes Steve in Haddington West Philly, Nathaniel in Bella Vista, Mark in
South Philly and
Michelle in South Philly, and B Love in G-Ho . . .
Philly Skyline likes Mike. Here's why. Michael Nutter is every bit as progressive as he is labeled. Michael Nutter is intelligent and well spoken. Michael Nutter is quick witted and charismatic. Michael Nutter is so concerned with the increase in shootings and murder that he wants to declare a state of emergency in the neighborhoods that need it most, yet realizes that recognizes the absolute necessity that is prevention -- prevention of initial crime and prevention of repeat offenses. Michael Nutter is fiscally minded enough to have served as chair of the Pennsylvania Convention Center (whose expansion is the largest capital project in state history) while wanting to phase out the business privilege tax. Michael Nutter is concerned for the state of public schools in Philadelphia, as his own daughter currently is enrolled in one. Michael Nutter has not resorted to attacking his opponents; while they have been attacking each other, he has stayed above the fray. Michael Nutter's integrity is such that he stepped down from his fifteen year position as a city councilman. The other four candidates (sorry, Larry West, next time) consist of three other elected officials who are campaigning while simultaneously representing their constituents, and a man who has so much money he very well may take the "for sale" sign off of City Hall because he bought it himself. Those four candidates also own bits and pieces of Nutter's traits and, put together, could probably create a better candidate. But the May 15 primary election is not a color-by-numbers, it is about choosing the best candidate, and the best candidate is Michael Nutter. I've met Mike three times. I've met Chaka Fattah. And I've watched the other three speak and debate and I've visited their web sites and read the press. Bob Brady is a great man and wants to hire more police NOW. I like him a lot. He has served his constituents well and, if there is going to be a labor dispute, it's likely that Brady is going to mediate and resolve it. He has been a good head of the city's Democratic Party. But, in spite of his genuine goodness, that same party has become a grotesque machine, and -- whether he admits to "spinning the shit" -- he spearheaded John Street's re-election. I like Bob Brady, and though I would vote for him if he were my Congressman, I will not vote for him for mayor. Chaka Fattah is a nice man and has great ideas to help the poor and bridge the enormous gap between the haves and have nots. I have voted for him for Congress. However, his congestion fee idea is ridiculous. Though highways in the Philadelphia region are indeed archaic and in need of upgrade, Center City is neither an island like Manhattan, nor a centuries old city with an amazing transit system like London, and the last thing the city's battered relationship with the suburbs needs is what amounts to another tax, and to people who don't even live here. One example of archaic infrastructure that Congressman Fattah has had a chance to fix is our beloved South Street Bridge. The Bridge's reconstruction has been coming down the line for at least ten years, and Fattah has represented the Congressional district entirely in which South Street Bridge resides for twelve years. The Bridge is crumbling and the on-ramps need to be brought up to modern standards, i.e. oriented so that they're not left-side merges. The pedestrian and cyclist experience is not only unattractive and dangerous, but it also adversely affects motorists (who, despite so many arguments to the contrary, are first in the pecking order and affected most by SSB's condition). Consider then the eastward expansion of Penn and the growth of G-Ho and the southwestern end of Center City, and the chance for the literal bridge between them to be iconic, a new landmark for for the new city. All of these things -- every last one of them -- could be harmoniously brought together with money, and yet the total budget for South Street Bridge is merely $50M, a drop in the federal spending bucket. Boston's Big Dig brought in $15 billion of federal money. If SSB had just one percent of that money, its budget would triple. Alaska's "Bridge to Nowhere" is proposed at over $300M, six times SSB's budget, to serve a population one tenth of one percent of Philly's size. All SSB needs to be the landmark it should be is someone to step up to the plate to retrieve the money it deserves. Congressman Fattah -- PA's 2nd Congressional District representative, who also serves on the powerful House Appropriations Committee -- has not been that person. When I asked him about that, he told me that there are a lot of bridges that need attention and that, if elected, he'll do his best to see that they're all done right. Eh. I like some of Chaka Fattah's ideas, but I dislike enough of them that I will not vote for him. Dwight Evans is also a good man. There is a sincerity about him that few elected officials possess, and he has a record of compatriots that includes John Timoney, Paul Vallas and the GLBT community. He has represented the West Oak Lane area well in Harrisburg. And, I think he should stay there. As the Inquirer suggests in its endorsement, the positivity and good ideas that Nutter as mayor and Evans as a seasoned representative could collaborate on might start chipping away at the divide that is Philadelphia vs Pennsylvania. As well, Evans doesn't seem to be able to exude the charm and quickness that I honestly believe is vital to a hold so high an office. Even his tv ads seem memorized or read from cue cards, not intuitive. I like Dwight Evans, but I will not vote for him. And of course there's Tom Knox. Tommy the Loan Shark and other Knox detractors have made their claims so I'll leave the payday loan stuff well alone. My opinion of Knox is, like so many others, based on about five months of tv introductions that include the desire to take the "for sale" sign off of City Hall and the buzzkill crying mother / dying brother spots. But I've seen him speak, notebook in hand, and there just doesn't seem to be any substance. As Ed Hertzog suggested in his Skyline contribution, the arts & culture forum was all I needed to know about Knox: he seemed vapid at best, annoyed to be there at worst. And what's up with the hair? I'm serious here: never mind the fact that he could afford some better hair dye. If he is that insecure with himself that at 66 years old he must dye his hair, why should I believe he has the confidence to lead a city of a million and a half people? I will not vote for Tom Knox. So, all this said, the unashamedly bald Michael Nutter is our man. We've railed on recently about the power of clear thought. Think. Reason. Michael Nutter embodies these easy but essential principles. He has the momentum, he has the personality, he has the vision, and now he has our vote. We hope he has yours too. I sat down with him last week for a discussion on topics not covered on his web site or in his team's many many press releases. That interview is just below. Be sure to be educated on the topics by visiting the following excellent mayoral web sites/blogs: • The Next Mayor (Committee of 70, WHYY, Daily News) • Fight for Room 215 (Metro) • Mayorpalooza (Inquirer) • Great Expectations (Inquirer) And also the five candidates' web sites: • Michael Nutter • Dwight Evans • Bob Brady • Chaka Fattah • Tom Knox |
2 May 07: I LIKE MIKE (2)!
Marty Moss-Coane concluded her interview with Michael Nutter this morning by asking him if it was true that he used to be a disco DJ, and he responded, "yes,
it's very true . . . it's my understated way. Put a turntable and a microphone in front of me and i might surprise you." How great is that? If there is a
quality I'm looking for in my mayor, it's how he can move the crowd from behind the 1 and 2. I also had a chance to sit down with Mix Master Mike last Thursday, and I wanted to talk to him about some secondary issues that were not near the top of his agenda, because those things are well covered by the media, are what he can fit into 30 seconds for expensive tv ads, and are what are clearly illustrated in the issues section of his web site. This was our conversation. B LOVE: So, here we are, two weeks away . . . how do you feel? What does May 16 (the day after the primary election) hold in store for you? Vacation? Cruise?It was at this point that the door opened and his staffer let in City Paper staff photographer Michael T Regan (whose excellent portfolio based web site is HERE and more regularly updated blog is HERE). Mike, Mike and I let loose for a second and joked about Nutter's crazy schedule. I mentioned that I was leaving there on my way to the Phillies (business person special) game (which they lost, to freaking Washington). Nutter actually said "believe me, I wish I could join you but somehow I think they have plans for me today." |