Nutter put a lot
on the line in mayoral run

By Tom Waring
Times Staff Writer

Michael Nutter had a big choice to make before entering the mayoral race.
As a member of City Council, Nutter could join the mayoral field only by giving up his seat, as required in the Philadelphia Home Rule Charter.
The other major Democratic candidates did not face a similar predicament. U.S. Reps. Chaka Fattah and Bob Brady and state Rep. Dwight Evans run in even-numbered years, and there are no state or federal laws forcing them to leave their posts before running for other offices. And Tom Knox, as a wealthy businessman, has no job worries.
Nutter had represented the 4th Councilmanic District for 14-plus years before resigning last summer. He probably could have been re-elected easily, but decided to seek the mayor’s office.
"I put a lot on the line here," he said.
Nutter, who was the first candidate to enter the race, spoke last week to the Times editorial board. He’s issued 11 policy papers, and points to a number of accomplishments on Council.
Still, polls generally place him behind Knox, Fattah and Brady. He sees the race as up for grabs, with Knox getting a boost because of more than $4 million in television commercials.
The candidate knows he has less than four weeks to reach voters with his message. Perhaps, he speculated, he wasn’t enough of a self-promoter in Council.
"I was too busy doing the work," he said.
In Council, Nutter represented a district in Northwest Philadelphia that is diverse both racially and socioeconomically. He thinks his background sets him apart from his six opponents, who also include longshots Queena Bass and Jesus White.
"None of them have the depth and breadth of experience I have at the city level," he said.
Nutter is perhaps best known as the author of the bill that banned smoking in public places. He worked on the issue for six years. Now, he’d like to see the state legislature pass a similar law for all of Pennsylvania.
A ban on smoking, he said, is good for the health of employees and customers in bars and restaurants and for everyone in a public place in Philadelphia.
There are exceptions for corner bars, cigar bars and private clubs, but the law covers 99 percent of workplaces.
"When I was in school, 99 was a great grade," he said.
As a member of Council, Nutter supported additional money in the budget to hire 100 police officers. Mayor John Street wanted to fund only overtime costs.
While declining to name possible choices to replace retiring Police Commissioner Sylvester Johnson, Nutter indicated that he would interview local candidates first.
If elected mayor, Nutter will target 12 areas of the city that have high rates of shootings and violent crime. He’d beef up the police presence there and aggressively target illegal guns. The results, he believes, would be an increase in arrests of parole and probation violators.
His anti-crime plan also includes a measure to give tax incentives to businesses that hire individuals transitioning from jail to communities.
"If you become gainfully employed, you’re much less likely to be involved in crime," he said.
As for public education, Nutter wants to implement a safety plan for every school building. The plan would include safe corridors to and from school.
The candidate, who sends his daughter to public school, remains troubled by the School District of Philadelphia’s budget deficit and seeming inability to curb violence.
Nutter believes the mayor of Philadelphia must be given greater authority over the public schools. Thus, he would seek to begin a transition from control by the School Reform Commission to more power by the mayor.
During his term, Nutter wants to lower the high school dropout rate of 45 percent and increase the percentage of citizens with college degrees, which is just 18 percent.
To make that happen, Nutter proposes hefty increases in city funding for Community College of Philadelphia so tuition can remain stable. He also likes the fact that CCP has agreements with colleges and universities that allow students with associate degrees to transfer to four-year programs.
"Community College is an absolute pathway to a great future," he said.
On other issues, Nutter vowed to lead by example to end the city’s reputation for corruption. He authored legislation that created an ethics board, required ethics training for city employees, reformed campaign finance laws and made public all no-bid contracts.
The mayoral contender plans to vote for a ballot measure that would ban casinos within 1,500 feet of homes, houses of worship, parks and schools. He blames the state legislature for failing to give the city sufficient say in where the casinos are placed.
On the hot topic of Fox Chase Cancer Center’s proposed expansion into Burholme Park, Nutter mentioned his support for both the hospital’s mission and the Fairmount Park system, much of which is in his former councilmanic district. Ultimately, he suggested he would back the proposal if the cancer center would purchase adequate land to make up for the green space on which it would build. ••
Reporter Tom Waring can be reached at 215-354-3034 or twaring@phillynews.com