Mayoral winners get down
to business lunch

By Brian Rademaekers
Times Staff Writer

Before the dust even had a chance to settle on last week’s Democratic mayoral primary, a still campaign-weary Michael Nutter was facing off with his new contender, Republican Al Taubenberger.
But the scene wasn’t a packed auditorium or a news conference punctuated by the blinding flash of press cameras.
The candidates, dressed in neat black suits, sat at a quiet table in the back of Port Richmond’s Mercer Café. Over sandwiches and coffee, the two laughed and had a seemingly good-natured, hour-long talk amid the Friday afternoon lunch on Westmoreland Street.
Were it not for the media and advertisement-rich weeks that preceded the election, patrons would have been hard-pressed to guess that these two men are about to launch into a six-month battle to lead the nation’s sixth-largest city.
Is this the sign of a sleepy general election with a foregone winner, or simply the calm before the storm?
In between taking handshakes and having passers-by snap pictures with their cell phones, both candidates insisted the discreet rendezvous was the start of a campaign that would be defined by issues rather than personal slander.
"This is a historic moment," said Taubenberger, president of the Greater Northeast Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce.
"Candidates have met after an election to kiss and make up, but this is the first time they have sat down and had a talk before things got started," said Taubenberger, "…This is going to set the tone of the campaign: issue oriented."
Following the meal, however, Nutter and Taubenberger were reluctant to say just what those issues would be and where they differed on them.
"We have a lot of things in common. We probably agree on a lot of issues, and I think the differences will probably come out in the campaign," said Taubenberger.
"We spent a lot of time together at a lot of forums, and, at least during that time, probably found ourselves more in agreement than disagreement," added Nutter. "There is always a variation on two or three different ideas. There is no one way to conduct economic development or make the streets safer."
Both candidates agreed that the process of bringing casinos to the city — a hot topic in the river ward neighborhood — had been a flawed one, but they preferred to take a wait-and-see approach.
"I have tried to make it very clear that the location of both casinos were not the right locations," Nutter said of the SugarHouse casino location in Fishtown and the Foxwoods site in South Philadelphia. The state chose both riverfront sites last December.
"I think the city was shortchanged by the state in terms of real participation in site selection, and the citizens in these communities are rightly outraged," said Nutter.
Taubenberger echoed that sentiment.
"They have not been dealt with in an up-front way; the deals were cut and the doors were closed," he said.
Both candidates agreed that the fight against bringing the casinos to the city would already be settled by next year.
"If the (state) Supreme Court ultimately decides we are going to have casinos, we’ll have to see how we can best utilize our zoning code to protect the interests of our citizens," said Nutter. "The courts are going to speak on this before either one of us are in office…that’s going to be the final word."
Even on the matter of Nutter’s controversial plan to implement a "stop and frisk" policy in high-crime areas, the candidates preferred to respect their differences.
In the past, Taubenberger has said that he opposes more gun control laws.
"That issue will develop as we go along," said Taubenberger. "The bottom line is we’re both for stopping crime. There are various approaches, but we have to do something."
"The citizens will be the real winners in this race, and that is what this city deserves — a vigorous, active campaign about the future of the city," said Nutter.
That reluctance to draw a line between each other seemed to add to the perception in the café that Nutter is already mayor-elect, although to earn that title he must defeat Taubenberger in the Nov. 6 general election.
More than a dozen patrons stopped to congratulate Nutter, and one told a friend on the other end of a cell phone that he was "...talking to the next mayor of Philadelphia."
Despite being in an area that largely went to Tom Knox, the Mercer Cafe seemed to be Nutter territory last Friday.
"I feel he was the best man for the job because he is the most experienced and he knows this city in and out," said Agnes Folger, a lifelong Port Richmond resident who voted for Nutter in the primary. She said it was "…a sure bet," that she would vote for Nutter again in November.
Friend Ester Koziel joins Folger every day at Mercer, and said she also voted for Nutter.
"He looks like he knows what he is talking about," said Koziel. Both agreed that crime was the biggest issue the next mayor will have to address.
"That has to be taken care of first. It’s bad," said Folger.
Luis Torrado and Charlie Forward, both area residents and in the construction trade, also agreed that crime was the biggest influence in their vote, though Torrado voted for Dwight Evans in the primary.
Forward, who voted for Nutter, said that he likes the ex-councilman’s track record in City Council.
"He was more independent than the other people in City Council…they are more influenced by the neighborhoods or financial gains," said Forward.
He is hoping that Nutter’s reputation as a maverick will help him tackle the so-far insurmountable wave of violent crime that has gripped the city. Still, Forward is uncertain that anyone can pull that off.
"It remains to be seen how anyone is going to deal with crime," said Forward.
Thomas Woltjen, owner of the Mercer Café, said that his restaurant has been a favorite meeting spot for Taubenberger and his fellow Republican, state Rep. John Taylor, of the 177th district. But the meeting of the two men — one of whom is bound to be the city’s next mayor — was a step up for the tiny restaurant.
"It’s going to be great for the café," said Woltjen. And while he gladly posed for pictures with both candidates, Woltjen preferred to keep his distance from the politics.
"I’m staying out of it. They’re both hard workers, and I think the best man will win," said Woltjen
For now, voters will have to pick their candidate based on their lunch preference. Nutter chose a humble grilled cheese sandwich; Taubenberger settled for a filet mignon panini. ••
Reporter Brian Rademaekers can be reached at 215-354-3039 or brademaekers@phillynews.com