He’s no fluffer Nutter

By Tom Waring
Times Staff Writer

Michael Nutter trailed in the polls during much of the Democratic mayoral campaign, but everything came together for him when it counted.
Nutter used effective television commercials, solid showings in debates and glowing newspaper endorsements to pull away from the field to capture the nomination in the May 15 primary.
"We had a pretty decent couple of weeks," he told cheering supporters at the Radisson Plaza-Warwick Hotel in Center City.
Nutter, a 49-year-old former city councilman from Wynnefield, finished with 37 percent of the vote, followed by businessman Tom Knox with 25 percent. U.S. Reps. Bob Brady and Chaka Fattah were nearly tied with 15 percent apiece, with state Rep. Dwight Evans taking 8 percent. Queena Bass and Jesus White received a tiny fraction of the vote.
In the Nov. 6 general election, Nutter will be a big favorite over Republican Al Taubenberger, who was unopposed. Democrats outnumber Republicans by more than 5-to-1, and the GOP hasn’t had a mayor since Bernard Samuel left office in 1952.
"This is just the primary," Nutter cautioned supporters. "There’s more campaigning to do."
Taubenberger, 53, is president of the Greater Northeast Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce. The married father of four from Fox Chase has worked as an aide to Councilwoman Joan Krajewski and former U.S. Rep. Charlie Dougherty and was chief of staff to Councilman at-large Jack Kelly when Kelly represented the 7th district.
On the campaign trail, Taubenberger will talk about hiring more police officers and better deployment of personnel. He’ll call for a competitive tax structure and will sell the city to potential businesses. He promises that all of his appointees will be required to take annual classes on ethics.
During the primary, Taubenberger attended a lot of forums and often sat next to Nutter because the candidates were seated alphabetically. The two are friendly toward each other.
Taubenberger’s job is to meet voters and raise money. He thinks he’ll need $1 million to run television commercials and believes he can raise $2 million. He hopes to open campaign offices.
The candidate does not mind being the underdog and is looking forward to debating his opponent.
"It’s an exciting opportunity," he said.
Nutter won 38 wards, with Knox taking 24, including all 14 in the Northeast. Brady won three wards, with Evans winning in his home ward. Fattah did not win any wards.
Nutter had little support among ward leaders, unions and black clergy members, and none of his former Council colleagues endorsed him.
But his reformer message played well across the city. He prevailed in black wards and the areas he represented in Council. He also piled up big numbers in the liberal areas of Center City, Chestnut Hill and University City.
While not winning any Northeast wards, he did outpoll Brady and kept Knox’s winning margins low. In the Northeast, Knox won with 42 percent, followed by Nutter (27 percent), Brady (24 percent), Fattah (4 percent) and Evans (2 percent).
Brady, the party chairman, campaigned extensively in the Northeast. He had the backing of all local ward leaders, including state Rep. Mike McGeehan, whom Evans had been listing as a supporter. Evans managed a mere 52 votes in McGeehan’s 41st Ward.
Voters overwhelmingly rejected Brady and Fattah, who were considered the early front-runners. They also ignored Evans and his 27 years of experience in the state House of Representatives.
The two so-called "reform" candidates, Nutter and Knox, combined to win 62 percent of the citywide vote.
"They want real and meaningful change," Knox said of voters in his concession speech at the Loews Hotel.
The hundreds of people who crowded into the ballroom for Nutter’s victory party were an even mix of whites and blacks, with a large number of young people. Nutter, a former nightclub disc jockey, danced to loud band music, high-fived supporters, posed for pictures and signed campaign posters.
There were few party insiders. In fact, the crowd included Republican ward leader Mike Cibik and Sheryl Perzel, wife of GOP state Rep. John Perzel, who appointed Nutter to chair the Pennsylvania Convention Center Authority in 2003 when he was speaker.
Dan McElhatton, a Democrat who served with Nutter in Council, was also on hand. He backs his former colleague for having the "three Cs."
"Michael has the competence, the character and the commitment," he said, adding that Taubenberger’s commitment to public service is "exemplary."
Nutter served 15 years in Council before resigning last year to run for mayor. He was best known for passing bills banning smoking in public places, enacting ethics rules and implementing campaign finance reform.
No fan of Mayor John Street, he ran television commercials telling voters he would run the city differently than Street has.
"We have to change the direction of this city," he said in his victory speech.
Nutter dedicated several hours every week to making calls to raise money so he could continue running commercials to the end of the campaign
The top issue among voters was the rising violent crime and murder rate, and Nutter pushed a so-called "stop and frisk" policy to catch felons with guns. His opponents criticized the plan on constitutional grounds, but he replied that citizens have a constitutional right not to get shot. He reiterated his position to supporters on election night.
"We have to lower the crime rate and make this city safe," he said. ••
Reporter Tom Waring can be reached at 215-354-3034 or twaring@phillynews.com