Nutter, Taubenberger
show that debating can be fun

By Tom Waring
Times Staff Writer

The mayoral race continues to be a love-fest between Democrat Michael Nutter and Republican Al Taubenberger, with the sharpest difference between the two coming last week when they judged a sandwich-making contest.
The good feelings between the pair continued on Monday night at a forum hosted by CORA Services, at 8540 Verree Road in Fox Chase.
Both candidates pledged to avoid negative campaigning, arguing that they prefer substantive discussions of major issues facing the city.
"This is not American Gladiator," Nutter said, referring to the 1990s TV show that featured a variety of physical confrontations between contestants and the show’s rugged stars.
The forum, moderated by CORA’s Terry Devlin, consisted of opening statements and questions from the audience.
Nutter, a Wynnefield resident, served 14-plus years in City Council before resigning last summer to focus on the mayoral race. He beat six other candidates in the Democratic primary in May.
Taubenberger, of Fox Chase, is president of the Greater Northeast Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce. He was unopposed in the Republican primary and is seeking to become the first mayor from the Northeast.
About half of the questions submitted were about crime, not surprising since 37 people were shot in Philadelphia from Friday morning to Monday morning.
Both candidates are looking forward to appointing a police commissioner to replace the retiring Sylvester Johnson, saying the new boss needs to show a mix of care and outrage about the rising murder rate and have the ability to inspire officers to perform their best.
Nutter won the primary, in part, because of his support for a policy that’s been called "stop, question and frisk." He wants to empower the police to take away illegal weapons from individuals. He’d direct resources to "targeted enforcement zones," identified as the dozen or so areas of the city with the highest number of shootings and murders.
"We are in a crime emergency," Nutter said, adding that other American cities are not experiencing the same carnage.
Nutter wants to hire 500 more cops, have the city’s social-service agencies play a bigger role in high-crime neighborhoods and help ex-offenders secure jobs and housing.
Taubenberger, president of the Burholme Community Town Watch and Civic Association, said he entered the race largely to address the crime issue.
The Republican credited agencies such as CORA, which provides services to at-risk youths and their families, with helping to steer young people away from bad choices. He wants to add jobs to deter people from committing crime. He favors a stronger witness-protection program and a change in police deployment strategy.
"We need more patrolling officers," he said. "I think it’s a calming effect."
Asked about the city’s curfew centers, Nutter expressed tepid support, saying he thinks more services should be provided to parents to keep their kids off the street.
Taubenberger, who visited one of the centers, was a little more supportive, noting that volunteers, a police officer and staffers from the city Department of Human Services are on hand to assist curfew violators.
Both candidates agreed that it was wrong for Mayor John Street, who is prohibited by the Home Rule Charter from seeking a third four-year term, to transfer money from DHS to Philadelphia Safe and Sound, a private agency. They said Street should leave the decision to the next mayor and pointed out that Safe and Sound does not face the same public scrutiny as DHS.
As for the proposed expansion by the Fox Chase Cancer Center into Burholme Park, neither candidate took a decisive stand, agreeing that parkland is valuable but so is the work done by the hospital.
In City Council, Nutter supported efforts to use parkland to build a boathouse for St. Joseph’s Prep and St. Joseph’s University on Kelly Drive and the Microsoft School of the Future on ground used for overflow parking at the Philadelphia Zoo. If elected mayor, he’ll weigh in on the cancer center’s bid.
"I will get right into the heart of the matter," he said.
Taubenberger called the park a "treasure," hoping a compromise can be reached where the hospital can secure parkland to replace the ground on which it wants to build. The compromise should not include a land swap outside the city, he said, opposing the original proposal for ground in Cheltenham.
"It might as well be in Paris," he said.
The mayoral hopefuls both vowed to address the 45-percent dropout rate in public high schools, with Nutter advancing vocational education programs and Taubenberger renewing a call for private school vouchers.
The candidates would like to see an obstetrics unit return to the Northeast now that Jeanes Hospital has closed its maternity ward.
Taubenberger will team with the Maternity Care Coalition to try to add the service locally. Nutter, whose daughter Olivia was born a month premature at Jeanes Hospital after his wife experienced a tough pregnancy, said it’s crucial for all areas of the city to have a quality obstetrics service.
As mayor, both men would lower business and wage taxes to increase jobs. Nutter supported similar cuts in City Council, while Taubenberger did so as a member of the Tax Reform Commission.
The pair also endorse the dredging of the Delaware River, deepening the water to allow larger ships to transport goods, to increase commerce at the port.
Nutter didn’t express outright support for so-called "mini-City Halls," suggesting that space could be used in libraries for residents to pay certain bills. As part of his "Philadelphia: The City That Works" effort, he’ll propose that every city employee take a customer-service training program so citizens can expect "service with a smile."
Taubenberger, onetime chief of staff to Councilman Jack Kelly, said the Northeast needs a mini-City Hall because it is so far from Center City and it is often difficult for the public to get answers on the telephone. ••
Reporter Tom Waring can be reached at 215-354-3034 or twaring@phillynews.com