Candidates are staying
very busy

Campaign Bits
By Tom Waring

Mayoral candidates Michael Nutter and Al Taubenberger will appear at a forum on Tuesday, Oct. 9, at Norcom Community Center, at 10980 Norcom Road.
The event will take place from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. The moderator will be Don Brennan, director of special projects for the Philadelphia Regional Port Authority and former editor of the News Gleaner.
Nutter, a Democrat and former city councilman, and Taubenberger, a Republican and president of the Greater Northeast Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce, will answer questions submitted on index cards by audience members.
Special People In Northeast, in conjunction with the election-watchdog group Committee of Seventy, is sponsoring the forum as part of a voter education initiative for its staff and clients.

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Meanwhile, Nutter has accepted the endorsement of Teamsters Joint Council No. 53 and the Philadelphia Council of Clergy.
Nutter won the clergy backing on Saturday morning at Zion Baptist Church, at Broad and Venango streets, following the latest in his series of neighborhood cleanups.
"Philadelphia’s clergy is providing leadership in our neighborhoods, and it is an honor to receive the endorsement of the Philadelphia Council of Clergy," he said.

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Bill Green, a Democratic candidate for an at-large City Council seat, has released a policy paper outlining reforms that would save the city money.
Green, a lawyer and son of the former mayor of the same name, wants to enable all citizens, employees and companies to conduct business with the city online. Kiosks would be placed throughout the city for those without Internet access.
The candidate also wants to implement a 311 call center that would accept non-emergency calls from citizens. The new number, he believes, would reduce the burden on the 911 emergency system.

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David Oh, a Republican candidate for an at-large City Council seat, has been endorsed by the Service Employees International Union’s Pennsylvania State Council.
A lawyer, Oh is one of five Republicans on the ballot. Traditionally, the five Democratic candidates and the two top Republicans win the seven at-large seats.
Oh ran in 2003, finishing eighth behind the five Democrats and Republican Councilmen Frank Rizzo and Jack Kelly. ••
Reporter Tom Waring can be reached at 215-354-3034 or twaring@phillynews.com