Michael Nutter profile

By Tom Waring
Times Staff Writer

Michael Nutter has shown resilience in his political battles.
In 1987, he lost a primary challenge to City Councilwoman Ann Land, only to beat her four years later.
A Democrat who represented the 4th Councilmanic District in Northwest and West Philadelphia, he served until resigning in 2006 to run for mayor.
The odds were stacked against him. The field included wealthy businessman Tom Knox and two congressmen, Chaka Fattah and Bob Brady (also the party chairman). Neither Fattah, Brady nor state Rep. Dwight Evans had to give up their jobs to run.
Mired in last or next-to-last place in the polls in late April, Nutter began to win over voters due to his reform message, performance in debates, television commercials and newspaper endorsements.
In the end, he won the primary by 12 percentage points over Knox. Former state Sen. Bob Rovner labeled him the "comeback kid" at a forum on Sunday morning at the Congregations of Shaare-Shamayim in Bustleton.
In less than a week, he’s poised to be elected mayor.
"It feels really good," he said, "but I’ve stayed focused as a candidate."
Nutter, a 50-year-old Wynnefield resident, has raised almost $3 million since his primary win, even though he’s considered a lock to be elected on Tuesday. He’ll spend some, but not all, of his money on television commercials.
While the primary campaign season was frantic, with stops day and night across the city, the Democrat has held three town meetings — including one in Frankford — and met with as many community groups as his schedule permits in the months leading up to the general election.
"We’ve been a full-time campaign," he said.
In the recent Philadelphia Daily News/Keystone poll, Nutter led Republican Al Taubenberger among likely voters by an incredible margin of 83 percent to 8 percent. He appears likely to sweep all 66 wards, though he claims he’d be satisfied with a simple majority of the votes citywide.
Nutter was born, raised and educated in the city, and his family and former West Philly neighbors are eagerly anticipating his move into City Hall on Jan. 7.
"It’s a very exciting time," he said, "but it’s a very serious undertaking."
The biggest challenges facing Philadelphia, in Nutter’s view, are violent crime and homicide. He cites statistics showing that, on average, one person is killed and five people are shot in Philadelphia every day.
His primary victory can be traced, in large measure, to his so-called "stop and frisk" proposal to seize illegal guns from people. He will target the dozen or so most dangerous areas in Philadelphia for the crackdown. He’ll put more police on the streets and give a tax break to businesses that hire inmates leaving prison.
The new mayor will also name a police commissioner, with Sylvester Johnson retiring. Nutter, who has the endorsement of Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 5, won’t give any indication whom he’s considering, and he says he doesn’t have a timetable for announcing a new commissioner.
As for other appointments to head city departments, Nutter said he’d name them in a series of announcements.
Nutter, who won the bruising primary with little support from unions, ward leaders and elected officials, gives credit to what he calls a "dedicated" and "committed" campaign staff. Some of those folks could wind up in important administration positions.
Besides the focus on crime, Nutter wants to bring jobs to Philadelphia and improve the public education system.
"We have to do those three things well and all the time," he said.
In Council, he supported business and wage tax cuts to woo companies to the city and will do so as mayor.
Also as a member of Council, he opposed the state takeover of the School District of Philadelphia. Still, he will work with Gov. Ed Rendell and the legislature to bring more funding to Philadelphia public schools so the 177,000 students can have a good, safe education.
Specifically, he wants to see students reading at the proper level by third or fourth grade. He thinks there should be an expansion of vocational education and would like to give high school juniors and seniors the opportunity to learn at college campuses,
One of his other challenges is to convince a skeptical public that wonders if anything can be done to eliminate the pay-to-play system in government.
"I think the answer to that question is, ‘Yes,’ " he said.
If he wins, Nutter will replace a man — Mayor John Street — with whom he has clashed in the past. Still, he expects a smooth transition.
A Mayor Nutter will act like candidate Nutter, taking his policy initiatives straight to the people.
"My approach will be very aggressive and open," he said. "It’s about galvanizing public support." ••
Reporter Tom Waring can be reached at 215-354-3034 or twaring@phillynews.com