Mayor Michael Nutter: Up Close and Personal
Upon analyzing the candidacy and subsequent victory of incoming Democratic Mayor Michael Nutter, a veteran political observer remarked: “If Michael Nutter lived in Chester County, he’d be a Republican.”
Whether the Mayor takes that as the compliment it was meant to be, it’s fair to say that there is a level of cautious optimism about Philadelphia’s future, a hope not felt since the days of former Mayor Ed Rendell. Back then, Rendell was taking over after the disastrous administration of Wilson Goode, one in which Philadelphia suffered one black eye after another, culminating in international embarrassment when the City incinerated an entire square block during the MOVE crisis. It took several years under Rendell’s tenure, but Philadelphia climbed back from the abyss and experienced a cultural and business renaissance. It was short lived, however, after the Street Administration took the reigns in 1999. Plagued by corruption scandals and bureaucratic incompetence, John Street and an intransigent City Council turned the clock back on all progress the city had achieved. Philadelphia has once again become a national laughingstock
What does Mayor Nutter inherit after the eight years of Mayor Street’s stewardship? A City of Brotherly Love that is anything but brotherly. Philadelphia’s plight once again is a national headline, with the city owning the highest rates of murder, violence and poverty in the nation. Children and police officers are mercilessly gunned down, residents are fleeing, and businesses, facing some of the highest taxes in the nation, are not just moving out, but worse, many will not even consider Philadelphia when they need to expand or relocate.
The challenge to revive Philadelphia is an unenviable and monumental task. Only an extremely strong-willed leader willing to buck the entrenched special interests and pay-to-play business culture will be able to turn America’s fifth-largest city around and once again make it shine.
Is Michael Nutter up to the job? Can he work with City Council to push through business friendly initiatives? Can he find a way to effectively negotiate the four municipal unions’ contracts which expire in just months—and in doing so, can he make the city pension fund solvent? Can he make Philadelphia safe again in the mold of New York City?
Freindly Fire recently sat down with Mayor-elect Nutter to discuss the vision of Philadelphia’s new leader:
FF: At the Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance Annual Meeting, you had promised to name your Cultural Director to a cabinet-level position. Have you made that decision?
MN: We are going to open an Office of Art and Culture. It will be a real office, real people, and real responsibilities to better coordinate art and culture in Philadelphia…to promote it the way it should be. It’s a big business for us here in the city, with 31,000 people whose livelihoods depend on it. But it’s also big in the region, and it’s a way to bring the region together. We need to expand art and culture beyond just the perceived downtown activity. We also want to highlight the various activities in our schools, in our neighborhoods and in other public venues. But, no, I haven’t named anyone to that post yet.
FF: With regard to the Boy Scout-City controversy, is there a way to rectify this issue? (The city has eliminated the $1/year lease provision for the Boy Scouts’ offices in a landmark Philadelphia building, under the rationale that the organization discriminates because it won’t allow homosexual scouts and scout leaders). The Boy Scouts do such a wonderful job with young boys, especially minorities, who would otherwise be out on the streets. This issue plays to the heart of public opinion in that the City seems to care more about persecuting Boy Scouts than it does about its streets awash in blood. What can be done to preserve their good work? Would you reverse this decision?
MN: The optimal solution is for the local Boy Scouts to change their policies so that they are not discriminatory against anyone for any reason whatsoever. Short of that…the other discussion going on is that they should pay full market rate for rent for their property because the government should not subsidize discriminatory practices. So as far as I’m concerned, it’s really one or the other: change your policy, or pay full market rent.
FF: One of Philadelphia most famous businessman, Le Bec Fin’s Georges Perrier, expressed his immense frustration with City Hall when a proposal to ban foie gras arose. His words echo the sentiment of many: “Philadelphia’s school system is in shambles. We have the highest violence and murder rate of any city in the United States—and the highest poverty rate. The city is filthy and dirty. There are homeless and beggars everywhere. Parking is a huge problem. For everything we (the business community) pay in taxes, what do we get for it? Absolutely nothing. Don’t they have anything better to do? Do your job!” Specifically, how will you address the concern that the City focuses on irrelevant issues and refuses to tackle the major problems head-on?
MN: Elected officials, whether in the legislative body or executive branch, don’t write the stories. For every foie gras story, there could also be a story about the efforts to lower business taxes in Philadelphia, efforts to reduce crime, support for public education, ethics laws that have been put into place—I did some of that work when I was in office. There are a million things going on in the city. No disrespect, but the media often times—all the time— decides what goes in the paper, what goes on TV and the radio, and what the current conversation is. I want to change some of the current conversation.
Unfortunately, I couldn’t agree with Georges more about those statistics and the context of what he lays out. What I am seeking to change is the last part of what he said—about not getting anything for their tax dollars. We have to change that. We have to let people know what the are getting for their money, how services are delivered, and how they are going to be improved in my administration. But one of the most important issues here is communication. We have to change the level of communication between City government and the citizens and business community. One of the first rules of the political business I’m in is that you either define yourself, or you get defined by someone else for other circumstances. We have allowed ourselves to be defined by circumstances, other people and perceptions, many of which are not necessarily correct, but left unchallenged, become the fact.
Are there crime problems here in Philadelphia? Absolutely. Are most people involved in them? No. Are the problems and challenges in our education system? Yes. Do most kids go to school everyday? Yes. Are there job issues in the city—do we continue to lose some small amount of population and some jobs? Sure. But are new people opening businesses every day, and are businesses and people moving into the city? Absolutely. I am trying to be an advocate of fair, balanced and accurate reporting of both sides. Better communication out of City Hall, better engagement, and a better relationship with the news media is (an important) part of getting the message out. Of course, we also need to deliver. We owe people a high quality of service. They’re paying their taxes. We owe people a response when they call us—they deserve an answer. That’s why I want a 311 system, to offload some of the calls from 911, but also to have a great tracking system through CityStat to measure what we do and how we do it, and drive performance at the ground level so that people actually know what they’re getting for their tax dollars.
FF: Geno’s steaks owner Joey Vento’s said, virtually word for word, the exact same thing as Perrier, but his beef is the City’s “discrimination” suit regarding a store sign asking patrons to order in English. With all the problems the City faces, what are your thoughts on the merits of this case, and how will you address this kind of issue as Mayor? Did Vento discriminate, and if yes, how so?
MN: I think that the sign sends the absolute wrong message in a city that is trying to encourage a multicultural environment and encourage immigrants to come to Philadelphia. We have conventions and tour activities coming here, and a number of those individuals may not speak English but they would like to order. So if you’re not turning anyone away, what’s the point of the sign in the first place? I think it’s more of a topical issue related to immigration, and views about that, but I think it’s bad for the city. It draws negative attention to Philadelphia, and it makes us look small minded and parochial—for the fifth-largest city in the country, the center of democracy, and (a city of ) tolerance, based on how we got our start with Billy Penn coming here. It’s just one more (example) of giving ourselves a black eye.
FF: But to clarify, while you may not agree with the sign, if Vento didn’t discriminate against anyone, should the case have been brought in the first place by the City’s Human Relations Commission? Does it have merit in a legal sense?
MN: That’s what they do (the Commission). I think that, based on the role and mission of the Human Relations Commission, which is to work on these kinds of issues, it’s appropriate for them to have taken that action and…(the case) should work its way through the system. At some point in time, we’ll all go back to our lives and try to work on really important things, like lowering the crime rate, getting kids in school, creating jobs and cleaning up the corruption in the city.
FF: Let’s talk about the Convention Center. The Convention Center expansion will be built with union labor only. First, do you agree that this is the most effective use of taxpayer dollars? Second, the percentage of blacks in these unions is quite low; their numbers are much higher in the non-union workforce. Doesn’t that conflict with the City’s policies against discrimination, and how can that be tolerated? Does this amount to economic apartheid?
MN: I think the issue with most public projects is that you have to adhere to the prevailing wage standards, and in some instances the non-union companies don’t. The larger issue for me is that most of the projects that get built in Philadelphia, both public and private, are usually done (with) unions. They have a training program, there is a quality of work issue…so what I’m focused on is “how do we get more African-American, Latinos, women and others into the trades in the first place”, and make sure there is not, by happenstance, coincidence or direct effort, any obstacles placed in the way of people who want to participate in the incredible economic opportunities by getting a trade, being able to take care of themselves, and having a life sustaining work opportunity. So diversity in the construction trades, in the workforce, is a prominent issue in the city and very important to me.
FF: Even though there are more blacks in the non-union workforce than unions?
MN: I don’t know that to be the case. I haven’t seen any numbers about African-Americans in the union and non-unions workforce. I think what we can tell from observation on most work-sites is that you will not see a significant number of African-Americans, Latinos, Asians and women, and that has gone on for far too long. It is my goal to change that.
FF: Four municipal union contracts expire this year, just months after you are sworn in as Mayor. Many analysts say how you handle the unions will be a telltale sign of how successful your Administration will be. What are your thoughts as you head into negotiations?
MN: My thoughts are that I am going to have a fair, open, and honest dialogue with all four union leaders, and that I come at this from the perspective that those four leaders and myself have a primary responsibility to negotiate fair and reasonable contracts for our public employees, and those contracts have to be fair and reasonable to the taxpayers who pay the bill. Somewhere in that discussion I think we can reach agreement on making sure that our public employees receive fair wages, stable rates for their health care benefits, and that the full package is affordable to the taxpayers. It’s not easy, but it’s certainly doable if we’re all working in the spirit of cooperation and honesty.
FF: Let’s assume that you reach an impasse in the negotiations. Are you willing to take a strike, and if so, take your case directly to the people?
MN: Let’s assume that we have a fair and reasonable contract negotiation. I’ll worry about what happens six months from now when I get there.
Chris Freind can be contacted at CF@TheBulletin.us
Part Two of Freindly Fire’s exclusive interview with Michael Nutter will discuss the city’s underfunded pension, crime, public education, casinos and waterfront development.
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