A Victory for Nutter and the City of Philadelphia
Councilman Nutter’s ethics reform ballot initiative passed yesterday by a 6-to-1 ratio, the largest margin for such a measure in 15 years. The huge margin of victory dispels two myths:
(1) That Philadelphians don’t want an ethical, reform-oriented government; they clearly expect it, and
(2) That Councilman Nutter is a “lone wolf” and that he has no political base. From getting this measure through Council to galvanizing overwhelming public support at the polls, Councilman Nutter has shown himself to be quite adept at both the “inside” and “outside” components of the local political game.
(1) That Philadelphians don’t want an ethical, reform-oriented government; they clearly expect it, and
(2) That Councilman Nutter is a “lone wolf” and that he has no political base. From getting this measure through Council to galvanizing overwhelming public support at the polls, Councilman Nutter has shown himself to be quite adept at both the “inside” and “outside” components of the local political game.
4 comments:
What an awesome day for the City! Isn't it strange that we all haven't heard a peep from the Mayor?
What could he possibly say, that wouldn't be characterized as either hypocritical or self-serving (or both)? It's a no-win situation, so he might as well take a pass.
This hardly means that Nutter either has a base or can build coalitions. Nor does presenting voters with one-sided demagogue choices mean that he has energized popular support. "Do you want your taxes cut? Do you want ethics reform? Do you like children? Is violence bad? Are flowers pretty?" Come on. Jumping on bandwagons driven by the media and the Chamber hardly makes one a leader. Mr Nutter has been in office since, what, 1991? Why did it take him 14 years to "lead" us all to his version of ethics reform?
It certainly does provide evidence of Nutter's ability to build coalitions. Does he have a base? Does Nutter have a “base”? Well, he’s been elected four times in the 4th District and has served for 14 years; the last two elections he had no primary opponent. The 4th is one of the most racially and socio-economically diverse in the City. It contains five wards, one of which Councilman Nutter leads. He’s the Vice Chair of the African-American Ward leaders organization and the Vice Chair of the Black Elected Officials of Philadelphia. Besides his geographic and political base, he’s earned the support of thinking Philadelphians who care about issues and want to turn things around in the City they love. He Chairs the board of the Convention Center and was elected by the other members of the Board.
Why has he been working on ethics agressively during the last few year? It's emerged as a major obstacle to good government in the City over the past few years.
Who do you think would make a better Mayor?
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