Michael Nutter
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Michael Anthony Nutter | |
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| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office January 7, 2008 |
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| Preceded by | John F. Street |
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Chairman of the Pennsylvania Convention Center Authority Board
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| In office 2003 – N/A |
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| Succeeded by | N/A |
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Member of the Philadelphia City Council, 4th District
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| In office 1992 – June 27, 2006 |
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| Succeeded by | Carol Ann Campbell |
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| Born | June 29, 1957 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Lisa Nutter |
| Alma mater | University of Pennsylvania |
| Religion | Baptist |
Michael Anthony Nutter (born June 29, 1957) is the Mayor of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Elected on November 6, 2007, he was sworn in on January 7, 2008. Nutter is a former councilman of the city's 4th Council District, which includes the neighborhoods of Wynnefield, Overbrook, Roxborough, Manayunk, East Falls and parts of North Philadelphia, West Philadelphia, and West Mount Airy. He has served as the 52nd Ward Democratic Leader since 1990.
He and former mayor John F. Street clashed over policy and reform. On June 27, 2006, Nutter resigned from the council to run for mayor.[1] Mayor Nutter recently endorsed Sen. Hillary Clinton for president. The mayor is often seen campaigning with the senator.
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[edit] Policy
In September 2004, as councilman, Nutter introduced legislation creating an independent Ethics Board. In addition, he proposed changes to the City's Ethics Code to provide for routine training and education of all City officers and employees, the issuance of advisory opinions, the adjudication of violations, and the imposition of civil fines. These measures were adopted at the end of 2005. On May 16, 2006, voters approved the Ethics Board ballot question with over 81% voting “Yes,” and was installed November 27, 2006.[2]
Nutter sponsored "The Clean Indoor Air Worker Protection Law," expanding the definition of "public places" where smoking is not allowed to include restaurants and many bars, which Mayor Street eventually signed into law.[3]
Nutter's "Philly First" program, which took effect on July 1, 2004, gives preference to Philadelphia businesses in competitive bidding on City contracts greater than $25,000.[4]
In January 2005, the City announced a library reorganization plan in which 20 branches would shift from full-day service to half-day service, and that many head librarians had been laid off. Library supporters rejected these changes and petitioned the mayor and City Council to restore service and staffing levels. Then-councilman Nutter called for an investigation to evaluate the Library System and explore alternatives to find additional funding in order to restore service.[citation needed] City Council rejected the Administration's cut, funding was restored, and by the Fall of 2005 all library branches had full-day service, Saturday hours, and a head librarian.
He supports having the City of Philadelphia declare a "Crime Emergency" in selected areas of Philadelphia.[citation needed] This would station more officers in certain areas of Philadelphia, limit the ability to gather on public sidewalks, impose a curfew for all residents, and limit the ability to travel in certain areas. The proposal includes a warrant-less police search technique known as "stop-and-frisk." Nutter claims that this approach is sufficiently similar to one that was found to be Constitutional by the United States Supreme Court in 1968 in Terry v Ohio, but it still has not been determined if this specific exercise is in violation of Fourth Amendment rights.[5]
Nutter supports the eviction of the Cradle of Liberty Council of the Boy Scouts of America from their headquarters on the Ben Franklin Parkway. In a televised debated on NBC 10 Live @ Issue he said, "In my administration, we will not subsidize discrimination."[6]
Nutter endorsed Hillary Clinton for the 2008 US Presidential Election.
[edit] 2007 mayoral race
Nutter has positioned himself as a reformer.[7] On April 27, 2007, The Philadelphia Inquirer announced that it would endorse Nutter for the Democratic primary.[8] Nutter has also been endorsed by the Philadelphia Daily News[9], Philadelphia magazine[10], Northeast Times[11], Philadelphia City Paper[12], Philadelphia Weekly[13], Philly for Change[14] (a local affiliate of Democracy for America), The Daily Pennsylvanian [15], the Penn Democrats[16], and Clean Water Action.[17] Nutter won the May 15 Democratic primary election with 37% of the vote in a five-man field, thus making himself the assumed victor of the overall election in this overwhelmingly Democratic city.
On November 6, 2007, Nutter was declared the winner of the general election after only one percent of the returns had come in. In a historic landslide, Nutter won with 86 percent; his opponent, Al Taubenberger, received 13 percent of the vote.
The campaign was a success and was seen by many political commentators as humanizing the candidate.[18] The New York Times deemed Nutter "the Seabiscuit of this year’s urban politics."[19]
[edit] External links
[edit] References
- ^ Gelbart, Marcia (June 27, 2006). "Nutter to resign, run for mayor,". The Philadelphia Inquirer: B01.
- ^ City of Philadelphia Board of Ethics
- ^ http://www.nutter2007.com/bio.php
- ^ http://www.nutter2007.com/bio.php
- ^ http://www.nutter2007.com/images/uploads/Safety_Now_Latest.pdf
- ^ Fitzgerald, Thomas. "Taubenberger takes on Nutter in a final debate", Philadelphia Inquirer, November 5, 2007.
- ^ What Nutter said: Ethics Statement. Thenextmayor.com. Retrieved on 2007-04-29.
- ^ Maykuth, Andrew (April 27, 2007). "Inquirer endorses Nutter". The Philadelphia Inquirer.
- ^ "MICHAEL NUTTER FOR MAYOR" (May 4, 2007). Philadelphia Daily News.
- ^ "Nutter for Mayor" (May, 2007). Philadelphia.
- ^ "Nutter is the best choice" (May 3, 2007). The Northeast Times.
- ^ Taussig, Doron (May 2, 2007). "Michael Nutter for Mayor". Philadelphia City Paper.
- ^ Whitaker, Tim (May 9, 2007). "Editor's Note - Nutter for Mayor". Philadelphia Weekly.
- ^ PFC Members Endorse Michael Nutter. Philly for Change. Retrieved on 2007-05-07.
- ^ "Nutter for mayor" (April 25, 2007). The Daily Pennsylvanian.
- ^ The University of Pennsylvania Democrats - Michael Nutter - Endorsed by the Penn Democrats. University of Pennsylvania Democrats. Retrieved on 2007-05-07.
- ^ Mayoral and City Council Election Scorecard. Clean Water Action. Retrieved on 2007-05-07.
- ^ http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18706445/
- ^ Philadelphia - Crime Rate - Murder Rate - Michael Nutter - New York Times
| Preceded by John F. Street |
Mayor of Philadelphia 2008 – present |
Incumbent |
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