Citizens were given 2 minutes to give Mayor Nutter advice on balancing the budget.

Plan Philly’s website is the repository for all of the 2-minute videos being taped at the budget workshops. As of 1 p.m., they had most of the videos online for everyone to see. What you’ll see is your fellow neighbors making their case to Mayor Michael Nutter not to cut their favorite city programs.

Click Here for videos from Germantown

I worked at one of three video testimonial stations at last night’s budget workshop in Germantown and had a lot of people (in karate uniforms) talk about how important the Recreation Department has been for their efforts to teach kids martial arts. Many young adults explained to me how this program gave them an alternative to drugs and crime.  Also, last night, several guys said they were recently homeless but are now participating in the Ready, Willing and Able program that is giving them a place to stay, job training and a shot at turning their lives around.

At the first workshop, I recorded a number of testimonials from Fire Department supporters who stated that additional cuts to fire services would drastically lengthen response times and endanger citizens lives. One guy, a local blogger, called the entire budget workshop process a sham because he felt it offered citizens too-narrow choices.

After you browse the videos, let us know what you think. Is there anyone in their who should get their own TV show?