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to promote civic engagement in the Philadelphia region.Would you re-elect Mayor Nutter if the election were held today?
Thursday, January 14th, 2010 at 2:47 pm - by Alan Tu. Filed under: Budget, Community.
So much has happened since Michael Nutter was sworn in as Mayor of Philadelphia two years ago. Even for his supporters, it’s probably hard to remember the euphoria of that day. Finally, we thought, here’s a man who knew how city government worked but was also fed up with its inefficient ways.
In his inauguration speech (pdf), he laid an ambitious agenda. He promised to get a handle on violent crime. For homicide in particular, he called for a reduction of between 30 and 50 percent.
So, how’s he doing on that? Well, if he reduced 2007’s 392 homicide rate by 30 percent, then we could expect about 275 homicides a year.
In 2008, there were 333 reported murders. That’s a 15 percent drop. Not bad.
In 2009, that number was 305. That’s a 22 percent drop from the 2007 figures. Pretty good.
I’d say we’re on track with that goal.
Mayor Nutter got an earful from angry residents after he announced major budget cuts in late 2008
Other goals, however, will be a lot harder to quantify. Those are things like doubling the number of students who finish college in Philadelphia. Sure, there will be statistics we could look too, but, up or down, who’s to say this mayor could take the credit, or blame. Let’s put goals like these go in the “Hope” bucket.
Then there is the recession. Without it, would Philadelphia be gun-free utopia for bicycling paradise intellectuals? Maybe not, but it would be equally wrong to measure the mayor’s performance with a pre-recession yard stick.
If Mayor Nutter decides to run for re-election in 2011, will he deserve four more years?
While it may be be too early to make that call, what if the election were held today. Would you vote for him?
To give you an idea of how other people rate the mayor so far, here are some of the mid-term report cards we’ve gathered so far.
Fmr Phila. Managing Director Phil Goldsmith
Northern Liberties Neighbors Association President Matt Ruben
Fmr Phila. Education Secretary Debra Kahn
Penn Future Outreach Director Christine Knapp
Artblog co-founders Roberta Fallon and Libby Rosof
What do you think? Would you re-elect Mayor Nutter if the election were held today?
January 14th, 2010 at 4:49 pm
Yes. Without hesitation. His priorities and judgment I still appreciate. The economic crisis is not his fault.
January 15th, 2010 at 5:20 am
I was about to write something more or less critical of Nutter, but then I had a thought. Imagine if the financial crisis had hit and John Street was still at the helm?
I guess I’m somewhat disappointed in some of the not-so-new day, new way decisions and reflexive actions the Nutter administration took. They’ve shown themselves to be pretty old way democrats on a number of occasions and the libraries debacle was just a disaster. It made being a Nutter-supporter a difficult thing. But, if the bar is set at John Street, then Nutter is a pole-vaulter.
There have been accomplishments, and I sense the tide of public opinion beginning to break on the side of Nutter. I believe him to be an honest broker, which is something Philadelphia needs. Ultimately, knowing the bread and butter of Philly politicians, it would take some pretty stellar opposition (John Oates, for example) for me to vote against him.
May 1st, 2010 at 8:34 pm
Yo, like who’s John Oates?
Bobby
August 1st, 2010 at 11:20 pm
No, not at all! I think Mayor Nutter is and should be a one term mayor. If it weren’t for media coverage, there would be a lot more attention on the issues with the city that cost us tax payers a lot more money (millions).
Why is the city in the business of owning a Nursing Home (Philadelphia Nursing Home - PNH)? People are warehoused in PNH like animals, the level of care is repulsive and the consumers there aren’t given the opportunity to choose a better level of care in their own homes.
Mayor Nutter needs to turn his attention and focus on stopping the admissions at PNH. This will indeed save the city millions of dollars per year.