Dear Friends:

Matt McClure is very close to being the next Councilman from the 4th District! Political observers across the City say he has the best chance of any challenger to knock off an incumbent. He's also got the support of the Inquirer, Governor Ed Rendell, Michael Nutter, and The Fallser. Matt clearly has momentum.

But he still needs your help in order to win! Please make sure to vote for him tomorrow - Button #94 - and if you have any time at all tomorrow, please volunteer to spread the word about why folks need to vote for Matt, by working at a polling place or phone bank etc. If you have time to volunteer tonight or tomorrow, please send me an email at friedman19129@mac.com.

And please come by Billy Murphy's Irish Saloon at Conrad & Indian Queen Lane later Tuesday night from 8 p.m. to midnight to watch the returns come in and cheer on Matt's campaign....hope you can join us!

The Fallser - East Falls' community newspaper - has endorsed Michael Nutter for Mayor. Said the Fallser:

More than any other candidate, Mr. Nutter’s plans have both depth and substance. He is the brightest, most knowledgeable about Philadelphia and adjacent suburbs, and best able to articulate his plans for the city.

Mr. Nutter pledges to use the City’s economic development resources to create opportunities for all Philadelphians, including small business owners and middle class residents, now being squeezed out by Philadelphia’s shrinking job base. “I understand how to create neighborhood jobs,” he says, “I’ve been doing it as a District Council member for 15 years.”

P.S. East Falls is a fairly large neighborhood with more than 10,000 people.

My friend Matt McClure got the nod from the Inky. They said:

"He's bright, well-prepared and passionate about reforming the way City Hall operates. He's an advocate of bringing the 311 government service hotline to Philadelphia, along with the CitiStat accountability program credited with perking up services in Baltimore. As a real estate lawyer, McClure sees how the city's current zoning and planning chaos ill serves both neighborhoods and good developers who seek to invest in Philadelphia."

From the Daily News' press release:

PHILADELPHIA, MAY 3, 2007 – The Philadelphia Daily News today announced that it will endorse Michael Nutter in tomorrow’s edition of the newspaper.

“When people talk about Philadelphia, they talk about a city on the verge — not of bankruptcy, but of greatness. That's why the next few years matter so much.

That's why we endorse Michael Nutter for Mayor.

“Nutter has the intelligence, the vision, and the experience necessary to take this city into its rightful future, and to rewrite the old "corrupt and content" story of machine politics, insider deals and pay-to-play,” according to the editorial.

The endorsement comes twelve days before the Democratic primary.

Known for its aggressive coverage of local politics, The Daily News has partnered with WHYY-TV and the Committee of Seventy to create www.thenextmayor.com in which additional information about the endorsement and the mayoral campaign is available.

The Northeast Times - a publication covering the vast, heavily populated northeast section of Philadelphia - has endorsed Mike Nutter for Mayor.

The paper calls Nutter "the best choice" and says that Nutter has "more to offer Philadelphia’s future than the other candidates, and he has no tangible negatives."

And further, "[w]ith 15 years’ experience representing a Council district that is as socioeconomically and racially diverse as Philadelphia as a whole, Mr. Nutter has a strong record of achievement, a strong sense of where and how to guide the city, and a firm grasp of the challenges that face the city."

On the 135th Anniversary of Arbor Day, Matt McClure, candidate for the Fourth Council District, released his plan for making immediate improvements to Fairmount Park by providing secure and adequate financial resources and clearly accountable leadership to make system-wide improvements.

Once elected, McClure has committed to immediately fighting for complete implementation of the Fairmount Park Commission’s Five Year Funding Plan. The majority of Fairmount Park’s 9,200 acres lies within the Fourth Councilmanic District.

Michael Nutter, Democratic candidate for Mayor, today announced that his campaign raised more than $60,000 from more than 313 online donors in the last three days - Friday, April 27 through Sunday, April 29. The Nutter Campaign said that more than 4,050 people have made a donation to his campaign for Mayor since he began his campaign last year. In 2006, Nutter raised more money and had more donors than any of the other four Mayoral candidates, evidence of his broad, Citywide support.

See America's Hometown for more.

Mike Nutter's latest TV ad can be found here. It's pretty punchy, and details the 10 things that he'd do - initially - once in office. #10 has a funny ending. #1 and #2 are "hire a new police commissioner" and "do a national search for a new school district CEO", respectively.

Michael Nutter has been endorsed by the 27th Ward for Mayor. This Ward covers much of University City in West Philadelphia. Philadelphia's own Chris Bowers - a Committeeperson from the 27th - posted news of the endorsement on his blog, MyDD. Chris reports that the Ward Committee endorsed Nutter on the first ballot with over 75% of the vote.

My friend Matt McClure has released his education policy paper:

"Matt will fight to ensure that every neighborhood has its fair share of excellent educational opportunities. Educational alternatives in close proximity to one's home are essential. Every family deserves a quality, community-based educational system - public, parochial and charter - that is responsive to the needs of all residents. The School District deserves a greater investment from City funds, but Matt will ensure that this appropriation will only occur if leveraged for a commitment to improve the Fourth District's schools."

A link to the full plan is here:

http://mcclureforcouncil.com/McClure_Education_Plan.pdf

Nutter will be endorsed by Philly Mag in the May issue - hitting newsstands Thursday.

Said Philadelphia Magazine:

"We interviewed all five Democratic candidates, and the nearly unanimous view of the staff was that only Michael Nutter has the vision and sense of urgency to tackle the city’s problems, from ethics to tax cuts to taking on the murder epidemic. In the end, we felt that Nutter has the best potential to be an inspiring leader and to speak to all Philadelphians.”

PHILADELPHIA: Philadelphia’s Firefighters union, International Association of Firefighters Local 22, today endorsed Matt McClure for the May 15th primary in the 4th Councilmanic District. The endorsement by the union is the latest sign of McClure’s growing momentum heading into the final weeks of the campaign.

“I could not be more proud to receive the endorsement of true heroes like Philadelphia’s firefighters,” said McClure today. “Every day, they risk their lives to protect us and our families. We need to do more to support them and help them do their job.”

As a member of City Council, McClure will work to ensure that the firefighters get the support they deserve. He will work to keep open firehouses, fight any attempt to lessen their health coverage and put paramedics on each engine company to help save more lives.

According to the Philadelphia Metro, "Mayoral candidate Michael Nutter says the host of ideas he has laid out this year will cost the city $591 million over five years. Today, he releases a plan that shows where the extra $591 million will come from."

The link to the article is here: http://philly.metro.us/metro/local/article/Nutters_so_money/8029.html

The article notes that "Nutter becomes the first candidate to lay out a full accounting of how he will pay for all of his campaign promises, some of which would require reforms in government, collection of back taxes or going after additional grants."

Nutter's plan can be downloaded from his campaign website at www.nutter2007.com. While you're there, you can also check out his great new ad, featuring his daughter. Mike Nutter is the only candidate running for mayor with a child in the Philadelphia public school system.

From today's Daily News:

"City Council candidate Matthew McClure yesterday sent letters to the district attorney, attorney general and the city's Board of Ethics, accusing primary opponent Councilwoman Carol Ann Campbell of campaign finance violations and calling for an investigation."

Here's the link:
http://www.philly.com/dailynews/local/20070413_McClure_wants_Campbell_in...

Disclosure: I'm a McClure supporter and have been volunteering on his campaign.