Well, it is of course an exciting time to be in Philadelphia. I know I speak for many when I say that it is a real pleasure to hear Michael Nutter speak, with his hopeful vision for the city. Of course, he does not have solutions for the major problems facing the city; and some of his proposals strike me as far-fetched or difficult to implement; but it is great to hear his pitch for civic involvement and a clear vision for what the city can be. I look forward to seeing what happens, and being a part of it.
So we will face an important decision in 4 years. Will we re-elect him or not? It is doubtful that any major tectonic shifts in attitude or social forces will have occurred; so we will have to decide on whether to support him based on some interval benchmarks.
So I ask now: What are the absolute MUSTs that must be in place in the spring of 2011 to assure your vote and support for Nutter II?
It will not be enough to insist "we are on the right track," He is a results-oriented guy, and we should outline now some benchmarks by which we will judge his efforts then.
Think measurable, think check-box; not vague feelings of progress, or a "Sense" that things are better.
Here's a quick list:
--Functioning 311 system where I can call and report the guys hanging out drinking 40's in front of my kid's school
--SEPTA automated ticket and magnetic stripe card readers at the pilot or further stage (yes I know he has no control over SEPTA but that is of course the point: He needs to coax SEPTA to move)
--sequential declines in the murder rate year to year (again: so many factors out of his control, but he campaigned on this issue, so we have to hold him to this)
I'd like to hear from some people who know, about some metrics regarding poverty, housing, litter, jobs, or other issues that worry us day to day.
This is a premature and
This is a premature and futile conversation. Let the man serve four years before we start talking about re-electing him. He hasn't even stepped in room 215 yet.
Agreed.
Let's not talk about 2011 right now. We have to get through 2007 still. And, O is right, he hasn't been sworn in. Until then, we will continue on with the John Street nightmare.
I am working to elect Larry Farnese to the General Assembly. Unless otherwise expressly stated, this and every comment or blog I post on YPP and any action I take hereon is solely attributable to me and not Farnese or Friends of Farnese
Not futile to articulate expectations
Well, I appreciate your point and your opinion, but I do not think it is unreasonable to talk about what we expect. Sooner than you know it, we will be talking about "what we expected," and I think it would be interesting to articulate what that is up front, before the rubber hits the road.
Political Doc
Agreed. I don't think that
Agreed. I don't think that is unreasonable at all.
It's not about 2011 it's about 2007
This is an interesting way to focus our attention on what our priorities are for the next year and next four years. I don't think anyone is really worrying about 2011.
For me it is:
Crime reduction through smarter policing.
Economic development and job creation through smart tax cuts and sensible investments in commercial corridors
A regional transit vision that gets buy in from the public and county governments (This might take five or six years to accomplish. I'd like to see some movement towards it.)
School improvements focusing on recruiting and training better teachers.
New administrators who begin the process of reinventing every department and who are always backed up by the Mayor when they run afoul of city councilmembers and ward leaders
Zoning reform that serves neighborhoods and the beginning of a new deal (or no deal) between neighborhoods and the city.
Most of this can be done administratively or by the Mayor building political support outside of council. That is good because I think Mayor Nutter is going to have to stand up to Council quite often to clean up our government in backing his department heads.
Speaking of the John Street nightmare
I will predict right now that, short of being caught with the proverbial live boy or dead girl, that Michael Nutter will be reelected in 2011.
--Tim
Political Doc, Let’s give Michael Nutter a chance
Political Doc,
This is premature. Those of us who worked so hard to elect Michael Nutter want to give the guy a chance before we start worrying about re-electing him in 2011.
He has been doing all the right things—-reaching out to elected officials in the suburbs and across the state, to Gov. Rendell, to Mayor Street, to those who supported other candidates in the primary, to the City unions. He even went to Tom Cronin’s retirement party.
He is so concerned about the prisoner-entry issue that he decided it could not wait until he was mayor and he asked Councilman Goode for his support in passing legislation to provide incentives for businesses to hire ex-offenders.
I, and many other Nutter supporters, are so impressed with what he has been doing during this transition period.
I hope young people on this blog are sending in their résumés. Michael Nutter has talked about the importance of involving young people in city government. He stated how impressed he was when he visited other cities to see young people in key positions in local government.
Michael Nutter, unlike mayors in the past who were primarily concerned with rewarding their campaign contributors, will (I believe) reach out to talented people who may not have been his supporters initially but who have much to give to our city.
So let’s not put our energy into thinking what we will demand of him to get our support in 2011. Let’s at least for now think about what we can do to support his efforts to help our city realize its potential.