Spring Break
Nutter reviews City's success
Omkar Baxi
Issue date: 1/9/09 Section: News
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According to Nutter, the administration succeeded in most of its goals for the City, but the success was eclipsed by the financial crisis. Nutter pledged that in 2009, the Philadelphia government will be more responsive to its citizens' needs.
The mayor said his primary goals for the first year of his administration were to move beyond the political isolation of Philadelphia from its neighbors, combat a reputation of corruption and build a better relationship with the residents of Philadelphia.
Nutter declared that he met his primary goals in 2008.
"Today, I report that your government has met the difficult challenges of 2008. We've become a more efficient steward of your tax dollars; created a strong culture of ethical behavior; brought new services to you and planted the seeds of reform," Nutter said.
However, not everyone in Philadelphia is happy with the Mayor's recent performance.
According to CBS3, firefighters are upset with the lackluster contract extensions offered by Nutter, as well as with his decision to close some fire companies around the City. The residents of Philadelphia were also very vocal about their feelings toward Nutter after he announced that some libraries and swimming pools would also close, as evidenced by the dissension and negative attitude toward Nutter in recent townhall meetings.
Diana Lind, the editor in chief of The Next American City, offered some advice to Nutter and said, "[Mayor Nutter] didn't show enough transparency in his decision to close the libraries. He needs to give [the public] more insight into how he is approaching the financial crisis."
Scott Knowles, professor in Drexel's History and Politics department, agreed that Nutter could have managed the fiscal crisis better by giving more notice about the service shutdowns and making the budget cuts affect all Philadelphia residents, not just the underprivileged.
"Shutting down the libraries and pools is similar to a regressive tax on the poorer and older populations that are heavily dependent on those services. For example, poorer residents use the libraries as a source of internet access and job searches," Knowles said.
Overall, Knowles was impressed by Nutter's actions over the year, citing the decrease in homicide rate and a better perception of City Hall. According to Knowles, the appointment of Barnett as managing director and Altman as deputy mayor of commerce, both of whom were previously outside of Philadelphia government, displayed that Nutter is looking past political appointments and is taking measures to make his administration a responsive government.
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