Michael Anthony Nutter
98th Mayor of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Incumbent
Assumed office January 7, 2008
Preceded by	John Street
Chairman of the Pennsylvania Convention Center Authority Board
In office February 3, 2003 – April 2, 2007
Preceded by	Bernard Watson
Succeeded by	Thomas Riley
Member of the Philadelphia City Council from the 4th District
In office January 7, 1992 – July 7, 2006
Preceded by	Ann Land
Succeeded by	Carol Campbell
Personal details
Born	June 29, 1957 (1957-06-29) (age 54) Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Political party	Democratic
Spouse(s)	Lisa Nutter
Alma mater	University of Pennsylvania
Religion	Baptist

Michael Anthony Nutter (born June 29, 1957) is the Mayor of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He is the third African-American mayor of Philadelphia, the largest city in the United States with an African-American mayor. Elected on November 6, 2007, he was sworn in on January 7, 2008. Nutter is a former councilman of the city's 4th Council District, which includes the neighborhoods of Wynnefield, Overbrook, Roxborough, Manayunk, East Falls and parts of North Philadelphia, West Philadelphia, and West Mount Airy. He has served as the 52nd Ward Democratic Leader since 1990.

He and former mayor John Street clashed at times over policy and reform. On June 27, 2006, Nutter resigned from the council to run for mayor. Mayor Nutter endorsed Hillary Rodham Clinton for president during the 2008 Democratic primary, and often campaigned with the Senator. After Clinton's withdrawal Nutter became a vocal supporter of Democratic nominee Barack Obama.

Early life

Nutter grew up in West Philadelphia. He attended elementary school at Transfiguration of Our Lord Catholic Elementary School and graduated from the school. He then attended St. Joseph's Preparatory School in North Philadelphia before moving on to earn a degree from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.

Political career

In June 2002, as councilman, Nutter introduced a measure requiring college students under 23 years old in Philadelphia's Fourth Council District (students at Saint Joseph's University) to register their address, license plate, car registration and insurance with the University, which would then put a sticker on that car as a "student" car, subjecting the student to triple the usual fines for traffic or parking tickets or any other offense. The ordinance also forced students in off-campus housing to inform their landlords of their "student" status.

In September 2004, as councilman, Nutter introduced legislation creating an independent Ethics Board. In addition, he proposed changes to the City's Ethics Code to provide for routine training and education of all City officers and employees, the issuance of advisory opinions, the adjudication of violations, and the imposition of civil fines. These measures were adopted at the end of 2005. On May 16, 2006, voters approved the Ethics Board ballot question with over 81% voting “Yes,” and was installed November 27, 2006.

Nutter sponsored "The Clean Indoor Air Worker Protection Law," expanding the definition of "public places" where smoking is not allowed to include restaurants and many bars, which Mayor Street eventually signed into law.

Nutter's "Philly First" program, which took effect on July 1, 2004, gives preference to Philadelphia businesses in competitive bidding on City contracts greater than $25,000.

In January 2005, the City announced a library reorganization plan in which 20 branches would shift from full-day service to half-day service, and that many head librarians had been laid off. Library supporters rejected these changes and petitioned the mayor and City Council to restore service and staffing levels. Then-councilman Nutter called for an investigation to evaluate the Library System and explore alternatives to find additional funding in order to restore service. City Council rejected the Administration's cut, funding was restored, and by the Fall of 2005 all library branches had full-day service, Saturday hours, and a head librarian.

Nutter speaking at a rally in support of Barack Obama in October 2008

He supported having the City of Philadelphia declare a "Crime Emergency" in selected areas of Philadelphia. This would have stationed more officers in certain areas of Philadelphia, limited the ability to gather on public sidewalks, imposed a curfew for all residents, and limited the ability to travel in certain areas. The proposal included a warrant-less police search technique known as "stop-and-frisk." Nutter claims that this approach is sufficiently similar to one that was found to be Constitutional by the United States Supreme Court in 1968 in Terry v. Ohio, but it still has not been determined if this specific exercise is in violation of Fourth Amendment rights. A version of this plan was later implemented by Nutter and was the target of a lawsuit.

Nutter supports the eviction of the Cradle of Liberty Council of the Boy Scouts of America from their headquarters on the Ben Franklin Parkway. In a televised debate on NBC 10 Live @ Issue he said, "In my administration, we will not subsidize discrimination."

2007 mayoral race

Nutter positioned himself as a reformer. On April 27, 2007, The Philadelphia Inquirer announced that it would endorse Nutter for the Democratic primary. Nutter was also endorsed by the Philadelphia Daily News, Philadelphia magazine, Northeast Times, Philadelphia City Paper, Philadelphia Weekly, Philly for Change (a local affiliate of Democracy for America), The Daily Pennsylvanian, the Penn Democrats, and Clean Water Action. Nutter won the May 15 Democratic primary election with 37% of the vote in a five-man field, which made him the strong favorite in heavily Democratic Philadelphia.

Indeed, on November 6, 2007, Nutter won the general election in a landslide, receiving 86 percent of the vote; his opponent, Al Taubenberger, received 13 percent of the vote.

Mayor of Philadelphia

Despite some residents' high hopes about Mayor Nutter, his tenure as mayor has been characterized by falling tax revenues due to the recession that came into full force as Nutter came into office. When Nutter came into office, the city faced a projected budget deficit of $650 to 850 million over the next five years (2009–2013) due to the recession. As a result, Nutter has closed recreational facilities, cut funding for Philadelphia's traditional Mummers Parade on New Year's Day, and cut other services from the budget. Mayor Nutter has closed 7 fire companies including the oldest fire company in the nation (engine 8). Although he was successful in closing the budget gap, he has come under criticism for using up political capital to save a few million dollars on a politically unpopular move, attempting to close city libraries.

Recently, Nutter was seen in the movie Law Abiding Citizen as the Deputy Mayor of Philadelphia. He also was a speaker during the Distinguished Lecture Series at the Fels Institute of Government.

2011 mayoral race

Nutter announced that he would run for reelection on December 22, 2010. He easily won the primary election against Milton Street, getting 76% of the vote. Despite the lopsided victory, Street capturing 24% of the Democratic vote astonished many and served to diminish Nutter. He will face Karen Brown in the general election on November 8, 2011. A hypothetical matchup poll conducted by the Garin-Hart-Yang Research Group between him and Brown showed Nutter leading with 74%.

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