The Next Mayor

The Pennsylvania Intergovernmental Cooperation Authority or PICA (pike-uh), released its analysis of the City's FY07 fund balance (def: the amount by which revenue was over or under expenses - in this case over).

You see, the city is required, every year, to create a 5-year plan which anticipates the next 5 fiscal years and takes steps to make sure that the budget remains balanced or in surplus during that time. So estimates are made. In this case, the city estimated that they would have positive fund balance of about $215 million. That "balance" would then be carried over and factored into future budgets. In other words, this doesn't mean the city has an extra $215 million. All of that money has already been allocated.

However, when the 2007 fiscal year ended (last June) it became clear that the fund balance was actually about $297 million or about $80 million more than they had anticipated. THAT is an extra $80 million.

Imagine your own household budget as a comparison. In September you plan out the final three months of the year. For October you anticipate that your household will take in about $5000 bucks after taxes. You expect to spend (on housing, food, health care, entertainment, travel, utilities, etc.) about $4000. However, you know that in November and December, with the holidays coming, you'll need to use that extra thousand bucks. So you factor it in and end up with an anticipated balanced budget for those three months.

October comes and goes and at the end you realize that you actually took in about $6000 (you worked extra hours, won a grand in a raffle or one of your investments paid off bigger than expected). So now you DO have an extra $1000 because when you planned things out, you were able to balance your budget without it.

That's essentially what happened with the City. Here's how our analogy works:

- your next "3 months" = the city's next 5 years
- your October = the city's 2007 fiscal year
- your $5000 income for October = the city's revenue for 2007 (around $3.7 billion)
- your $4000 in expenses = the city's expenses for 2007
- your anticipated extra $1000 = the city's anticipated positive fund balance of $215 million
- the extra $1000 you ended up with on top of that = the extra $80 million the city ended up with
- the extra hours, raffle winnings and investment income that got you the extra $1000 = the city's higher than expected tax revenue, higher payments from the state government, and higher than expected interest income.

So does this mean you can expect an extra $1000 bucks every month? If you heed the same warnings that PICA makes for the city, you'd realize that you have to:

- Stop factoring in the repayment of that $1000 loan you made to your unemployed, drunken, unreliable uncle as part of your income in December. For the city that means, stop anticipating repayment of a $45 million loan from PGW as part of your future revenue.

- Understand that your kid is not going to go to college for free on a baseball scholarship and start getting ready for it. For the city that means, knowing that it's could be paying more to its employees for salary and benefits when their contracts expire in the summer of '08.

- Understand that your parents are going to stop slipping you $50 bucks a month. In the city's case, the federal and state governments are going to reduce the amount of cash they send its way.

- "brace" for the fact that you're younger kid is going to need orthodontic work. The city is going to have to cough up some money to the school district, which is anticipating some funding difficulties of its own.

So what should you do with that $1000? Again, if you follow PICA's suggestions for the City, you would:

- Pay back the money you borrowed from your 401k which caused it to become seriously underfunded. For the city that means actually paying the employee pension fund now, while they have this unanticipated money, to take a step toward fixing that severely underfunded obligation.

- Hire a contractor to fix that leak in your dining room ceiling that you think is coming from your bathroom but isn't so annoying as long as you put a bucket under it to catch the drips. This way, you won't be faced with a MUCH larger bill when your bath tub ends up on your Thanksgiving dinner. For the city, this means putting the extra $80 million into much needed infrastructure improvements.

- Pay down your credit card so you can reduce the amount you pay each month on finance charges. Pretty obvious one here. The city paid about $43 million more for debt service in 2007 than it did in $2001 (and it's only going to get worse). That's $43 million that didn't go to hiring police or mowing the grass at rec centers.

- Use the money to pay your tuition for your MBA so you can make the big bucks. For the city that means paying for a more competitive tax structure so that more businesses and people will move in and, in turn, increase revenues.

- Set the money aside, somewhere safe, and don't touch it unless there's an absolute emergency - like a car accident or health problem. In the city's case, that means establishing a rainy day fund in case their some totally unanticipated emergency that requires several million dollars. Emergencies include: lower than expected revenue because of a recession, a huge snowstorm requiring massive overtime costs, etc.

Of course you can divide your $1000 bucks among a number of these things, just like the city can divide its $80 million.

So now, we wait and see what the city will do.

(edited to add) So far, the Philadelphia Business Journal is the only publication I've seen that has covered this story. Hopefully they'll keep track of what the city does too.

That was the theme of today's Get Out the Vote/Heal the City rally. Several prominent Democratic officials and candidates shared the stage in what was originally intended as a pre-Election Day event but was transformed at the last minute into another kind of call to action.

One speaker after another, from Superior Court candidates to Congressman Fattah to Democratic mayoral nominee Michael Nutter spoke about the need for mitigating the poverty that drives people to such desperate acts AND for the personal responsibility necessary to make the right choices.

Nutter had several such moments in which he attempted to recapture John Kennedy's famous inaugural exhortation. He challenged the crowd, made up mostly of white, building trades workers and union members, to ask themselves how they could make a difference in their communities and in the lives of young people in the city. In an eerie coincidence, just as Nutter began his speech, he paused for several seconds as an ambulance made it's way past LOVE park, speeding north on 16th street.

"After the events of the last few days, many of will think differently when we hear such a noise," he said, "rather than just considering it a truck with lights and loud noises, it'll be symbol that one of our fellow Philadelphians is in trouble."

At the end of his speech, Nutter referenced his wonkish reputation. Gesturing towards City Hall he said, "When I worked across the street, many people said that I was all about the numbers. Well, I have three numbers for you today - 18, 25 and 45. Forty-five percent of our students graduate drop out (corrected. Must have misread my notes from Friday. - dp) from high school. We have a 25 percent poverty rate. Eighteen percent of our city's residents have a four-year bachelor's degree."

He went on to say that those three numbers are connected and that while there are many things that government can't do, it can affect those three numbers.

Other interesting moments:

- Chaka Fattah pledging to do everything he can in Congress to bring back the resources that "the next mayor, Michael Nutter" will need to improve Philadelphia. He then shook Nutter's hand.

- Lynn Abraham noted the name of the artist who is designing the expansion to the Free Library.

- Nutter, mentioning all of the alternative activities that could help keep children and young adults off the street corner - "where two things can happen, either we [the cops] will pick you up or somebody will shoot you" - mentioned boy's and girl's clubs and specifically mention "the scouts." Interesting, given all of the controversy surrounding the Boy Scouts lately.

Back in the spring, when Michael Nutter collected so many newspaper endorsements he could wallpaper his den with them, the one paper that went for another candidate was the Philadelphia Tribune.

Well, today, he can count them among his editorial backers.

With his "Al the Underdog" spot... his only spot... I saw it this morning during the Today Show/NBC news...

This is a real blast from the past. Two years ago, we asked readers to write their "help wanted" ad for the next mayor. We got a bunch then... and, out of the blue, got another today!

(Sorry that the cloning option isn't available.)

All the ad must say is:

We want a clone of Ed Rendell.

It's time for change.

We want a leader to bring back civilization to the city!

We want a professional business man who will work with the Police Commissioner and lock up the animals that are dragging down the City of Brotherly Love with their drugs and guns.

If you'd like to join the parties, Nutter will watch the returns and host a party at the Warwick Hotel in Center City. Taubenberger will do the same at Knowlton Mansion in the Northeast, reports Catherine Lucey in her story today,

First... Will Bunch has some criticism (or is it, Attytood?) for Michael Nutter for, as Bunch puts it, reducing a "nuanced issue to a bumper sticker" -

It's a complicated issue -- a Mayor Nutter will need to send a certain message himself to Washington, about a federal role in putting more cops on the streets and curbing guns, and as Democrat, he should be focused next year in getting one of his own kind in the White House. But this ad reduces that nuanced issue to a bumper sticker, and a fairly pointless one.

Then again... that's pretty much what all 30-second campaign spots do. (Speaking of which, is anyone else as sick of all references to the New Jersey state assembly as I am?) Anyway, I suppose the same sentiment holds true for the full page ad that Nutter is running in today's Inquirer (in my copy it's on page B-9). Under "Top 3 Reasons to VOTE for Michael Nutter and Democrats" it says:

3. When Democrats win, it makes George Bush mad
2. Electing Democratic judges is the best way to protect our Democracy
1.

"1" stands for "push button 1" to vote for all the Democrats on the ticket. Nutter's ad exhorts people to step into the booth and mindlessly vote straight ticket. But let's go back to #3 for a sec. "Makes George Bush mad?" What is this? Preschool? Why didn't he just say "makes George Bush cry."

In the end, this is a political campaign and even mayors have to play that political game - spending his money to get other Democrats elected ensures that when it comes time to repay the favor, they'll be more likely to help him fix the city. It just has such a childish, insulting, and somewhat skeevy feel about it.

Next item...

In yesterday's debate on NBC 10's "Live at Issue," an apparently exasperated Michael Nutter finally seemed to put his finger on Taubenberger's problem with Nutter's plan to get illegal guns off the streets:

Nutter said opposition to his policy, including Police Commissioner Sylvester M. Johnson's contention that it would be a disaster, amounted to a hang-up over semantics.

"How about 'Stop Killing People?' We could call it that," Nutter said. "If people want to change the name . . . that's fine with me. What I'm interested in is results - whatever gets more weapons off the streets of Philadelphia legally and constitutionally."

And now we've come full circle. Waaay back in January when Nutter and Fattah were releasing their crime plans within days of each other (Nutter's was based on testimony he had given the previous August to the state house judiciary committee), I mentioned how Nutter didn't dance around the issue, seemingly embracing the term "stop and frisk" as part of his extensive crime plan. I even commented somewhere (can't seem to find it) that any candidate who uses this phrase runs the risk of having the media and his opponents reducing their entire crime plan to a three-word scare tactic. In fact, Nutter's suggestions to change the name to "Stop Killing People" makes a lot more sense than the idea I had in the title of this post.

Speaking of full page ads...

Even more infuriating than the Nutter ad referenced above is Al Taubenberger's brilliant attempt to get to 10% of the vote. In my paper it's on page A-5. (I don't know how advertising in the Inquirer works, but does that mean that Al paid more to be in the A section and have his ad go to folks all over the region including suburanites who can't vote for him?) In big bold words in the middle of an otherwise blank page, it reads:

100%
TAX ASSESSMENT?
NOT OVER
MY DEAD BODY.

At the bottom of the page is a picture of Taubenberger, looking grim with arms folded. Next to the picture:

TAUBENBERGER
AN UNDERDOG IN A CITY THAT LOVES UNDERDOGS. (probably not the most effective message given the Eagles' performance last night)

Talk about taking a nuanced issue and making it a bumper sticker. This fear-mongering, common denominator lowering, disengaging, down-dumbing, mind-numbing, disappointing, and pointless attempt does nothing but make it that much harder to have an actual, substantive and necessary conversation about this issue after the next mayor takes office. I can see plenty of City Council folks who will be just too happy and ready to hide behind this giant sheet of page A-5.

Let's hurry up and get this election over with so the real work can begin.

Philadelphia Magazine's blog, The Daily Examiner, got some dirt about a possible "almost-appointment" to the Nutter administration:

According to a source close to real estate tycoon Dan Neducsin, mayor-to-be Michael Nutter recently asked the “man who saved Manayunk” if he’d be interested in becoming his deputy mayor.

Both sides in this story deny that such a conversation took place and according to the Examiner's source, "Neducsin politely turned it down."

That's just a preview of the game that the media (including, admittedly, this site) will be playing in the coming weeks. Namely, who can be the first outlet to announce a major appointment to the new administration? Many of the items that appear on blogs will most likely have this "he said, he didn't say, he turned it down anyway" format. In fact, I was told weeks ago about a someone who was approached by the Nutter group to be a part of the administration and turned it down. That kind of thing is hardly important.

Let's just all keep in mind that the process of determining these folks is just as important, if not more so, than the people who get appointed. If the process is open, involves community and expert input and takes qualifications into account (not political qualifications, job qualifications) then we should be able to trust that the person who gets the job was the most qualified for it.

For those of you who want to see this Dan Neducsin in action, he was part of one of our Next Mayor Community Forums last year:

You can see all 6 excerpts from this forum here. The entire hour is available on Comcast Video OnDemand in the Get Local section.

You might need these numbers tomorrow:

To report complaints about polling problems or other Election Day complaints: Committee of Seventy Hotline: 215-557-3600
League of Women Voters /6ABC Election Hotline : 215-686-1590

To find your polling place: Committee of Seventy: 215-557-3600 or www.seventy.org/cac

For voter registration questions or problems: County Board of Elections, 215-686-1590

For rides to the polls: Democratic City Committee, 215-241-7800 or Republican City Committee, 215-561-0650

I'm sure Michael Nutter will be crying himself to sleep on a mattress stuffed with all of his other newspaper endorsements, since he didn't get the support of the Evening Bulletin. In fact, the Bulletin went out of its way to not-endorse Nutter, claiming that this is the first time they've ever done endorsements:

We say all this knowing that the Democrats have put up a quality candidate in Councilman Michael Nutter, certainly a cut above what they usually inflict on the electorate. But having said that, we still favor another quality candidate that the Republicans have put up. We endorse Al Taubenberger for mayor based on his resume and on the need to get Philadelphia out of a 50-year rut (or perhaps "ditch" would be a better word) of power in one party.

In other words, if the Democratic party in Philadelphia nominated Jesus Christ himself to be mayor and the Republicans opposed him with a can of tuna, the Bulletin would still endorse the Republican.

It's Election Day, and we're beginning our coverage of the events of the day!

We are sending more than 10 newsgatherers out into the field for you, who will be checking on turnout, polling issues, and any other news.

We'll update the blog all day -- and tonight, we'll bring you results of all the city races as they roll in. Stay tuned!

Front-runner Michael Nutter cast his vote early, almost as soon as the polls opened. The West Philadelphia resident voted at the John C. Anderson Culture Center at 5301 Overbrook Avenue.

He came with his wife, Lisa; daughter, Olivia; and a number of aides and friends.

Nutter took a moment to do a live interview with Fox 29, urging everyone to come out and vote -- despite the drizzly rain this morning.

"It's not like it's a hurricane," he said, when the reporter asked if he was concerned about the weather lowering turnout even further than the low levels that are expected. "It's just a little bit of rain."

And he said he was looking forward to moving into the next phase of his long journey to the mayor's office. "It's what we've prepared for over a year and a half."

Republican candidate Al Taubenberger plans to vote at 10 a.m. at Rhawn St. and Verree Rd.

7:00am
Nutter arrived with wife and daughter to vote. Everyone from the media crowded around him. He was all smiles and walked with confidence.

Nutter was then interviewed by FOX 29.

When asked about not getting enough sleep he said:

"I know a little about this job and I have been getting ready for it for long period of time. I look forward to the challenge, but I won't be down there by myself. I encourage all Philadelphia to be a part of this great experience."

Ironically, as he was trying to inspire people to vote, he and the media were blocking the polls. One woman voter was a little frustrated with this barrier.

Anne Ha is a Kensington resident and is a senior at Temple University majoring in broadcast journalism. Anne will be talking to Michael Nutter and voters around Philadelphia in the morning.

And sure, this is about the mayor's race. As you must know by now, the man suspected of slaying Officer Chuck Cassidy has been arrested in Miami. Keep up with the latest on www.philly.com.

Fox 29 this morning reported that Nutter has been briefed on the arrest.

(And it's great news to have this happen before Officer Cassidy's services tonight and tomorrow.)

Well, loyal readers, The Next Mayor project has taken steps to blanket the entire Greater Philadelphia region with volunteers from Temple University's journalism program. They'll be at polling places and with candidates throughout the day and into the evening. So without further ado, let's introduce our bloggers:

Click "Continue Reading" to read brief profiles and the assignments of each of our bloggers.

One of our loyal readers and frequent contributors had this to say about her voting experience this morning:

On this dark and dreary morning, my daughter, granddaughter and I approached our polling place shortly after it opened. A woman was emerging, grumbling about not having time to stand in such a long line to vote. "What happened?" I asked imagining an unexpected surge of voter turnout at 7 AM. "One of the machines is down," she reported, "You'll have to wait at least an hour!" she exclaimed and left. My daughter and I looked at each other and for a moment considered leaving as well.

Let's teach our children - Stand up. Be counted. Be heard. Make noise. Make waves. Make a ruckus. But whatever you do - don't walk away. I am glad my granddaughter got this lesson this morning. Even in the rain and gloom, there is still hope and promise for our communities and our future as long was we make noise.

My own Election Day story isn't as interesting or inspiring but I'll pass it along in a few minutes.

For me it's been a roller coaster ride. It's been incredible. I go back to last year when I resigned from City Council. People thought this guy had a snowball's chance, seems to have a few good ideas but no way would compete. We were competitive in raising money. We were competitive in volunteers and supporters.

Policy position papers and certainly debates and mayoral forums since the primary election the campaign have been about issues - no acrimony, no nastiness. Citizens wanted that and they deserve that. As I have said many many times, it's not a local version of American Gladiators. It's about issues, issues that matter to people.

We have to lower crime in the city. We have to educate our children, create jobs, and and restore integrity to government those have been my themes from the start of this campaign. They're going to continue to be through the course of this day, should I be successful during my
time in office.

Nutter on Charles Cassidy, the importance of voting, and John Lewis the alleged shooter… 5-10 minutes before the announcement made about the capture of Lewis.

[Cassidy] has been on my mind for a long period of time as have been the other officers who were shot earlier on the same week. These are the real things that affect people on a day-to-day basis and it's why people should come out to vote. We need a change in leadership and direction in policy. It is a way for people to express themselves. It is incredible. Of all the inhuman things that human beings can do to each other there is nothing less than a public assassination of that officer.

It's not acceptable under any set of circumstances. The Philadelphia Police Department will find this individual if he left the jurisdiction. I have not one doubt on my mind that other law enforcement agencies will track him down whether they are local or federal. This man will be brought to justice. There's no doubt on my mind about it. I would expect somewhere potentially in the next 24/48 hours we should know better what is going on. The hunt for this individual will not stop. The city will not rest. We will not have closure on this until he is back in custody in the city of Philadelphia and he will then have to deal with the criminal justice system.

Anne Ha is a Kensington resident and is a senior at Temple University majoring in broadcast journalism. Anne will be talking to Michael Nutter and voters around Philadelphia in the morning.

I was with Anne during Nutter's appearance at the Ace Diner and asked him for a reaction to John Lewis' capture:

Nutter:

"I'm glad they caught him. It was only a matter of time. You can't run, you can't hide. Either Philly PD is going to track you down or other law enforcement across the country. It's a tragedy what happened.

"I think it has galvanized support in the community and people understanding crime strikes everywhere. Someone's going to shoot down a Philadelphia Police Officer. How safe can the rest of any of us be?

"So, he'll be brought to justice. He's got to be accountable for what he did. He knows it was wrong. We'll get him back here in Philadelphia shortly."

Tim Jimenez is a senior broadcast journalism major at Temple University. Tim will be blogging from wherever he is assigned election night as a desk assistant for KYW News Radio.

I am currently with Al Taubenberger and have been following him around since 10 am. A few moments ago, I was standing with his whole family his wife, two daughters and his son. His youngest daughter just turned 18 and in her first vote today, voted for her father.

We started at the corner of Verree and Rhawn Street where Al and his family voted and now we're at the United Methodist Church of the Redeemer Cottman and Lawndale Avenues.

I will be following him until 7:30 tonight when I go back to his headquarters. We are currently headed to South Philadelphia for more Election Day activities. Check back for more later today.

Rachel Falcinelli is a senior broadcasting major at Temple University. Rachel will be talking to Al Taubenberger and find out why some people are voting for him. Rachel will talk to Al about the whether the Republican party can gain any traction in Philadelphia since there has not been a republican mayor in about 50 years. She will be with him day and night to and give readers a sense of what its like to hand out in an underdog candidate’s campaign.

-----------------------------------------

(added by Dan: Since Rachel will be on the road with Al throughout the day, spending a good deal of time in the car with his entourage, she'll be phoning in her reports and I'll be transcribing them as accurately and as quickly as I can.)

Taking a minute to talk suburban races...

When I went to my Delaware County polling place this morning, at about 9:15 a.m., I was interested to learn I was voter number 91. That's in a precinct of 900-some registered voters.

That was not a big turnout, given that we've got some hot races: David Landau has raised more than $200,000 in his quest to be the first Democrat on the Delaware County Council in nearly 30 years, and in my own neighborhood Democrat Larry Chrzan is running aggressively to unseat 7th ward commissioner Jim McGarrity (as my daughter said in the voting booth this morning, pointing to Chrzan's name, "He came to our house!" I quickly pointed out that McGarrity himself was standing right outside our polling location.)

I'm interested to see if turnout picks up -- and interested in the surprises that could result in Delco if it doesn't.

My colleague Tim and I hung around the polls after Nutter voted to speak to some of his constituents. Most of them said they came out in the rain to exercise their right in hope for a better future.

Jacquelien Allen from Wynnefield she voted with an "interest in making sure the city moves forward."

"Things have completely gotten out of hand to a level that's never been seen before," said Ben Benton of Wynnefield, who voted for Nutter.

He said he knows to solve the crime problem in the city will not be an easy task and that one man can not carry out that mission alone.

"[City government officials] will be able to make some difference as to what's going on out there. Hopefully, people will be safer in the city."

After that Tim and I headed over the Ace Dinner, where Nutter was having breakfast with his family. He took the time to speak to some of the people in the dinner. Tim was able to talk to him right as he was leaving the dinner to comment on the capture of John Lewis.

I was able to obtain a schedule from one of Nutter's people. Here it is and I will be right behind in every step of the way.

11:30 at the Breakfast club on Cecil B Moore
12:00 at Sheet Metal Workers Union Hall at 1300 S. Columbus Blvd.
1:00 at Sadiki at 71st and Ogontz
2:00 at 633 West Erie Ave
3:15 at Melrose Diner on Synder

Looks like a tight schedule. I hope I can travel in my car as fast as he can.

Anne Ha is a Kensington resident and is a senior at Temple University majoring in broadcast journalism. Anne will be talking to Michael Nutter and voters around Philadelphia in the morning.

Another one of our frequent contributors and longtime readers, Mark Chalupa had this to say:

I was number 25 at my polling place. I voted to not retain any of the judges. Yes, I know, some of them deserve to be retained. But I want Harrisburg to convene a Constitutional Convention, and if there is a bloodbath in the judges retention ballot, I might see one.

Local politicians and volunteers working the polls in Chalfont, Bucks County were disappointed at the low turnout at this morning elections. With the polls open for a little over two hours, only fifty people actually showed up to place their vote.

State Representative Chuck McIlhinney (R) said he would surprised if even 30 percent of the voting population decides to show up today.

Volunteers working the polls claim part of the poor turnout could be due to rainy weather as of this morning. Others say that since this is an off year election many people don’t feel that it is as important as the Presidential or Senatorial Election.

Major issues facing the Bucks County Candidates are Open Space, Route 202 traffic and continuing development in the area.

Meanwhile, in New Britain, Bucks County, Jim Scanzillo - Republican running for re-election for New Britain Township Supervisor - has been a resident for 21 years and has been serving the public for the past 18 years. A major issue he plans to address is control on development. He feels that all the other problems such as congestion and traffic stem from excessive development.

Scanzillo’s opponent, Democrat John Mihalich proposes to address the same issue as his opponent, but in addition he would like to curb taxes and provide an open government.

Recently the Bucks County area has been seeing an increase in the Democratic voters. This may pose a threat to Scanzillo reelection. Scanzillo said in an interview, “It’s not about politics it’s about public service.” He assures the community despite what party an individual may identify with, he is here to serve the people.

Voter Tom Garon is a high school senior and a registered Democrat. Although he considers himself to be a liberal, when it comes time to vote he will not let this influence his decisions.

“I wouldn’t vote for the people who I didn’t think could do a good job,” said Garon. “Local government elections are just as important as the Presidential elections.”

Candidates throughout the county share Garon's opinion and want all people to know that all local government elections are important regardless of the township or borough.

Megan Gaffney is a senior at Temple University majoring in Broadcast Journalism. Megan will be talking to voters in Chalfont, Bucks County about issues that will affect who they vote for in the races for County Commissioner. She will be talking to a local state representative who is not up for re-election about the political situation in Bucks --- both issues and the future of the Republican stronghold on the county.

When Tim and I walked into the Breakfast Club, I was unsure if it was the right place. I asked one of the waitresses if they were expecting Nutter anytime soon. She ecstatically answered yes. At that very moment he walked through the doors and people starting clapping, cheering, and saying things like “here’s our next mayor” and “the change is about to begin.”

Nutter walked around the small diner and shook hands with everyone. Everyone seemed so excited to meet him. They took out cell phones and took photos, they asked him for autographs, and one woman looked like she was about to burst into tears as she said, “this is the second time I am meeting you.” He was treated like a celebrity.

I asked one female what she thought of Nutter.

“I think he will do good, like John Street, because the city is real bad, there’s a lot of crime, and we need help,” said Jonahzsa Terry of North Philadelphia.

She also said that after watching the mayoral debates on TV, she believes Nutter can take illegal weapons of the streets of Philadelphia.

“I want to live to see 80. I want to live a long life. Everyone is dying day by day. I think it’s terrible and he can help.”

When I asked her why she though Nutter would make a better mayor than Al Taubenberger she stared at with a blank expression and said, “I don’t know who that is.”

Anne Ha is a Kensington resident and is a senior at Temple University majoring in broadcast journalism. Anne will be talking to Michael Nutter and voters around Philadelphia in the morning.

Tim Jimenez is a senior broadcast journalism major at Temple University. Tim will be blogging from wherever he is assigned election night as a desk assistant for KYW News Radio.

We have a very interesting report from Upper Darby, brought to us by Daily News reporter Bill Bender:

Upper Darby Councilman Jack Shingle was hospitalized and local Democratic leader Steve Smith arrested this morning after a fight broke out at the Highland Park Fire Co. polling place in Delaware County.

Smith is still locked up this afternoon at the police department and will likely be charged with assault and other offenses, said Upper Darby Police Superintendent Michael Chitwood Sr. He said Smith apparently knocked Shingle to the ground and "thumped him," requiring Shingle to be taken to the hospital.

But Democrats say Shingle was the aggressor and are accusing Chitwood's cops of partisan policing. Chitwood is a potential Republican congressional candidate.

"When the police arrive, of course they arrest the Democrat and don’t arrest the Republican," said Ed Bradley, campaign coordinator for the Upper Darby Democrats. "This is Chitwood’s police department."

Michael Nutter skipped the traditional lunch at the Famous Deli today to be with his supporters in the Northwest. The Daily News' Elmer Smith was there too, and brings this report:

Virtually every officeholder, ward leader and candidate in Northwest Philadelphia awaited Nutter’s arrival at a sumptuous buffet at Sadicki’s, a restaurant on Ogontz Ave. in the middle of the Northwest coalition’s political stronghold. The coalition, led by City Council member Marion Tasco, State Reps Leanna Washington and Dwight Evans, has had an often contentious relationship with John Street.

“But we’re looking to the future now,” Tasco said. “Eight years of this bickering is enough.”

Almost on cue, Nutter sounded a similar sentiment when he and his wife and daughter showed up. “I’ve been saying at every stop today,” Nutter said, “that this is a new day. There’s going to be a new way of doing business.”

The gathering at Sadicki’s symbolized that new day, according to Bill Miller, a businessman and off-stage political operator who hosted the luncheon for the coalition.

“This is the start,” Miller said. “No longer do we have to go downtown on election day. We’re starting a new tradition right here.”

Right before Nutter left the Breakfast Club I was able to ask him why he chose this place to visit. He said he had spent a lot around Temple University during his campaign and liked the relationship the school has with the community.

He began talking about education and he said he was proud of Heidi Ramirez and believes she can help improve the public education system. Ramirez was appointed yesterday as the youngest and first Latina School Reform Commission member.

Nutter, parent of a Philadelphia public school student, said the district needs to make sure of these points:

-schools are safe.
“You can’t learn, you can’t teach in an unsafe environment.”

-invest early in childhood education.
“We have to make sure all 3rd and 4th graders are reading at grade levels as they move through the system.”

-additional support services for 6th, 7th, and 8th graders.
“It’s critical middle school years where a lot of young people make the decisions they are on the right path or on the wrong path.

-get high school students to enroll into college
“Show our high schoolers there’s really a path for them. We have to lower the high school drop out rates.”

Nutter said that by accomplishing these things and getting better funding, “our kids are going to take off, the city is going to grow and develop, employers will understand that Philadelphia is a city that values education.”

Since we were on the topic on education, I couldn’t help but to ask about an important issue that was created with the elimination of school tokens. I found it to be interesting since his daughter goes to Masterman. Masterman students in grades five and six are exempt from free public transportation under all of its current policy. Student went from paying 90 cents ride to $1.30.

“I’ve been in touch with the school district and I’m hopeful that soon that we may be able to announce a resolution to that particular issue,” he said. “It is unfair. It’s one of the few schools in the city where the 5th and 6th graders are not getting the same deal as everyone else, and we have to fix that.”

Anne Ha is a Kensington resident and is a senior at Temple University majoring in broadcast journalism. Anne will be talking to Michael Nutter and voters around Philadelphia throughout the day.

Nutter made an appearance at the Sheet Metal Workers Union Hall at noon. People were on their feet clapping as he approached the stadium to walk. He addressed the issue of crime and violence, economic development, and the importance of hitting the polls.

“It’s about our kids and their future,” Nutter said to the workers. “That’s why we’re all in public service. That’s why you do what you do because we have the opportunity to move this city in a new direction.”

“He’s for the working man,” said Brian Page of South Philadelphia, who wants “better benefits, better labor, more work.”

Nick Costello of South Philadelphia said Nutter’s visit was significant.

“He [came] get his message out to all our members so we can get out to the public.”

The first thing Costello wants Nutter to when he becomes mayor is to “get crime under control in the city of Philadelphia. It’s going to ruin the city.”

After that rally, I headed hope to vote. Turnout was light - no other voters were there.

Now I am heading over to Melrose Diner.

Anne Ha is a Kensington resident and is a senior at Temple University majoring in broadcast journalism. Anne will be talking to Michael Nutter and voters around Philadelphia throughout the day.

From Gar Joseph:

Without a competitive mayor’s race, the talk at the Famous Deli was about voter turnout and its impact on the Philly judge candidates running statewide: Seamus McCaffery and John Younge.

McCaffery is running for the state Supreme Court, Young for Superior Court. Low turnout could doom their chances.

Expectations heading into today were low. Party chairman Bob Brady worried turnout could be as low as 20 percent. But he and others were bouyed by what they said was surprising turnout in the 7 a.m.-9 a.m. time slot.

“It was decent,” Brady said. “In my division I had 50 to 60 people. I’d love to get to 30 percent, but it can’t drop off this evening. It has to keep steady.”

State Sen. Vince Fumo predicted turnout between 25 and 30 percent. Bob Henon, labor leader John Dougherty’s chief lieutenant, was even more optimistic, predicting 35 percent. All of those numbers would be a record low for an open-seat mayor’s race.

Republican mayoral candidate Al Taubenberger said there was a line at his polling place, Rhawn and Veree in the 63rd ward. “The people I saw in the Northeast are genuinely interested,” he said.

David Auspitz is the deli’s former owner who encouraged the Election Day tradition and is now a zoning board member. He said any turnout surprise could be credited to the high tone of the Taubenberger-Michael Nutter race.

“These two have changed politics forever,” Auspitz said. “They never said a bad word about each other, they just talked about issues. Elections will never be the same because of the class Al has shown.”

Fumo and Dougherty, often at odds, are both backing McCaffery. Fumo said he thinks the judge’s big weekend TV buy could offset low turnout. Also helping: Good turnout for competitive races in the suburbs where McCaffery has name recognition.

McCaffery agreed that the SE Pa. suburbs could work to his benefit.

“I’m so much of a different candidate for a democrat,” he said. “I have Republican crossover votes across the state because of my background as a police officer and prosecutor. Eastern Pa. turnout is always going to be monumental, but my core support group is crossover republicans and independents.”

Municipal Court candidate Jacquie Frazier Lyde, daughter of ex-heavyweight champ Joe Frazier, said the boxing community throughoput the city had been a base of support for her with volunteers coming from boxing clubs and Rec Centers. Former boxing commissioners George Bochetto and Jimmy Binns have held fund raisers. Boxers Tim Witherspoon and Tex Cobb have campaigned for her.

“I’m going to fight for justice from the bench,” Frazier-Lyde promised.

(edited to add by Dan) Gar also filed a video report of his visit to Famous Deli. It doesn't seem that he was aware at that point about Nutter's decision to skip the stop but he did correctly speculate that Nutter wouldn't be there.

Michael Nutter may have skipped the traditional Famous Deli stop at lunchtime today, but not so for Al Taubenberger. Not passing up his chance to take part in this Election Day custom, Taubenberger lunched at the popular eatery at 4th and Bainbridge at around noon today.

Among the lunchtime crowd at that point were several campaign staffers, Democratic party functionaries and District Attorney Lynn Abraham while outside a large contingent of McCaffery for Supreme Court supporters congregated.

Taubenberger, as he's been doing all day, didn't miss a chance to talk to a single person as he walked the streets around Famous Deli. While many of the folks he approached seemed unaware about today's mayoral election he did run into at least one woman who had been successfully plied by the Democratic message. Upon meeting Taubenberger, this older woman, in her 50s or 60s proceeded to let him know that she disagrees with everything he stands for a as a Republican and especially in the performance of President George Bush. Taubenberger's attempts to separate himself from the president went unheeded.

As Taubenberger continues south on Passyunk Avenue he's finding a much more lowkey, and at the very least polite, reception.

On the lunchtime deli tour, Taubenberger found a much friendlier audience at the Mercer Cafe. Located in a Republican stronghold in the lower Northeast, the Mercer played host to several GOP luminaries including Councilmen Jack Kelly and Frank Rizzo, Jr.

Check back later tonight for accounts of the scene at campaign headquarters as the results begin to come in.

Rachel Falcinelli is a senior broadcasting major at Temple University. Rachel will be talking to Al Taubenberger and find out why some people are voting for him. Rachel will talk to Al about the whether the Republican party can gain any traction in Philadelphia since there has not been a republican mayor in about 50 years. She will be with him day and night to and give readers a sense of what its like to hand out in an underdog candidate’s campaign.

More detail on Bill Bender's scoop about fisticuffs at a Delco polling place earlier today...

Stephen Smith, a high school teacher and Democratic leader in Upper Darby’s 4th District, is known as a mild-mannered guy.

But he’s sitting in a jail cell right now, waiting to be arraigned on assault and harassment charges for allegedly beating up a 62-year-old township councilman this morning at a Delaware County polling place.

Police say Smith, 37, became upset at the placement of political signs and punched Republican Jack Shingle with a closed fist -- then used a "leg sweep maneuver" to take Shingle down.

Smith landed a couple more punches, witnesses told police, before bystanders intervened. Shingle was treated at a local hospital and released.

Democrats say Upper Darby cops are spinning the case to make Smith look bad. Police Superintendent Michael Chitwood Sr., a potential Republican congressional candidate, has expressed his support for the all-Republican township council.

"Gimme a break. It is what it is," Chitwood said of Smith's arrest. "That’s absolutely ridiculous."

Democrats say Smith has not been allowed to speak to his lawyer. His hearing is tentatively scheduled for 5 p.m.

When I heard David Oh would be the very first Asian to hold a council seat if he was elected, I went straight for Chinatown to see what kind of support would emanate from the Asian community.

As I walked through Chinatown the blue and white David Oh council posters seemed omnipresent but not to the degree that I would have thought given the historic opportunity provided by the Oh campaign. The signs were in every other window of businesses. I was curious and stopped in to see if Asian businesses really supported Oh.

I stopped at a bus company and the ticket clerk didn't seem to know what I was talking about, she was oblivious to the fact that there was even a David Oh poster hung prominently on the front door. My next stop was an insurance office. The secretary there simply shrugged and stated David Oh was her "boss's friend." My last stop was a health care office and the secretary's knowledge of the posters was no different than the previous businesses.

I finally reached the polling station at the Fire Engine Co #20 on 10th and Cherry, the only polling station in Chinatown, and was not surprised to find David Oh representatives handing out fliers and motivating voters to vote for him.

Joe Eastman a 'Citizen for David Oh' says Oh has "a hundred percent support from community leaders and all Asian publications. The Asian community understands it's a very important time for them and this gives them representation."

Eastman went on to say that Oh's support is not only limited to the Asian community he also has a "wide range and diverse support, he is endorsed by every paper except the Daily News, which shows the depth and breadth of his support."

Standing amid the 'Citizens for David Oh,' there was a relatively low stream of voters and Eastman said it had picked up after the rain and expects it to be a bit steadier after work hours. Eastman said voter turnout was very diverse and the Asian voters were among 60-70% in the "most competitive race," after the mayoral race of course.

I saw a lot of elderly people voting and David Oh's representatives did not skip a beat. I found a few of those elderly voters did not seem to speak English but they nodded their allegiance to David Oh when shown a newspaper with his face on the front cover. They gladly accepted the fliers. The job of the 'Citizens for David Oh' is to "let people know Oh's number and where he is on the ballot to get in there and vote for him."

Their job was not in vain. I asked an 88 year old voter if he voted for David Oh and he enthusiastically shouted "I certainly did." He went on to say he voted for him because "I like to see one of my countrymen in the seat."

Others were less enthused to vote for Oh but did so anyway because "he is a very moderate republican, more moderate than the other two," said one Chinatown resident who is "not a fan of nepotism." He said although he is a Democrat, he would rather vote a moderate Republican into the seat as opposed to the current trend of mayor's sons.

John from South Philly voted for Oh simply because "he's a cool dude."

Timothy and Anne Duffield from the loft district said their decision to vote for Oh was swayed by public opinion. Mrs. Duffield unabashedly stated since "he's very highly endorsed by the Inquirer," her vote was determined. Both are Democrats but Mr. Duffield believes "you don't have to vote everyone into government who is like you; it's good to have new blood in council."

I was highly curious why there were only David Oh reps that were rocking the vote. Was it simply based on ethnicity? Eastman c