So I did walk over to the dedication of what is now known as "People's Plaza" at 5th and Market Street - a section of Independence Mall covered by nice, clean granite paving stones with the First Amendment carved onto a large granite block near the sidewalk. It's kind of cool how an area with a name that sounds like something out of Moscow or Beijing can represent such different things in this country.
Mayor Nutter arrived promptly at 10:07 AM and moved towards the staging area to take his seat. He decided to go sans overcoat and the rest of the participants in the ceremony, not to be shown up by this apparently-impervious-to-cold-weather mayor, did the same. Upon taking the podium, Nutter remarked that when he arrived, "taking my coat off seemed like a great idea."
As if on cue, and inspiring the Blues Brothers-referenced quote in the title of this blog post, the sun came out, back lit the mayor and briefly warmed things up. ("JESUS H. TAP-DANCING CHRIST... I HAVE SEEN THE LIGHT!")
Nutter spoke about the work of the founders of the United States as "real people taking real chances and expressing themselves in ways that could have gotten them in real trouble."
"I've had a fair amount to say over many years," Nutter said, referencing his a career in City Council during which his views weren't always in line with the majority. "Out of the discussion, debate, and disagreement, have come good things," he said.
As referenced in the Heard in the Hall account of the event, Nutter then gave Steve Murphy, the Park service maintenance division employee who came up with the "People's Plaza" moniker, the day off. Nutter quickly acknowledged that he has "nothing to do with the National Park Service," otherwise, I'd put in my request that he tell them to get rid of those ridiculous do-nothing, window-dressing security measures that enclose the "birthplace of freedom" in a prison of bunting-covered bike racks.
Nutter received a gift from Friends of Independence board chairman Thomas A. Caramanico - a book called "What would the Founders Do?" - the retail value of which, I'm sure, falls under the amount that elected officials are allowed to receive under the ethics laws. Caramanico then presented a check for $268,983 to the officials in charge of the park causing Nutter, in another lighthearted moment, to remark that he'd contribute the extra $17 to bring it to an even $269,000.