It would actually be kind of interesting to get the entire "advocacy community" in one room with a big pile of dollars in the middle and watch them fight it out for funding for their issues.
Wait... that's what the budget process is all about.
Anyway, the emails are starting to flow in from the groups that I've signed up for.
Brett Mandel of Philadelphia Forward (advocates for various tax and ethics reforms) seems happy:
BREAKING NEWS - Tax Reformers...This Budget's For You!
If City Council passes the proposed legislation, Philadelphia will take a big step toward implementing the vision of the Tax Reform Commission -- and a huge leap toward becoming a city that can attract and retain employers. For tax reformers who have been waiting for positive direction to move Philadelphia forward -- this budget's for you!
The Philadelphia Parks Alliance also seems to be in a good mood this morning:
City resources to Fairmount Park have been flat-lined for 30 years. Mayor Nutter is the first mayor in recent memory to significantly increase the park budget. This is a new day! It is a great start.
In today's Inquirer, the reaction from the President of Community College of Philadelphia:
[CCP President Stephen M.] Curtis, who had requested an increase of $2 million from the city, called the proposed $4 million increase "unexpected."
"I thought we were asking for a reasonable amount with the expectation" that the school would still have to raise tuition, he said.
CCP has never received more than a $1.5 million annual budget raise from Philadelphia, he said, "and many years it was nothing."
Curtis credited Nutter's commitment to education and his goal of expanding access to college with the largesse.
"I see this as his making that commitment real and tangible. His interest is not in the college but in the citizens of Philadelphia and their access to higher education," he said.
The emails and reactions from the groups who aren't so happy should start coming in any minute now.