Room 215 might not be his yet, but Michael Nutter is starting to quietly flex his muscle in City Council affairs. As our City Council reporter Jeff Shields puts it: "He wasn't in Council chambers, but his influence was palpable in the postponement of two referendums and the introduction of a Nutter-conceived bill to help ex-offenders get jobs." Get the full story here.
Speaking of muscle-flexing, Gov. Rendell seems intent on making sure Philadelphians don't forget about him. In a strongly-worded letter to Convention Center Authority chairman Buck Riley, Rendell proclaimed that the state wanted much more influence over the center's operations. This on the heels of Rendell's endorsement of his budget secretary Michael Masch for the job of managing director of the School District of Philadelphia. Read all about it here. Perhaps the tart tone of the letter is due to Rendell's irritation over all those reports that include his name, and the phrases "private investigator" and (at least in Daily News accounts) "stunning blonde."
In other news, City Hall security is being beefed up. Again. A new report by Inspector General Seth Williams has led to a leadership shakeup at the city's health department. And Clout ponders Mayor Street's feature and alerts us to the elevation of former State Supreme Court Justice Russell Nigro to the head of the BRT.
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