Long before he was a mayoral candidate, Michael Nutter was a source. There wasn't a political reporter in town who didn't have his cell number, and they felt free to call it. Frequently. Nutter opined on the record, happily talked on background, and just generally gave reporters all the time they asked for -- and then some.
Of course, it would never do for a Mayor Nutter to be quite so accessible, and already his spokeswoman, Melanie Johnson, is trying to curtail calls to Nutter's cell and funnel requests through her or other campaign operatives. It isn't easy getting the voluble Nutter to put some distance between himself and the press, Johnson admits, but it looks like she's making at least a little progress. Nutter's voicemail now exhorts callers to call his campaign office instead of leaving a message, and on at least one recent occasion, a message left on his cell was returned by Johnson. That sort of thing just didn't happen in March. The office now even has an electronic form to fill out for media requests, according to one staffer.
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