Last week, three out of four of proposal either sponsored or supported by Mayor Nutter stalled in City Council, giving him a .250 batting average and raising questions about his ability ot get legislation passed.
Nutter’s effort to increase the number of deputy commissioners allowed in each department, after a holdup last week, now appears headed for a referendum in the April 22 primary.
City Council amended and introduced a bill to change the city charter yesterday.
The original bill, scheduled for final passage next week, had two stated purposes: to give a mayor more flexibility in hiring so he or she can better implement an agenda, and to make transparent the traditional practice of working around the hiring limits.
Departments are now limited to two deputies who are exempt from Civil Service. The rule was routinely evaded by previous administrations who hired deputies to the managing director office — which is not subject to the limits — and then sent them to work in the departments. That created a shadow pool of highly-paid deputies that was difficult to track.
Nutter wanted an unlimited amount of deputies, with the promise to do all appointments publicly through the Administrative Board — which consists of the Mayor, the managing director and the finance director.
Nutter has promised to make the machinations of this obscure public board more transparent. He went out of his way to publicize the board’s first meeting in January.
The Council’s Committee on Law and Government balked last week at allowing unlimited deputies, and held the bill until yesterday. The deal with Nutter hardly restricts him, however — the amended bill allows 10 deputies per department. At least six must be city residents at the time of hiring.
Non-civil service employees are exempt from the requirement that new hires live in the city for one year before being hired.
Councilman William Greenlee, chairman of the Committee on Law and Government, said the delay was caused by legitimate concerns.
“There was no one who questioned things that came from the administration more than Michael A. Nutter,” Greenlee said. “It was a discussion — and I think we will have lots of these as time goes by.”
Two of Nutter’s proposed charter changes now appear headed for the April 22 ballot. Voters will be asked to formalize in the charter a separation between the Commerce Department and the City Representative, increasing the city representative’s power over marketing and promotion.
A third proposal to expand the Inspector General’s authority is still being negotiated and will not be voted on in the primary. A fourth Nutter-supported initiative, which doesn't require a charter change, is Councilman Jim Kenney's bill to ease the city's residency rule, still requiring employees to live in the city but eliminating the rule that they must be city residents for at least a year before their hiring.
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