Great Expectations

The comments keep pouring in from citizens who have something to say to Michael Nutter. Here, I'll be posting ideas that came in via email in the last few days. Add your own response in this comments area, or go to the "Yo, Mike II" thread below.

Remember, you're completing the sentence:

"Yo, Mike! The one thing I really need you to do is ..."

Look for a sampling of Yo, Mike! essays, along with a note from Michael Nutter thanking citizens their energetic input and good wishes, on Thursday's commentary page in the published Inquirer.

In July, we'll start running one essay a week in the paper, with replies from Nutter and, if he wants, Al Taubenberger as well.

-- Chris Satullo

As promised, the first sampling of responses was printed in today's Inquirer, along with a note from Michael Nutter. Check them out on the Great Expecations Web site's Yo, Mike! page.

Citizens' voices will be featured throughout the summer, so keep the comments coming. (For those of you hoping to make it into print, I'd suggest that you stick to one topic, follow the 150-word limit, and include your name and neighborhood/town. That said, I don't choose which ones make the cut. I'm just offering tips based on past experience.)

I did a piece that ran Sunday on how much was spent in the Democratic primary in Philadelphia in May. The totals amounted to $30-million plus. The high cost of the mayor's race, with Tom Knox spending $12 million, is well known.

What is not as well know is how expensive other races have become. City Council races, to be more precise. Not too long ago, it was unusual to see a council candidate spend $75,000 in an election campaign. No more. The competitive Council-at-Large races are a case in point.
Here is a list of the big spenders in this May's council-at-large Democratic council-at-large races. The first column is where they placed (only the top 5 were nominated), the second gives their vote total. The last column lists how much they spent.
4 62,252 Green, Wm City Council $373,669
6 47,879 Street, Sharif City Council $225,212
8 44,205 Ramos, Juan City Council $224,673
1 95,389 Kenney, Jim City Council $203,421
9 41,654 Toy, Andrew City Council $193,193
3 63,563 Greenlee, Wm City Council $188,667
11 25,078 Stier, Marc City Council $121,915
2 79,798 Goode, Wilson Jr. City Council $98,556
5 51,846 Brown-Reynolds, B. City Council $94,184
12 19,946 Ruben, Matt City Council $88,172
10 30,745 Green, Derek City Council $36,204
7 47,343 Ramos, Ben City Council $26,399
15 17,102 Massele, Henry City Council $14,458
19 9,029 Little, Rodney City Council $4,725
14 18,723 Hunt, Caryn City Council $3,932

p.s. Bill Green was the only non-incumbent to win an at-large seat
-- Tom Ferrick

Stop the presses.

Word has just come down that the Fraternal Order of Police has endorsed Michael Nutter for mayor.

In the statement, FOP President Bob Eddis says: “We are very proud to endorse Michael Nutter today. We believe he is the candidate who will lead our city in the best way possible. His public safety initiatives in Philadelphia will improve the quality of life for every citizen. With Mr. Nutter’s nomination as the democratic candidate for Mayor, we have all won as a community.”

As my Aunt Madge used to say, he's a day late and a dollar short.

When it counted -- in the Democratic primary -- the FOP endorsed Bob Brady for mayor, shunning Nutter.

It's not a surprise the union backed Brady. The FOP carries the patina of being a law enforcement group, but it is a union at heart.

It's endorsement tends to go not to the candidate who will be toughest on crime, so much as kind to the union when it sits down for contract negotiations.

Brady was the most pro-union of a generally pro-union bunch of Democratic candidates so he got the FOP nod in the primary. (Not that it did him much good.)

-- Tom Ferrick