Nutter

The Michael Nutter era unofficially began yesterday as the Democratic mayoral candidate cast a long shadow on important Council legislation. 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. Councilman Darrell L. Clarke, who cosponsored a ballot initiative to reform the Fairmount Park Commission, would cite only "issues that are off the radar screen" for his failure yesterday to obtain the 12 votes needed on the 17-member Council to put the question on the ballot.

Wendell Pritchett is now officially a member of the Philadelphia School Reform Commission. Pritchett, chancellor of Rutgers University-Camden and a mayoral appointee, signed the oath on Wednesday, the mayor's office said. Pritchett will attend his first SRC meeting on Wednesday. He joins Commissioners Denise McGregor Armbrister and Joseph Dworetzky. SRC Chairman Robert L. Archie Jr. and member Johnny Irizarry resigned last week; Pedro Ramos, who's widely expected to be named chairman, awaits confirmation by the state Senate.

AFTER MICHAEL NUTTER'S election tomorrow, I hope he proves me wrong. As a professional cynic, I have little faith in government or politicians. To me the city's intractable ills are tar pits waiting to trap, slow and suck down Nutter's best proposals. I think no matter how smart, reform-minded or energetic the new mayor is, Philly's crime, poverty, finances and politics are black holes with gravitational pull greater than good intentions. Apparently, I'm not alone. In a recent Daily News /Keystone Poll, 73 percent of city voters say their quality of life is deteriorating; 60 percent say it's worse in the last four years.

While Mayor Nutter struggles to forge closer ties with City Council - especially after Council turned down his soda-tax proposal - he's had more success at shoring up another relationship. The mayor met in his office last week with U.S. Rep. Bob Brady (D., Pa.) and Joey Vento, owner of Geno's Steaks in South Philadelphia. The meeting followed what Vento took as a snub when the Nutter administration in April rejected his offer to donate two horse trailers to the Police Department for its mounted patrol.

City Councilman Michael A. Nutter claimed a moral victory yesterday as the watchdog group Committee of Seventy agreed to drop him from a lawsuit seeking enforcement of Philadelphia's campaign-contribution limits. "I'm very pleased," Nutter said. "Basically, there was no reason for me to be part of that suit in the first place. " Seventy filed suit April 11 against six men who are considering running for mayor in next year's Democratic primary, including Nutter. The lawsuit sought to force the potential candidates to abide by city yearly contribution caps of $2,500 from individuals and $10,000 from political committees.

COUNCILWOMAN Marian Tasco accused the Nutter administration Wednesday of delaying a $3.5 million rec-center project in her district because she opposed an issue related to the possible privatization of Philadelphia Gas Works - a priority for the mayor. Tasco, who also chairs the PGW commission, pressed Budget Director Rebecca Rhynhart at a hearing Wednesday on the city's capital budget on why an overhaul of Oak Lane's Sturgis Recreation Center was delayed last year. In an interview, Tasco said the project was tampered with because she wanted the administration to pick up a $2.3 million tab for consultants to explore the PGW sale.

Hundreds of chanting, jeering municipal union members, armed with piercing black whistles, drowned out Mayor Nutter Thursday as he attempted to give his annual budget address on the floor of City Council. Rather than forcibly evict the protesters - who are upset over a four-year stalemate in their contract negotiations with the city - Council President Darrell L. Clarke recessed the meeting as Nutter read his speech. Nutter later delivered his speech downstairs to a more friendly audience - about 30 applauding members of his own staff and 20 reporters.

HEY, PHILLY VOTERS. The Nutter administration wants to hear about your Election Day experience. After more than 27,000 voters were forced to use provisional ballots in the Nov. 6 presidential election, more than double the amount in 2008, Nutter established a "fact-finding team" last month to investigate what happened that day. City Controller Alan Butkovitz has also launched an investigation. Part of the Nutter administration's investigation includes hearing from voters. Public meetings are scheduled from 4:30 to 7 p.m. Feb. 6 in City Hall room 202 and Feb. 28 at Bright Hope Baptist Church, 1601 N. 12th St. Voters can also share their stories or make recommendations by visiting phila.gov/election2012 or by calling or texting 267-209-FACT.

The Nutter administration asked the state Supreme Court on Tuesday to immediately hear its argument for imposing a contract on 6,800 blue-collar municipal workers. The city filed suit last week in Common Pleas Court seeking to impose terms on AFSCME District Council 33 - including modest raises, potential furloughs, reduced overtime, and a new pension model for future employees - that would end a nearly four-year standoff. Nutter said in a statement Tuesday that he was petitioning the Supreme Court to take immediate jurisdiction because the "matter is of such pressing public consequence to city employees and taxpayers.

WHEN MAYOR NUTTER met with City Council leadership yesterday to announce his proposal to bail out the school district with a combination of tax hikes, the faces staring back at him were glum. "I didn't see anybody smiling in that room," said Councilman Frank Rizzo Jr., R-at large, adding that he "is not in support of an increase in real-estate taxes. But I think it's inevitable that something's got to give. " Nutter said he hoped that he and Council could agree on a combination package including a property-tax boost, another attempt to pass a soda tax and an increase in parking-meter rates or fines to fulfill the district's request of up to $110 million to save full-day kindergarten, alternative education, transportation and reduced class size.