Today the Philadelphia Inquirer endorsed Michael Nutter for Mayor of Philadelphia. They’ve got it right, but then, they also endorsed Nutter in the Democratic primary. Both endorsements were easy choices. As the Inquirer notes:

Taubenberger has agreed with Nutter so much because on most issues Nutter has had the right answer.

Nutter’s election promises to usher in a new day for Philadelphia, full of hope and free of the type of corruption-stained allegiances that will taint Mayor Street’s legacy. Nutter has long been a proponent of ethics reform.

Nutter recognizes his biggest challenge may be the perception that the city is crime-ridden. Most neighborhoods are safe, but the reputation of those beset by violence creates fear in others. Nutter promises to find a police commissioner capable of getting the most out of his officers and the communities they patrol.

Fiscally, Nutter is determined to cut the onerous business privilege tax, eventually eliminating the gross-receipts portion of that levy, to encourage new employers to come to Philadelphia. He understands that providing jobs is key to lowering the crime rate. He’s also determined to negotiate fair wage and benefits agreements with city workers.

Nutter knows the progress made in city schools can’t continue without a larger financial commitment from the city and state. He promises that, if elected, Philadelphia will give more money to the schools. Politicians are prone to make promises, but with Nutter, you believe he’s for real.

Good points all, and echoes of their endorsement in the Democratic primary. Heck, I approved of that endorsement then, and made my very first endorsement of a candidate. I am strongly in support of Michael Nutter as Mayor of Philadelphia, but it is time to get to the how. How are we going to change the basic notion that the city’s neighborhoods are crime-ridden and that the housing infrastructure is substandard if we do not change some of the fundamentals in the city. As I look back on it, this was a part of my own concerns back when I endorsed Mr. Nutter back in May:

The last two times I voted for a Republican were in opposition to Mr. Street. Yeah, that’s how much I distrust him, though in fairness the city has not gone under on his watch, except as concerns crime. Still, there was a mugging on my corner last week, the suspect weilding a gun. I live in one of the better neighborhoods in the city. If we’re going to grow the prosperity of this city from the center on out to the other neighborhoods, then crime is a big issue that Street has failed on.

(It’s a fine thing to quote oneself, eh? But isn’t it better when you can quote yourself from back when you used a pseudonym?)

Seriously, here, I’m not just concerned about crime here, but about neighborhoods. Without making the neighborhoods of our city a focus of nearly every initiative, whether that be crime or the city wage tax or public education, I believe that those initiatives will have little impact. This city depends on and needs community involvement in order to solve its major problems, and Michael Nutter agrees with me on that. From the Michael Nutter blog:

Philadelphians are what makes Philadelphia a great American city; you are the heart and soul of our neighborhoods.

I have traveled all across Philadelphia during the course of this campaign, and I’ve seen the great things that are happening in neighborhoods across the city. The most important thing that the citizens of Philadelphia can do to help the next mayor is to get involved in the civic life of your city:

Active retired people, find ways to connect with our young people to help them with school work, to prepare for interviews and to communicate effectively.

Young people, get involved in after-school activities. There are numerous community sports programs across the city that are great places to go, stay active and meet new friends.

Small business owners, get to know your communities by sponsoring local events and providing internships for young people who want to gain experience in the world of work.

Great ideas by Mr. Nutter, and I think the key here is energizing the community, but that blog on his web site isn’t cutting it. A recent attempt, led by Police Commishioner Sylvester Johnson to recruit 10,000 men to help keep the streets safe here in Philly is also a good idea, but I’ll agree with the Philadelphia Inquirer that it’s fallen a little flat. I guess I would question how the program was rolled out, but also point out that it seemed too centralized. It was an initiative that tried to cover the whole city in one big effort, at least on the PR end of it, but I’m with Michael Nutter, that organic efforts in the smaller neighborhoods of Philadelphia are going to be better launching pds for these kinds of efforts. And I think there are a few models that might serve such a mission.

The model I’ve got is the blog, a city of Philadelphia blog that keeps track of community events and activism, helps promote and inspire them, and even announces periodic recognition of everyday citizens who go above and beyond in their exemplary citizenship. While this idea is still in the embryonic stage, I can imagine such a blog as being run through a city office, and that after a time it would involve many employees writing for it while directed and edited by the city’s “Blogger-in-Chief.” That position would NOT be political.

Hey, I’m pretty sure Michael Nutter had a good idea when he put a blog on his campaign web site. Unfortunately, he posted to it once a month and never found a way to get traffic or comments to his ideas expressed on the blog. Well, this is a response to his ideas, combining blogging to the idea of increasing citizen action in the neighborhoods of the city. Sure, Phillyfuture and Neighborhood Networks are good models for this sort of thing, but I’m thinking this effort needs to be in city government hands, with guest writing by city and police leaders, at the very least.

Well, anyway, I’ll be bringing up these ideas at breakfast with Michal Nutter in the next few weeks. My wife and I, you see, went a little crazy at a charity auction for Women’s Way and bought said breakfast with the next Mayor of Philadelphia. Let’s hope he listens.