Mayor Nutter has done a stellar job in certain areas, and in others he’s dropped the ball, creating an opportunity for his successor to continue the good and change the bad.
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Nearly a month ago, Philly.com published a “think piece” that aimed to prove that elections are either about change or continuity. In the post, the writer attempted to make the case for why the city’s next chief executive should build upon the success of the Nutter Administration, instead of seeking to “change” the direction of Philadelphia by implementing bold reforms. In my opinion, the author misinformed readers and voters by portraying the option as “either/or” and not “both/and.”
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Whether you like Mayor Nutter personally or not, he has done a stellar job in certain areas. Like making the city more marketable to international businesses, improving Philly’s positioning as a leader in sustainability, leading the beautification and renovation of Dilworth Plaza and overseeing a significant drop in crime. All initiatives which should be continued by whomever is sworn into the Mayor’s Office next January. However, the outgoing Democrat, who started his career in Philadelphia politics as a City Councilman, dropped the ball in certain areas, and that’s where change is not only welcome, but needed.
For example, trust between police and community members, in many neighborhoods, is eroding with every passing day. Especially after the ambiguous officer-involved shooting of Mr. Brandon Tate-Brown, a 26 year-old unarmed black man shot in the back of the head by a Philadelphia police officer who—instead of remaining on desk duty until the investigation has been closed—was put back on the street without even notifying the family of the deceased, let alone taxpayers. To that end, the next mayor should be able to articulate a fluid theory of change as it relates to mitigating tensions between police and the communities they serve, though the real problem seems to be just with communities of color.
And though stop-and-frisk is a popular talking point, repealing that policy alone will do virtually nothing to heal the age-old wound of mistrust of law enforcement, an injury caused by the crushing blow of institutionalized racism. The next mayor can change, not continue, how we talk about race. Moving it from problematic deficit themes like, “those blacks are an embarrassment to their race and can’t be controlled,” to asset-framed themes like, “those blacks have made strides through seemingly insurmountable odds and we, as city, need to do more to ensure equal opportunity and access.”
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Opportunity and access, a core theme behind the re-establishment of the Mayor’s Commission on African-American Males, is something that should be continued and changed. The commission, in theory, has tremendous value in negotiating a level playing field. However, since Mayor Nutter opted not to fund the commission—the reason being there wasn’t any money—it hasn’t had the social impact that was projected. I think the next person to work from City Hall’s second floor should continue the commission, but find significant funding for it and focus its efforts on integrating the innovation class, among many others.
Whereas, the School District of Philadelphia graduates an embarrassingly low number of black and brown youth who go on to obtain a four-year degree in S.T.E.M; and, whereas, the majority of civic-technology and social innovation spaces are dominated by the white, DoGooder class; the Mayor’s Commission on African-American Males can play a huge role in ensuring that its constituents are skilled in, and introduced to opportunities in technology and engineering. The commission could also work to create a blueprint for a Mayor’s Commission on African-American Women.
The latter wouldn’t be erected simply to pacify disgruntled feminists who feel left out, but to advocate for gender equality, addressing core issues facing girls and women in the city that contribute to long-standing problems, like poverty. For example, since many studies have shown a large number of single parent homes in Philadelphia are championed by women, the commission could work to ensure that women were making the same, or even in some cases more, than their male counterparts.
Another institutional change that could be introduced by the next mayor is how city agencies communicate with each other about the initiatives that are being worked on. Though I perceive Mayor Nutter to be a highly-functioning, intelligent individual, he’s not a polymath, thus he’s unable to lead a municipal movement around intersectional problem solving. Many of the problems facing Philadelphia, though consigned to separate agencies, are mutually reinforcing and deserve to be treated as such. We can’t afford to continue to operate as a government of neighborhoods, allowing officials to stay in their own little bubble without any intentional knowledge transfers and cross-pollination of skills.
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I could write on for pages about the changes needed to the policies, politics and practices of Philadelphia’s government, but I think you get the point.
Nobody is all good, or all bad. Mayor Nutter certainly showed us what could be done if you run the city like a business. Now, the next mayor should show us what Philly will look like if its ran like a social entrepreneurial venture, one that’s focused on solving tough problems, advancing people socially and financially, building inclusionary places, and producing fair policies.
In closing, Philly is a big city with plenty of room for change.
Thanks for reading. Until next time, I’m Flood the Drummer® & I’m Drumming for JUSTICE!™