Michael Anthony Nutter (born June 29, 1957) is an American politician who served as the 98th Mayor of Philadelphia from 2008 to 2016. A member of the Democratic Party, he is also a former member of the Philadelphia City Council from the 4th district and had served as the 52nd Ward Democratic Leader until 1990. Nutter also served as the President of the United States Conference of Mayors from 2012 to 2013, and is a former member of the Homeland Security Advisory Council.
Currently, he is the David N. Dinkins Professor of Professional Practice in Urban and Public Affairs at the School of International and Public Affairs, Columbia University.
Nutter was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and grew up in West Philadelphia. Raised Catholic, he attended elementary school at Transfiguration of Our Lord Catholic Elementary School and later St. Joseph's Preparatory School in North Philadelphia where he was known affectionately as "Big Nut". He graduated from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania in 1979 with a degree in business. During his sophomore year in college, he started working as a DJ at Club Impulse in Philadelphia, where he was known as Mix Master Mike. After graduating from college, Nutter began to work at Xerox, and then at an investment banking firm. While in office, Nutter occasionally worked as DJ and a singer.
Nutter, then-leader of the 52nd ward of Philadelphia, initially challenged Democratic incumbent Ann Land for a seat on the Philadelphia City Council in 1987. He was unsuccessful in his initial bid but defeated Land, four years later.
In February 2003, Nutter was elected chairman of the Pennsylvania Convention Center Authority Board.
In June 2002, Nutter proposed a measure mandating that college students under 23 register their address, license plate, car registration, and insurance with their school. The school would then affix a "student" sticker to the car, resulting in triple fines for traffic, parking violations, or other offenses. Additionally, the ordinance required students in off-campus housing to disclose their student status to landlords.
In September 2004, Nutter introduced legislation creating an independent Ethics Board and proposed updates to the city's Ethics Code, including training for officials, advisory opinions, violation adjudication, and civil fines. These changes were adopted by late 2005. Voters approved the Ethics Board ballot question on May 16, 2006, with an 81% majority, and it was established on November 27, 2006.
Nutter sponsored "The Clean Indoor Air Worker Protection Law", expanding the definition of "public places" where smoking is not allowed to include restaurants and many bars, which Mayor Street eventually signed into law. Nutter's local bidder preference program, which took effect on July 1, 2004, gives preference to Philadelphia businesses in competitive bidding on City contracts greater than $25,000.
In January 2005, Philadelphia announced a library reorganization plan in which 20 branches would shift from full-day service to half-day service, and that many head librarians would be laid off. Library supporters rejected these changes and petitioned the Mayor and city council to restore service and staffing levels. The City Council rejected the Administration's cut, funding was restored, and by the fall of 2005 all library branches had full-day service, Saturday hours, and a head librarian. As mayor, Nutter sought to close eleven libraries until city council brought a suit that kept the libraries open.
He supported having the City of Philadelphia declare a "Crime Emergency" in selected areas of Philadelphia. This would have stationed more officers in certain areas of Philadelphia, limited the ability to gather on public sidewalks, imposed a curfew for all residents, and limited the ability to travel in certain areas. The proposal included a warrant-less police search technique known as "stop and frisk." Nutter claims that this approach is sufficiently similar to one that was found to be Constitutional by the United States Supreme Court in 1968 in Terry v. Ohio, but it still has not been determined if this specific exercise is in violation of Fourth Amendment rights. A version of this plan was later implemented by Nutter and was the target of a lawsuit.
Nutter has supported the eviction of the Cradle of Liberty Council of the Boy Scouts of America from their headquarters on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, both as a councilman and as mayor. In a televised debate on NBC 10 Live @ Issue he said, "In my administration, we will not subsidize discrimination." The Cradle of Liberty Council of the Boy Scouts of America eventually won their case.
In September 2012, Mayor Nutter attended the Ugandan North American Association (UNAA) convention in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, according to a statement carried by the New Viison.
Nutter resigned from the city council in 2006 in order to focus on running for mayor the following year; he later resigned as Chairman of the Pennsylvania Convention Center Authority Board in April 2007. In his mayoral campaign, he received endorsements from The Philadelphia Inquirer, Philadelphia Daily News, Philadelphia magazine, Northeast Times, Philadelphia City Paper, Philadelphia Weekly, The Daily Pennsylvanian, Philly for Change, the Penn Democrats, and Clean Water Action.
Nutter won the Democratic primary election on May 15 with 37% of the vote; He then went on to win the general election on November 6, 2007, with 83% of the vote against Republican nominee Al Taubenberger's 13%.
Nutter announced that he would run for reelection on December 22, 2010. He won the primary election against Milton Street with 76% of the vote, and the general election with 75% of the vote.
In 2010, Nutter commissioned a pilot project labeled "Public Service Areas" to supplement police response with a coordinated effort from other city agencies in areas of the city plagued with chronic issues of crime and disorder. After some initial signs of crime reduction in the Hartranft community of North Philadelphia, the pilot was renamed "the PhillyRising Collaborative" and expanded across each of the Philadelphia Police Department's six divisions. Each neighborhood selected for participation in PhillyRising is chosen based on an evaluation data regarding levels of crime, disorder, and other quality of life data.
Since its inception in 2010, the PhillyRising Collaborative has supported crime reduction through improved quality of life in some of Philadelphia's most challenged communities. The team has supported active citizens with a variety of strategies, including the creation of three public computer labs (Hartranft, Frankford, & Kensington), and three Citizens' Engagement Academies (Hartranft, Swampoodle/Strawberry Mansion, & Point Breeze) which have produced 65 resident graduates. PhillyRising has also helped re-open the Hartranft Community Pool and brought the Police Athletic League to Hartranft Elementary School. These efforts, and many others, have helped to produce an average reduction of Part 1 Crimes by 4% and Part 2 Crimes by 9.5% after a full year of PhillyRising involvement in the pilot neighborhood. These reductions are significantly greater than those for the surrounding Police District.
Through Mayoral Executive Order, Nutter created the Mayor's Office of Reintegration Services for Ex-offenders (RISE) prioritizing the needs of returning citizens. Its mission emphasizes and formalizes the commitment of the Nutter Administration to promote safer communities and reduce law enforcement costs, assisting ex-offenders to be constructive individuals who contribute positively to our Philadelphia community, thereby reducing recidivism. As a City department, rather than a contract agency, RISE now has an ability to take lead/coordinator/partner role with grant funding solicitations. There are additional synergies and efficiencies created from the sharing of City resources. RISE has increased reentry activity levels despite a decrease in funding from $3.2 million to $1.4 million. The number of walk-in clients serviced has doubled (944 vs. 2339) and the number of clients enrolled in services has increased (531 vs. 731). In addition, there has been a 31% increase in number of clients employed (180 vs. 253).