Will Mayor Nutter Deliver His Budget Address Uninterrupted This Year?
By Mike Dunn
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - Mayor Nutter unveils his new budget tomorrow, and the President of City Council is promising a smoother time than last year -- when hundreds of union members shouted Nutter down.
"I want to talk with you about our future, not our past," Mayor Michael Nutter said last year, when angry union members shouted so long and loudly that Nutter was forced to complete his speech in his own reception room.
And what about this year? Council President Darrell Clarke admits a similarly unfriendly response could greet the mayor.
"I anticipate that some people may not feel comfortable about the budget message, be it (the proposed sale of) PGW or the lack of all the municipal unions having a contract," Clarke said.
But this year Clarke is promising added security measures to allow the mayor to complete his speech.
"We will do what we need to do to have a secure environment, to make sure the mayor is allowed to deliver his budget message."
But what are those added measures? Clarke says mum's the word.
"When you want to have a secure environment, it's probably prudent not to broadcast what you're going to do to ensure that you have a secure environment."
The loudest contingent Thursday could be member of District Council 33, the largest municipal workers union, which has been working without a contract since 2009. Negotiations between the Administration and 33 last Friday broke off with no sign of progress.
