Nutter and Street show signs of a thaw

Few public figures in Philadelphia have feuded longer or more publicly than Mayor John Street and Mayor-elect Michael Nutter. It could even be said that Nutter owes his new position, in part at least, to a searing campaign ad that targeted Street instead of Nutter's opponents.

But there are signs that the ice-cold relationship between the old mayor and the new is thawing.

Exhibit A: Nutter said Street invited him to deliver a lecture at a Temple University course Street will teach next semester.

Street also asked Nutter to accompany him to the funeral Mass for slain Police Officer Chuck Cassidy. What's more, Nutter says Street has been nothing but gracious and helpful in organizing the transition from one administration to the next.

"He wants things to be as smooth as possible, and I greatly appreciate that," Nutter said Friday. "We're two very deeply passionate, caring public servants, and from time to time we might have a difference of opinion about some public policy issues. It's not personal."

- Patrick Kerkstra

When the Republican Party returned to the majority in both houses of Congress in 1994, one of the first notable changes was in Washington's eateries: Red-meat steakhouses were suddenly everywhere.

The change in administration coming to Philadelphia will hardly be as dramatic, but change is afoot.

Take Election Day. The traditional corned-beef stomping ground that is the Famous Fourth Street Deli was short on political buzz.

It was also short on the man of the moment, Mayor-elect Michael Nutter, who opted to lunch uptown at Sadiki's - the old Ogontz Grille - in the city's Northwest section. "I have a lot of great friends up there," Nutter said.

Then there was the next day.

If anything underscored the lackluster election of the day before, it was the lack of noontime hype at the Palm in Center City.

Of course, there was something more pressing competing for attention: the funeral of Police Officer Chuck Cassidy.

That didn't mean the Palm was totally uninteresting, however.

Newly elected City Councilman Bill Green took up a chair at a table of half-a-dozen plus electricians' union members of John Dougherty's Local 98.

Also munching away was Nutter campaign ad man Neil Oxman. His lunch guest: Chris Matthews, host of MSNBC's

Hardball

.

- Marcia Gelbart

Sam Katz has reclaimed his stripes as a Republican.

The former three-time mayoral candidate dropped his GOP affiliation a few weeks before the spring mayoral primary, which set him up to run as an independent in last week's election if he chose to.

But he didn't.

After Michael Nutter won the Democratic primary, Katz - who has also been a Democrat - proclaimed himself satisfied and announced he would not make a fourth bid for the office.

- Marcia Gelbart