You can read the post here.

During an appearance on MSNBC today, Nutter said he spoke with Obama for a few minutes about the needs of cities.

"I like what President-elect Obama is doing with the governors.I just want to make sure that cities and municipalities are not left out as well," Nutter said. "We’re at the ground level. We fill potholes, we pick up trash....It is literally where the rubber meets the road. We just want to make sure there is federal support for us as well."

Nutter, who is currently slashing the city budget to make up a $1 billion shortfall over the next five years, has petitioned the feds to use some economic stimulus dollars to help cities.

Last month he traveled to Washington DC, to deliver a letter to the Treasury Department asking the federal government to provide loans and grants for city infrastructure projects, as well as loans to help shore up troubled municipal pension funds and ease city cash-flow problems. The mayors of Atlanta and Phoenix co-signed that letter.

Nutter held the first town hall meeting on his budget plan at South Philadelphia High School this evening. Many emotional attendees begged Nutter to reconsider closing libraries and pools, and asked him if he had sought out new revenue and outside funding for city services.

“I believe you’re cutting the middle class and the poor, the services that they need,” said Karen Brown, president of the Southwark Civic Association, “What are you going to do with the youth in the summer when crime goes rampant when they have no place to go?”

Tonight's session was the first of eight community meetings Nutter has scheduled around the city to talk about the budget. Nutter was joined by more than a dozen top city officials, including Managing Director Camille Barnett, Chief of Staff Clay Armbrister and Police Commissioner Charles Ramsey.

“These were not easy circumstances and they were not easy decisions,” Nutter said told the crowd of about five hundred in the school auditorium. “They were very heartfelt, in many cases they went against the grain of what I have promoted as a public official for 15 years.”

STATEMENT FROM MAYOR MICHAEL A. NUTTER ON THE DEATH OF CAROL ANN CAMPBELL

Philadelphia, November 19 – Mayor Michael A. Nutter has issued the following statement:

I was saddened to learn of the death of Ms. Carol Ann Campbell. Carol spent a lifetime serving her neighborhood, her community, and her city. She was a stalwart of the Democratic Party and was a major figure in the world of Philadelphia politics. When I first entered public service, Carol was a source of encouragement, information and insight. It is the help and support that she provided to me that I remember and reflect upon at this time. This is a very sad day for Philadelphia.

Now more cities are looking to join the effort. Nutter said Baltimore Mayor Sheila Dixon and Trenton Mayor Doug Palmer support the plan and he is talking to others. The mayors want the federal government to provide loans to municipal governments to shore up pension programs and invest in infrastructure projects. They also are asking for a short-term loan program for cities that are having difficulty borrowing cash to pay their bills.

“We’re trying to fill potholes, pick up trash, put police officers on the street, deal with our pension system and the like,” Nutter said.

Nutter hopes to gather more data to provide to the federal government this week. He’s trying to organize a conference call of city finance directors to get more detailed information on how the financial crisis is affecting cities. After meeting Friday, with the Treasury Department, top staffers for U.S. Rep. Nancy Pelosi and the transition team for President-elect Barack Obama, Nutter said he was asked for more data.

“Every one of them, when we finished our presentation asked for more information,” said Nutter of his meetings Friday with the Treasury Department, top staffers for U.S. Rep. Nancy Pelosi and the transition team for President-elect Barack Obama. “They said they wanted to hear more from the mayors, they needed data.”

Nutter is also asking other mayors to reach out to their congressional representatives to ask them to support the effort.

MAYOR'S OFFICE OF COMMUNICATIONS

Tuesday, November 18, 2008 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

STATEMENT FROM MAYOR MICHAEL A. NUTTER

Philadelphia, November 18 – Mayor Michael A. Nutter has issued the following statement:

It is with profound sadness that I announce that the City of Philadelphia will once again observe a 30-day period of mourning in honor of a fallen police officer. City flags will be flown at half staff during this period.

»  More Nutter's Statement on Fallen Cop

"The administration is prepared to go out to make sure we explain the actions we have taken to the community," said Nutter's Chief of Staff Clay Armbrister.

Mayor Nutter has announced substantial cuts to shore up a $1 billion gap in the city budget over the next five years. His plans include delaying tax cuts, laying off city workers and reducing some city services -- including shutting down 11 libraries and 68 pools.

UPDATE: Here's the City press release and meeting schedule:

MAYOR NUTTER ANNOUNCES SERIES OF TOWN HALL MEETINGS ON CITY’S RESPONSE TO FINANCIAL CRISIS

Top City leadership to attend eight community meetings across Philadelphia

»  More Nutter to hold Town Hall Meetings on Budget

You can read the letter here.

Rizzo also writes that a five-year shortfall of $1 billion in a city with a $4 billion annual budget amounts to 5 percent in cuts across the board. But Nutter, in his budget address last week, noted that more than half the city's budget costs are locked in and can't be touched. So the non-fixed costs must take a bigger hit than 5 percent.

Community activists oppose a casino at the Gallery.

Mayor Nutter greeted in City Hall this afternoon a group of community activists protesting a proposed move of the Foxwoods casino to the Gallery at 11th and Market streets.  Nutter personally accepted a foot-tall stack of 23,514 petitions from people who oppose the move.

Harry Leong of the Chinese Christian Church & Center said activists were still gathering signatures, which were coming in at a rate of 5,000 per day.  The protesters are concerned because City Council is expected tomorrow to give final approval to zoning legislation that would allow for a casino at the Gallery if Foxwoods gets a plan of development approved by the City Planning Commission and City Council.

Like other protesters, John Chin of the Philadelphia Chinatown Development Corp. said the casino approval "process is moving way too fast."  They called on Council to delay tomorrow's vote. They also asked Nutter, who favors the Gallery for Foxwoods over a state-approved site on the Delaware River in South Philly, to not sign into law the legislation if Council approves it.

Nutter declined to speculate on what Council will do with the legislation but stuck to his guns on locations. "I do believe that is a better site than the waterfront site," he said of the Gallery.