Mayor Nutter continues to lock reporters out of what they consider to be public meetings of City Council. All but one of Council's 17 members are right now in a 14th floor conference room of the Municipal Services Building for a budget briefing by Nutter, who will make public tomorrow his plans to deal with $841 million gap in the city's five year financial plan.
City officials stationed an armed guard from the MSB's security staff outside the conference room and locked the door when reporters showed up on the 14th floor. Other reporters were briefly forbidden to even take the elevator up to the 14th floor in the public building during business hours.
City Solicitor Shelley Smith, who has issued a legal opinion for Nutter saying the public can be barred from a briefing where a quorum of Council is present, denied a request this afternoon from the Daily News to allow reporters inside. Most Council members cited Smith's opinion when asked if they were about to attend a public meeting. "We're being told it isn't," Council President Anna Verna said as she entered. "We're not having a public meeting, according to the city solicitor," Councilman Bill Green said. "As long as the city solicitor says it's OK, it's OK with me," said Brian O'Neall, the Republican minority leader.
Nutter stood by the position that the meeting is briefing and not open to the public. "There will be no decisions made. We have to update the council on financial matters," Nutter added.
The secret meeting is rumored to last about three hours. But don't feel too bad for the attendees. The city's finances were flush enough to allow caterers to roll in a heaping platter of lunch meat, coleslaw, potato salad, rolls and soft drinks just before the conference room door was locked
Oh no, not coleslaw! Potato salad! City spending is clearly out of hand!— Cromulents- Seriously, flush enough to afford sandwiches? I know you are ticked about being excluded but you might want to look a bit harder for better mud to throw than "Oh my gosh, they ate sandwiches."— Bill Penn
Comment removed.- Comment removed.
- Listen the lame attempt at humour aside ... what happened to Mayor Sunshine Act?— JoeInTheKnow
- So, carrying a weapon is ok with Nutter when it's by a guy suppressing the press, just not ordinary citizens concerned about their safety. Hypocrite. He was probably smoking a cigar in there too.— PhillyKev72
- PhillyKev, agreed ... where the heck is the outrage? If John Street did this Chris Satullo, Sandy Shea et al would be banging at the door. How long does this guy get a free pass!?!?!?!?— JoeInTheKnow
- Whatever happened to "transparent government"?— anon
- nutter is a disappointment just like barry will be to all the LIVs— give me liberty or death
- armed guard is to ensure wee willie goode doesn't leave for some good old "take-out"— natedog
- cole slaw-gate— Jim C.
- Nutter is a complete disappointment. Mr Reform is just like Fast Eddie, as he's surely getting some kind of kickback to put a slots-only "poverty draw" casino two blocks from Independence Hall, 2 blocks from Chinatown, and 3 blocks from Washington Square. Way to trash the area where the country was founded and our most attractive tourist spot - makes zero sense and is probably the worst proposal I've ever heard. He may be even worse than Rendell because this city actually had some nice momentum going (sans the murder rate) before this jacka*s became mayor.— Dean1
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David Gambacorta spent a small eternity writing about cops, drug dealers and serial killers. Now he’s writing about power and politics – which sometimes reminds him of the old crime beat. He joined the Daily News in 2005. And yes, he knows you’re not quite sure how to pronounce his last name. E-mail tips to gambacd@phillynews.com
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Catherine Lucey joined the Daily News in 2002 and has written about murderous drug gangs, political protesters and Harry Potter. After covering the 2007 mayoral election, she moved over to the City Hall bureau where she has been reporting on the Nutter administration.
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Jan Ransom, a native New Yorker, joined the Daily News in 2010 after graduating from Howard University. She has since written about the difficulty of filing police complaints, tax deadbeats and life after violent home invasions. She joined the Daily News City Hall Bureau in 2011 and has plunged headfirst into reporting on administration budget battles and City Council shenanigans.
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