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Thursday, December 2, 2010

Mayor Nutter Lights City Hall "Christmas Tree"

Standing steps away from the rehung "Christmas Village" sign, Mayor Nutter tonight officially lit the towering evergreen tree in Dilworth Plaza outside City Hall -- and didn't shy away from the word Christmas.

"We're here together for the annual lighting of the Philadelphia Christmas tree," Nutter said to wild applause.

The city has been the center of a national controversy since Monday when the organizer of a traditional German-style Christmas market in Dilworth Plaza took down the word "Christmas" from two light-festooned archways leading into the village. The letters were taken down after Managing Director Richard Negrin told the organizer that he had received complaints from residents and city workers.

But a Daily News story on the move went viral, prompting complaints from around the country. Nutter last night said he asked the organizer to put the letters back. And today, he even managed to joke about it.

"It takes a village, a Christmas village, to bring a city together," Nutter said.

Just how Nutter would refer to the tree had been unclear. Asked about it yesterday he had called it the "City Hall tree."

If you'd like to read the mayor's remarks -- as prepared for delivery -- click here.

Posted by Catherine Lucey @ 6:42 PM Permalink | 8 comments

Comments

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 9:58 PM, 12/02/2010

good

— bmoney17

Comment removed.

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 11:38 PM, 12/02/2010

Worth noting: this year's tree came from the Spectrum grounds

— Tartan69

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 7:08 AM, 12/03/2010

I am so glad that Christmas still survives in Philadelphia! It sickenend me to think that the peace,love and hope of Christmas could be squashed in the city of brotherly love.

— Dini

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 9:39 AM, 12/03/2010

ok, let me see. Wikileaks has damaged US diplomacy, unemployment is up to 9.8%, the dollar just crashed again, there's a war in Afganistan that isn't going well, 52.3% of Philadelphians read at or below the 5th grade level... and the lead story at the daily news is about a f'ing CHRISTMAS TREE?? You guys cannot go under soon enough.

— brendancalling

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 9:41 AM, 12/03/2010

With a headline like "Mayor Nutter Lights City Hall 'Christmas Tree'," you would think that there would be at least one picture of the tree in the 6 picture photo array.

— bobk

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 5:06 PM, 12/04/2010

brendancalling... You have two choices. Stop pouting or start your own newspaper, "The Whine Connesuir".

— Catch22

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 6:15 PM, 12/05/2010

can mayor nutter ever generate a tiny-teeny bit of praise? it costs nothing and he has earned it. thank you MAYOR NUTTER for lighting up our city with a CHRISTMAS TREE!!!

— Miss M.

8 comments

About The Philly Clout Team

Chris Brennan, a native Philadelphian and graduate of Temple University, joined the Daily News in 1999. He has written about SEPTA, the Philadelphia School District, the legalization of casino gambling, state government, the mayor, the governor, City Council and political campaigns.

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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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