Mayoral nominee asks Nutter for public debates
With just about two months left before the November election mayoral nominee Karen Brown has already started to stir things up.
Mayoral nominee asks Nutter for public debates
Jan Ransom
With just about two months left before the November election mayoral nominee Karen Brown has already started to stir things up.
Brown, the former Democrat who changed parties to go against Mayor Nutter said Nutter has been ducking her requests for public debates.
It’s a fairly common political tactic that underdogs use to gain attention where they accuse the incumbent of running away from a challenge.
Brown bee-lined her way to the second floor of City Hall this morning to hand deliver a letter asking that Nutter choose three venues in Center City, North Philadelphia and Northeast where they can verbally square-off. She said she was hoping to catch him coming out of his office but after a minor ruckus in the hall between her and some guards. She was eventually escorted into his office by a staffer.
“I figure if I hand delivered the letter he couldn’t possibly deny it,” Brown said adding she wants to have a total of five debates, including one in West Philadelphia and another in South Philly.
“I think we should do one in the neighborhoods,” Brown said. “Voters should have the opportunity to ask both candidates honest and open questions because he always claims he wants an open and transparent government …I believe in open [government] and transparency too, so I am giving the voters what they asked for in him.”
Nutter remained noncommittal on the idea.
“I expect that there will be some debate during the course of the rest of this campaign season. I appreciate the delivery,” Nutter said. “We’ll see what we can work out. I mean it’s a very, very busy time and I do take some time away from my daily responsibilities. I am a candidate and I do respect that but my primary job is to work on behalf of the citizens of Philadelphia every day.”
Brown said Nutter was hiding. Nutter’s response: “that’s absurd.”
According to Sheila Simmons, with Nutter’s campaign, Nutter and Brown are expected to duke it out on FOX 29, Oct.4, the debate will then air Friday Oct. 7 and again over weekend.
Check out Brown’s letter to the Mayor below:
Dear Mayor Nutter,
Election Day is just two months away. I have been waiting patiently for you to confirm a date when we can publicly discuss the many issues facing our city. The citizens of Philadelphia deserve a public debate between their mayoral candidates.
I am challenging you to the following debates in different sections of our city to give members of those areas the opportunity choose the best direction for our city. I have chosen two venues - Southwark School in South Philly and Boys Latin Charter School in West Philly and I welcome you to select venues in Center City, North Philly and the Northeast.
Now more than ever it’s important for members of our communities to have a choice. I look forward to hearing from you and giving our voters a fair choice in November.
Karen Brown
kbrown@karenbrownmayor.com
I don't know who Karen Brown is, but Democrats are turning this city into Detroit. Pick a name out of the phone book for mayor and 17 others for City Council.— Falls Ed- Nutter has demonstrated his incompetence consistently, his lack of vision, his inability to manage, his corrupt nature, his filandering, but there is no viable candidate so what is the point?— Road
- I wouldn't challenge Nutter to a debate. He is a master of the art of debate. He can talk up a great game. Pity that he can't lead a game as well. He couldn't coach a Pee-Wee league team if he tried.— DonQ
- This city is worse off than it was when Nutter took office. Before that he was on City Council. During Philly's entire decline, Nutter has had a leadership role. He blew his chance.
Now it's time for someone new. Everyone I know is voting for Karen Brown.— Phil234 - Karen Brown is the Philly version of pill-popping nut job queen Michele Bachmann. 'nuf said?— union guy
- Debate in South Philly? Nutter probably wouldn’t know how to get there. After believing in his reform Philadelphia agenda 4 years ago, I haven’t seen him in my neighborhood since. Oh, I’m sorry, Nutter did come to South Philly to endorse Johnny Doc’s puppet Mark Squilla after he had held numerous events promoting the movie “Shame of the City” and vowing it was a “New Day, New Way” if he wins and he would combat the Street/Dougherty administration. Nutter’s endorsement of that Doc guy Squilla shows Nutter a complete phony.
— Fred Druding, Jr. - I wish I was a moderator. I'd like to know why certain neighborhoods or friends don't pay real estate taxes, gas or water when my rates are raised to cover for them?— DNC
- Karen is neither a democrat or republican, she a citizen whos cares and is concerned !!! She dosen't duck the issues or make large payoffs to get rid of mistakes!!! She will tackle a problem head on,as she did to nutter with the letter!!!! Go Karen!!!!!!!!!!!— joe pultrone
- GO NUTTER!— gorming
- Have the debates, show the city how both parties have no leadership for this city!!!— Dadair1
- Karen Brown is a joke and won't win. Unfortunately, even if a qualified Republican candidate ran, he'd never win. Katz was qualified and ran an excellent campaign, but the brothas and sistas chose a scumbag black panther with crotch hair on his face. There aren't enough whites left in this town to vote for someone sensible. The corrupt idiots have taken over. Enjoy high taxes and poverty.— Zero
- Zero, you are right on point. — bearsfriend
I blame the Meehan family for this fiasco. It's a shame Frank Rizzo passed away before the 1991 election, he would have shut the lid on this political broken wheelchair group. Karen Brown is Philly's version of Christine O"Donnell. But she's no virgin!
Karen who? Her record of service to the city?— Ben Fan- i'd much rather see a fresh face running than one of these city govt trolls — Zero
- Do we actually have a "Republican Party in this city? I thought that city council assured the end of the 2 party system when they took the Federal bribe to destroy public housing and drop the tenants ito scattered site housing --forcing stable neighborhoods into instability and tax paying citizens out of the city. Thanks John Street--you scumbag !— crystalrainbowspirit1
- yeah there's 8 or 9 of the losers. There's no place for Republicans in our fine city. Go away. Republicans embarass us. We all know republicans move the country backwards and cause problems. — gorming
- If there were only 8 or 9, the fine city would really be in a fiscal hole, you dummy...I'm interested how when you post, you continually say "we" in regarding your opinions of people you have absolutely no idea about...Maybe they should debate, so you might learn a thing or two...One thing I do know is that you know where the Kool Aid is! — bearsfriend
- Did any of you bother to read the entire post? They have a debate scheduled for 10/4 that will air on 10/7 and again that weekend. Brown ultimately wants to do *five* debates, too. They do three presidential debates for the general election. Why do we need five? And for that matter, why do we even need three? I'd be willing to go along with three, at the most, but one or two really ought to be enough, especially if they're televised.— jester
Comment removed.- It will be interesting to see a Republican running in a democratic controlled city. I would love to see a Republican win, just to see something different in this damn of a hole city.— maclancer
- Karen is a Democratic puppet of the Meehan Mafia, is that the type of Republican you want in office for the first time in 50 years?
- If sitting presidents have time to debate, so does Mayor Nutter. Voters deserve to hear a public debate.
Especially when our city is in the shape it's in.— Phil234 - its geting better — gorming
- You call three years of tax increases with failed leadership and misdeeds in the areas of education,housing,records,tax collection, and the sherriff's department a positive direction of the city?....with an entitled City Council sapping the Mayor's strength with a b--ch slap to his committment to end DROP?...All I see are photo opps. you sound like a staffer. — bearsfriend
- Go ahead and debate her, Nutter. You will embarrass the hell out of her and the republican party as you run circles around her in a debate.
Ever hear her on her radio rants?
I'm a republican and wouldn't be caught dead voting for this phony.
— Chr - There's no place for Republicans in our fine city. Go away. Republicans embarass us. Go to democrat. We all know republicans move the country backwards and cause problems. — gorming
- Oh yes, the Democratic rule in this city has been a rousing success over the years...child,please. — bearsfriend
- There's no place for Republicans in our fine city. Go away. Republicans embarass us. Go to democrat. We all know republicans move the country backwards and cause problems. — gorming
- Actually, she's an embarrassment to the Democratic Party and the Meehan group that supported her.
- Come on, mayor, do the debate. Avoidance makes you look like a coward. Voters have a right to make informed decisions and debates will help.— aviator
- Informed decisions can be formed from reading the news and websites. Debates are merely charades of sound bites.
- Nutter: "I mean it’s a very, very busy time and I do take some time away from my daily responsibilities."
Former mayoral candidate John Featherman: "That's b.s., Mayor Nutter. You campaigned on your 'new day, new way' slogan as well as transparency, but you've lost your spirit and your openness. I appeared on TV with my opponent, Karen Brown, and now it's your turn to face her in multiple debates. I wasn't afraid of her. Are you? Show you're not a coward, and show you're not an invisible, faceless administrator. Debate Karen Brown."— featherman - Comment removed.
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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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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. E-mail tips to ransomj@phillynews.com
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Sean Collins Walsh is from Bucks County and went to Northwestern University. He joined the Daily News copy desk in 2012 and now covers the Nutter administration. Before that, he interned at papers including The New York Times, The Dallas Morning News and The Seattle Times. E-mail tips to walshSE@phillynews.com
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