South Philly gave Mayor Nutter an earful on the budget cuts tonight.
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.”