Heard in the Hall

Nutter in verbal sidewalk smackdown

Philadelphia City Hall and political coverage from the Philadelphia Inquirer City Hall bureau.

66 comments

Nutter in verbal sidewalk smackdown

POSTED: Wednesday, March 11, 2009, 3:50 PM

Jeff Shields

Was that just another sidewalk altercation this afternoon on South Broad Street -- or was it Mayor Nutter throwing verbal bombs at an alleged tax deadbeat?

Attorney Robert Gamburg, one of three lawyers at 121 South Broad Street who owe the city a total of $350,000 in business privilege taxes, didn't like the fact that Nutter chose to shame him with a press conference outside his building.

Nutter called the press conference at 2 p.m. Wednesday to show what would happen to tax deadbeats, and Sheriff's deputies proceeded to very publicly deliver notices that the loffices of Gamburg, his father Jerome Gamburg, and Joseph Santaguida. Nutter said their belongings would be confiscated and auctioned off if they failed to pay their bills.

Gamburg confronted Nutter after the press conference, as Nutter chatted with reporters, asking whether Nutter was aware that he was in the process of arranging to pay his taxes.

"I'd also like to know if we are the only three people in the entire city that owe back taxes," Gamburg said, and asked why Nutter chose his building to hold the press conference.

"I'm not going to argue with you on the sidewalk -- you owe the city money, pay your taxes," Nutter said.

When Gamburg questioned why Nutter was getting "upset," Nutter raised the bar.

"Oh, you've never seen me upset," Nutter said, almost in warning. "So I'm not upset. Just pay your taxes and everything will be fine."

Nutter declared the conversation over, the men shook hands, and Nutter went back to City Hall and Gamburg back into his building.

Click here for Philly.com's politics page.

66 comments

Comments (66)

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 5:16 PM, 03/11/2009

I like it! Go Mayor Nutter, go! Jeff Laurie -- you're next.

— maude

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 5:16 PM, 03/11/2009

I like it! Go Mayor Nutter, go! Jeff Laurie -- you're next.

— maude

Comment removed.

Comment removed.

Comment removed.

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 5:31 PM, 03/11/2009

I guess this is a message to anyone wanting to open a business in the city: pay up or leave. If businesses leave, what then will this city be? Who will employ people? Who will patronage other businesses? Seems that the mayor just wants to chase business people out of the City of Philadelphia. Wow, what DUMB message to send to businesses during this time of crisis. What an idiot this NUTter is!

— JSmith222

Comment removed.

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 6:49 PM, 03/11/2009

Funny, when I correct one of my 14 year old, eighth grade students for disrupting class, the stock answer is "Am I the only one in class talking?"...Have the Eagles paid up yet?

— ptahan

Comment removed.

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 7:10 PM, 03/11/2009

All of this work to "shame" them into paying taxes is pointless unless the city actually goes through the process to collect/foreclose on the properties ASAP.

— Taxpaying Voter

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 7:27 PM, 03/11/2009

What a publicity stunt by Nutter... What about the thousands of others who owe the city taxes? What about the Eagles owing $8 million? For shame, Nutter.

— jnixon05

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 7:27 PM, 03/11/2009

obama robots are you 14 or something? Have you been to North Philly? You can't collect property taxes from abandoned buildings. Plus the property taxes in that area are almost nothing. New construction there has a 10 yr tax abatement. So what point were you trying to make? I smell a highschooler trying to post soft racist comments

— cornelleast

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 7:36 PM, 03/11/2009

I would have been more impressed he if held the press conference in North Philly in front of a whole city block that owes taxes.

— jn3

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 7:41 PM, 03/11/2009

Good for Mayor Nutter. I struggle to pay me RE taxes every year but I do it and I'm never late. These deadbeats can afford to pay but if no one is insisting on timely payments the deadbeats keep the money in interest bearing accounts. When they eventually pay up they are still ahead of the game. And how about that Jeffrey Laurie making the billionaires list, doesn't he owe the city of Philadelphia money? Go get him too Mayor Nutter.

— Hop

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 7:41 PM, 03/11/2009

Good work Mayor Nutter. Please embarrass more of these deadbeats publicly. I'm a small (very small) business person and I have no problem paying my taxes on time. I don't like paying the BPT but that's not the point. Infact, this will probably be the last year I do business in Philadelphia because of the BPT, NPT, State Income Tax, Federal Income Tax ..... etc. etc.. It just make any sense to continue working for the amount that is left over for me.

— mindstorms