Heard in the Hall

A few, very few, kind words between Nutter and Street

Mayor Michael Nutter had a few nice things to say about former Mayor John Street recently, but that doesn't mean the two are suddenly getting along.

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A few, very few, kind words between Nutter and Street

POSTED: Friday, October 29, 2010, 4:39 PM

Miriam Hill

Mayor Michael Nutter and former Mayor John Street haven't had kind of words for each other lately.

But when Nutter credited his predecessor with helping to create The President's House project, which commemorates the site where George Washington and John Adams conducted their presidencies and where Washington kept at least nine enslaved Africans, Heard in the Hall held out hope for detente. Maybe even a buddy movie.

"This work would not have happened without the great work and the great foresight of Mayor John Street," Nutter said at a Friday luncheon of the Philadelphia Multicultural Affairs Congress.

Nutter and Street have been rivals for many reasons, among them that Nutter campaigned as Street's antithesis. In September, Street told the Inquirer that Nutter was "not a black mayor. He's just a mayor with dark skin."

Did Friday's comments thaw Street's feelings?

"I don't think so. Nothing has changed," Street said. "We came here to support a project."

Nutter said he was simply trying to "give credit where credit is due." - Miriam Hill

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Comments (1)

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 1:07 PM, 11/01/2010

I have to ask the question. Why did John Street make such a comment regarding "black mayor?" I thought that if you are elected mayor, you are the mayor of all the people. Street implies that a black mayor should be favoring black people. This seems to be a racist remark very similar to his former racist remark "the brothers and sisters are running the city." He needs to watch what he says, although it is probably too late, because he has proven where he stands on race relations.

— frankfj