Nutter to young dads: 'It's not where you start, but where you finish."

Everyone in Philadelphia knows by now that it was Michael Nutter's 12-year-old daughter, Olivia, who helped him capture the Democratic mayoral nod with that iconic TV ad.

But last night, the city's mayor-in-waiting invoked his rarely mentioned son, Christian - fathered in a previous relationship, now grown and living in New Jersey - as he bonded with new grads of a local program for black fathers.

"I was a young father," Nutter told about 50 graduates of the Philadelphia Comprehensive Center for Fathers program at last night's ceremony at the Community College of Philadelphia.

"I had a child at 25, but I didn't become a father until a few years after that," Nutter added to knowing applause from the crowd.

Some seven weeks after winning the five-way race for the Democratic nomination and facing low-key opposition in the fall, Nutter's keynote speech to the black fathers - many with troubled pasts - showcased the flip side of the candidate's burnished image as a policy wonk.

In fact, Nutter didn't mention policy once, instead offering a string of tips and messages for the fatherhood group that seemed ripped from the playbook of another Philadelphian, Bill Cosby.

"You really need to keep your pants up above your waist," Nutter said, tackling a popular urban fashion statement. "Most people don't want to see the kind of underwear you're wearing."

The Wharton grad - who's said in past interviews that his parents stressed English and proper grammar - brought that same message to his audience last night.

He said speaking well is "not 'acting white,' it's acting like you have some sense."

Nutter also had strong words about domestic violence - saying that the epidemic of violence in the streets of Philadelphia has its roots in the home - but he also brought words of hope.

"When I started in the mayor's race, I was fifth in a five-way race," he said. "It's not where you start, but where you finish."

That also drew applause from the graduates of the program, some of whom have served prison time or were homeless or involved with drugs.

The program - which has a fraternity style and even calls itself Delta Alpha Delta Sigma (DADS) - offers job training, legal counseling and mentoring.

"For a lot of these men, it is the first time they have had a graduation ceremony, so it's a big deal for them," said Kofi Asante, executive director of the fatherhood program. To take part in the program, men must be 18 or older and have a child younger than 18.

About 120 men start the program each year, and roughly half graduated last night.

Many have been through much harder times than running last in a mayoral campaign. The valedictorian of the program - Robert Childs, 36, of South Philadelphia - was homeless when he became involved with the center three years ago.

Today, the father of an 18-year-old son has a job through the center and is even helping to bring up a 5-year-old niece.

He said last night to thunderous roar: "I ain't never going back to that bum that I was."

Childs said afterwards he appreciated Nutter's speech "but mainly I was grateful just to have him come out." *