Nutter on after he leaves office: Show him the money

Mayor Nutter doesn't know exactly where he'll be working come 2016, but he has one requirement: The job better pay well.

"I want to do something really radical in my life . . . making money for the first time ever," Nutter said while waiting at Relish restaurant in West Oak Lane.

He was one of many politicians making the rounds at Relish, 7152 Ogontz Ave., during Tuesday's lunch-hour rush.

The relaxed open-collar shirt and sport coat matched his mood. He openly spoke about wanting a job - in Philadelphia - where he can make more than the government salaries he has earned for 28 years.

"It would be a new experience for me," he said with a laugh. As mayor, Nutter is paid $177,679 a year.

The soon-to-be-former mayor would not speculate about where he might end up, but he did say he wanted to do some things next year. He plans on helping with the presidential race and the Democratic National Convention, which will be held in Philadelphia next summer.

He also said he was committed to staying in the city.

"I'll be here. This is my town. I love this town," he said.

As for the rumors that he is seeking a job with a possible Hillary Rodham Clinton administration, Nutter would say only: "I love going to Washington, D.C., to visit, and I'll always come back."

Nutter said that although the city would have a new mayor-elect Tuesday night, he will still be on the job for two months.

"I still have a government to run. I took an oath of office, and I have to continue to serve the citizens in this city until the morning of Jan. 4."

Comcast executive David L. Cohen said the question about Nutter's future was on the lips of all the politicos who gathered at Famous 4th Street Deli, the traditional Queen Village gathering place for political bigwigs and would-be bigwigs.

Cohen, who was Mayor Ed Rendell's first chief of staff, said it would be "very reasonable" to see Nutter in a senior position in a Clinton administration. Nutter endorsed Clinton in 2008. Or, he added, Nutter could teach at a local university.

One problem, however, is that neither would pay the kind of money Nutter was talking about.

cvargas@phillynews.com 215-854-5520