Nutter's the one

Michael Nutter has won the Philadelphia Mayoral Primary by a pretty wide margin. I'm pretty happy to see that - he received two votes in our house. I'll be the first to admit that I'm a relative neophyte to Philly politics, and I'm not sure we'll live here long enough to really become deeply involved, but at least have a passing interest in how our new mayor will handle regentrification, crime, taxes and other issues.

It's hardly a stretch to say that Nutter will almost certainly become the next mayor of Philadelphia. The City of Brotherly Love has not elected a Republican mayor since 1948 - a drought of 59 years. I'm interested to see if former Republican mayoral nominee Sam Katz will enter the race - there have been rumors that he could enter as a third party candidate. If Katz does, he'd better bring his putter against Nutter - he'll need it the day after the election. (Sorry - it's tough to rhyme with Nutter - let's see how the Philly press does with it.)

I just hope that Nutter truly is the outsider he paints himself to be - this city needs a great deal of cleaning up from the eight-year disaster called the Street administration.

Election results chart via Phillynews.com

No Brotherly Love Olympics

(Photo from the Philly Inquirer)

So, Philly's out of it. There will be no Olympics here in 2016. I never seriously thought the city had a shot, but it doesn't hurt to dream, does it?

Upon further reflection, though, I can count many more reasons why the city should not be awarded the games than why it should.

Yes, Philly has a wonderful history. The Center City revitalization is awesome, and it's only going to get bigger and better. There's no shortage of passionate sports fans in this entire region (and I'm even including boorish Philly fans here). The city's sports stadiums are brand-spanking new, with easy access to major interstates. I've lived here for only a short time, but I love this city.

But, there's plenty of downside to a Philly Olympic bid, too. We arguably have the most corrupt mayor in the nation (and I'm a dyed-in-the-wool Democrat typing this!).

The crime is high and doesn't show signs of abating (I read yesterday that per capita we have a higher murder rate than New York. New York!). One day a few weeks ago, there were five murders in the city in one day.

The highways are a complete disgrace. Without even discussing much-needed I-95 repairs or the trecherous Roosevelt Blvd., how about the Schuylkill Expressway, a wholly inadequate artery for a major U.S. city? Just imagine people trying to get into the city for Olympic events on this monstrosity. Not a big deal, you say? Well, how else would people get into the city from the suburbs during this world-class event? They wouldn't.

To make matters worse, the city long ago threw its hands in the air about I-76 and said, in so many words, "There's nothing more we can do. Take mass transit if you don't like it." Too bad the city and state don't support mass transit nearly as well as it should, either. Will the Schuylkill Valley Metro ever be built? Sure, when I'm tending goal for the Edmonton Oilers.

And where would the Olympic Village be built?

In short, I'm sure these issues and more weighed heavily on the minds of the USOC when considering Philadelphia, regardless of what they say publicly.

Maybe in the 2030s Philly will have a shot, when Mayor Street is a distant, albeit painful memory. I'd love to see Philly showcased for all of the world to see, but it will have to wait.