Philadelphia's Rebellion

It's shocking how Rendell is losing his grip on the city.

by Bruce Schimmel

I don't expect Philadelphia to be seceding from the commonwealth of Pennsylvania soon. But neither would I be surprised. Consider:

Philadelphia's highest elected official, Mayor Michael Nutter, has formally defied the state Supreme Court's demand that casinos must be built without delay.

Scores of citizens have risked arrest on several occasions by gathering at Gov. Ed Rendell's Center City Bellevue office, bearing economic studies that demonstrate how casinos don't add up.

And, most notably, City Council and the mayor, trying to stem a flood of illegal weapons, just last week took the unprecedented step of passing handgun laws that supercede the state's authority to regulate weapons.

Now, don't look for state troopers to start massing along Philly's borders. Still, it is shocking how Rendell, so recently secure in his power here, appears to be losing his grip.

Now that Rendell's chief political enforcers — former Mayor John Street and soon-to-be-former state Sen. Vince Fumo — have faded from view, the power vacuum is filling with a new spirit of independence.

Leading the Philadelphia rebellion is the mayor — which is significant, because Nutter generally avoids fights he can't win. But goaded by Harrisburg, and insulated by his political independence, Nutter's recent rhetoric has the ring of authenticity:

"Almost 232 years ago, a group of concerned Americans took matters in their own hands and did what they needed to do. ... " Nutter said last week as he signed laws to limit handgun sales and prohibit assault weapons.

Some say the city's new gun laws are not legal; others even call them criminal. Either way, the powers in Harrisburg blinked last week, after state Senate counsel Stephen MacNett declared he wouldn't be rushing into court to challenge the city's gun laws.

On casinos, the state is likewise stymied. In January, Rendell made headlines by calling City Council gutless for dragging their feet on casinos. The state Supreme Court, he said, would intervene and force the city to get busy.

And recently, the high court did intervene, ordering the city to issue casino permits. For a second time. Still, neither the mayor nor City Council is budging. Gutless no more, it seems.

Responding to the court's latest order, the mayor choose the 40th anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr.'s assassination to make before City Council a surprise 10-minute speech on casinos that his press office says he wrote himself. He was angry and defiant.

"The long arm of the judicial branch has reached into this City Council," Nutter told his former colleagues, "snatched out this council's will and ability and political responsibility to represent the interests of the citizens of this city ...

"Last time I checked," Nutter continued, "the 18 of us are still in charge of the city of Philadelphia," adding that they must not allow themselves "to be run over by various interests that don't have our best interests at heart."

Legally, the city of Philadelphia is a creation of the state; we ignore commonwealth orders at our peril. In defying the court, the mayor is risking a citation for contempt that could ultimately, and quite literally, land him in jail.

But I don't think Nutter will be tossed in the pokey anytime soon. Because the Philadelphia rebellion is spreading.

As Dr. King understood, even in the hands of society's weakest, civil disobedience is a powerful weapon. So, when an independent leader defies an overbearing sovereign — especially here, especially now — he can count on plenty of support.

As Nutter entered council chamber, someone yelled from the gallery, "It's a new day!"

"You got that right," the mayor replied with a smile.

(bruce@schimmel.com)