Michael Nutter has named a director of the Office of Research, Planning, and Policy: Wendell Pritchett, of the University of Pennsylvania Law School (so yeah, he had to deal with me and Dan in class).

During the primary campaign, I questioned--um, speaking delicately--Michael Nutter's emphasis on declaring a state of emergency, and wondered whether his commitment to tax cuts would limit him from really addressing the poverty and inequality that persists across many Philadelphia neighborhoods (as the recent Urban League Study glaringly showed).

But among the things that I did like and respect, the greatest were Nutter's positions on housing, community development, and city planning. I have quoted Nutter maybe twenty times now on the need for assertive and visionary city planning. His papers on zoning and planning reform and housing and community development are really pitch-perfect. I complain a lot (I am Jewish, it is my real birthright), but I have no complaints about the policies outlined in those papers. They include reworking the tax abatement so that it fosters development of affordable housing and development targeted to areas still needing revitalization; unifying related agencies; and creating a land bank for vacant property. The policies are attentive to the need to balance gentrification with neighborhood preservation. If we do half of what they propose, the landscape of housing and development in this city would be both more efficient and much fairer.

The man who was central to developing those policies was Wendell Pritchett. Professor Pritchett is a great academic and an expert on land use and fair housing law. More than that, though, he brings an engagement with progressive public policy. That means turning a critical eye towards how law and policy have served to reinforce poverty and segregation, and having a vision of how they could instead ameliorate it.

One of the most striking parts of the recent Daily News assessment of NTI was that NTI bond dollars were being used to substitute for missing federal money:

Over the years, NTI morphed into a dizzying array of programs. Demolition and acquisition activities remain the anchors, but there also are home-loan and repair programs, a retaining-wall program, programs to work with the issues of homelessness and predatory lending, and support for commercial corridors.

Many of these activities were pre-existing programs in city government, all financed by federal tax dollars. Trouble was, those dollars started to disappear, particularly after the Iraq war began.

Kevin Hanna, the city's housing secretary, said NTI bond money was used to "backfill" many of these existing programs.

Without the bond money, Smith said, many housing programs would have been cut in half. But even with the inflow of new NTI money, "we were basically treading water."

NTI was ambitious and it was unfinished, and that bond money is slated to run out in July. As the discussion around the recent "Inclusionary Housing" bill has shown (here and here) there is great need, made even starker by the lack of federal dollars for housing and urban redevelopment. But we are entering this new administration with someone who understands the problems and has knowledge and experience to bring to bear. Congratulations, Professor Pritchett, and thank you for taking the job.

Doing the whole more with less thing, the Daily News continues to put out quality stories on the City. There was the article on violence and the police force from Dave Davies that Gaetano discussed a few days ago, and today, as Mayor Street leaves office, Mark McDonald looks at the Neighborhood Transformation Initiative, in the first of a two part series.

I will refrain from commenting more until I see tomorrow's piece, except to say that I think NTI was a great idea, that was not really carried through in the way it was intended.

Also in the DN is the update on Nutter's cabinet appointments- including these three:

Deputy mayor for public safety: Everett Gillison will work with the Police Department and all other criminal justice agencies to coordinate crime-fighting efforts.

He is a senior trial lawyer for the Defender Association of Philadelphia.

Deputy mayor of health and opportunity and health commissioner: Donald Schwartz, associate professor of child advocacy at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, will take on this new position, which was designed to coordinate health policy and better deliver health and social services.

Director of multicultural affairs: Longtime community activist Izzy Colon will act as the mayor's adviser and liaison on multicultural issues.

I don't know any of these people- I am sure most of us don't. But, someone with a lot of experience with kids, an activist from Angel Ortiz's office, and a Deputy Mayor for Public Safety who is a 20 year Public Defender seem like pretty interesting, admirable choices. As always, the proof will be in the pudding.

Finally, there is this weird article:

The civic watchdog group Committee of Seventy today will propose city-charter changes giving Philadelphia's police commissioner more management authority and permitting the city to hire cops willing to move in from the suburbs.

The proposals would involve a relaxation of civil-service rules for promoting and transferring police commanders.

If approved, they would allow incoming commissioner Charles Ramsey to bring more commanders in from other cities if he chooses.

"In the 21st century, any CEO needs the ability to manage his or her organization," said the Committee of Seventy's president and chief executive officer, Zack Stalberg.

"That's especially true for a paramilitary organization like the police department, and under the existing rules, the commissioner has very limited control."

This is a little strange. I understand they are a good government group, so getting their opinion on taking away civil service jobs and moving them to appointments makes sense. But, doesn't it seem strange that instead of being asked about whether they would support a move, they are actually proposing policing policy changes?

I don't know, something is strange about 1)hearing from the Committee of Seventy about the need for more control over our "paramilitary organization" and then 2)this quote, when asked about the potential for a return to a patronage system in the force:

"I'm concerned, but I'm not so concerned that I want the current public safety crisis to go on," he said.

Again, if I were the Mayor or Commissioner, I would want Seventy's input. But, it seems more like the Committee of Seventy is either greatly expanding its mission, or that someone asked them to issue this call for change, so as to use their goodwill in the media, etc.

That is not to say our "paramilitary organization" does not need changes. I am sure it does. But, still, pretty weird.