Philly Mayor Nutter to make rounds at Capitol

Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter said yesterday that he would aim to meet personally with all 253 state lawmakers in Harrisburg, with an eye toward advancing Philadelphia policy priorities in the Capitol, The Inquirer reports.

The mayor did not lay out a specific time frame in which to accomplish that goal, though he also said his administration would create a lobbying position to be based in Harrisburg.

Political observers don't doubt that his goals are policy-based, but with the mayor already increasingly popular outside Philadelphia, it's easy to think the meetings could only help Nutter achieve whatever his future political ambitions may be.

"Obviously if he has some statewide ambitions, getting around and meeting with lawmakers is a good way to start," said G. Terry Madonna, a pollster and political science professor at Franklin & Marshall College in Lancaster.

Neil Oxman, a longtime Democratic political consultant in Philadelphia, cautioned against drawing any political conclusions from the mayor's decision.

"He's not doing this to run for governor or senator or anything else," Oxman said. "He's doing it because the last mayor had almost no relationship with Harrisburg."

Nutter's spokesman did not return calls seeking comment this afternoon.