According to a source close to real estate tycoon Dan Neducsin, mayor-to-be Michael Nutter recently asked the “man who saved Manayunk” if he’d be interested in becoming his deputy mayor.

For a city in desperate need of a makeover on nearly every front, bringing in an urban rejuvenation specialist like Neducsin is plainly a necessity. Alas, Nutter spokesperson Melanie Johnson said this is “first time she’s heard about it” and cautioned that rumors about who will make up Nutter’s cabinet are rampant. “Right now, we’re focused on winning the election,” she told the Daily Examiner yesterday.

Neducsin also said it’s news to him. When asked if he would consider taking the job, Neducsin remarked “I wouldn’t even know what that job entails.”

The source, however, maintains that conversation took place and that Neducsin politely turned it down.

Neducsin Management [Home Page]

Manayunk is awash in Other People’s Filth. The formerly blue-collar ‘hood is apparently being overrun by drunken 20somethings stumbling out of various Main Street drinking establishments and urinating, fornicating and, sheesh, defecating in public on homeowners’ lawns.

On Tuesday night, local leaders and residents asked City Council’s Licenses and Inspections committee to pass a measure that would raise the fines for public toiletry to a minimum of $300 and a maximum of $1,500. In 2009, they want the doo-doo fines pumped up to $2,000. (The measure passed and will come in front of the full Council soon.)

Dave Magrogan, lilliputian owner of the Kildare’s on Main Street, agrees that the fines are a good thing. However, he does take issue with the way some locals automatically blame the bars for some of the patrons’ reckless behavior. He adds that most pub and restaurant owners are doing their part in keeping Manayunk’s wild and unruly in check by not over-serving, but says there’s only so much owners can do. More than anything else, Magrogan insists, patrons need to practice “self-responsibility” and police need to “step it up.”

“The additional fine is something we all support, but there is no enforcement,” he tells the Daily Examiner. “So you have a $1,500 fine for peeing, but nobody wants to process it and fill out the paperwork. Right now, it’s a consequence-free environment in Manayunk. The fines will help curb the problem — but it won’t help curb it if the police don’t actually enforce it.”

Magrogan joked that his bar could resort to extreme measures if necessary: “Maybe we can have our bouncers follow customers home to make sure they pick up after themselves after they crap on the street.”

Manayunk Revelry Prompts City Council Action [KYW]
Irish Guy is Smiling [Philly Mag]