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]

It’s become a concern among Democrats running for various positions in the city that Democratic mayoral candidate/budding savior Michael Nutter’s lead in a recent poll is so lopsided that it could diminish Election Day turnout and change the course of other races.

Terry Madonna, director of the made-up sounding Center for Opinion Research at Franklin & Marshall College, says, “There’s no doubt about it, there’s a real likelihood of a low turnout in the city, which could affect judicial races.”

See? Al Taubenberger may actually do something for the Republican party in this election after all.

Poll: Nutter in a rout and some Dems are worried [Next Mayor]

Michael Nutter and Al Taubenberger continued their mutual face-licking at last night’s “Talk About It” forum at the Free Library, with both candidates engaging in their usual jovial agreement on most issues and total avoidance of all controversy. A rundown of the local coverage reveals that most reporters are completely exasperated — so a summary of their stories in movie-blurb format seems appropriate.

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The Jewish Federation’s venerable weekly newspaper the Jewish Exponent hasn’t provided much coverage of the mayoral race this election season, but the little it has run seems to be favoring long-shot Republican candidate Al Taubenberger.

Asked by the Daily Examiner if this has been a prelude to the paper’s coming out for Big Al, an Exponent editorial staffer said the paper doesn’t openly endorse candidates and, further, that it offers equal coverage and has no political bias. The staffer then encouraged the Examiner to check out its “Politics” section for confirmation. We did.

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Cuddly Republican no-shot mayoral candidate Al Taubenberger introduced himself to the sultry green masses at the Eagles training camp in Lehigh yesterday. Appearing as the guest of the not-so-creatively named Manufacturing Alliance of Philadelphia, he continued his noble march toward utter defeat in November.

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Tricia Enright’s appointment as the new campaign manager for Michael Nutter was announced officially today. Enright, 40, has been a part of seemingly every high-profile Democratic enterprise in the past 15 years, including stints in the Clinton administration and the campaigns of John Kerry, Vermont governor Howard Dean (yee-ah!) and, most recently, Pennsylvania governor Ed Rendell.

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Philly.com’s Next Mayor blog trots out stats from a recent Equality Forum poll suggesting that 70 percent of the voters in gay neighborhoods went for Michael Nutter in May’s primary.

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