No foes yet, but Nutter gears up for second run

If you think Mayor Michael Nutter will waltz into a second term, you don’t think like Nutter. “We’re hiring staff and gearing up for re-election,” said Scott Freda, Nutter’s campaign finance director. “The mayor takes nothing for granted. He knows nothing is guaranteed.”

A smooth Nutter ride seemed more likely when Sam Katz opted against a bid the same day City Councilman Bill Green told Metro running “is not something I’m prepared to do at this point.”

If nobody else steps up for the primary — like Tom Knox could — perennial candidate Queena Bass said she will. If someone does, she’ll probably just ask for write-in votes. “Here’s a man who talks about education and he wants to close libraries? ‘I don’t like Nutter’ is what I hear from people every day,” said Bass, who leaflets against Jefferson University Hospital, against whom she had a racial discrimination case.

Republican John Featherman has already filed with the Board of Elections and says he’ll gather the necessary 1,000 signatures starting Feb. 15. The realtor expects primary opposition.

“You’re not going to see anything really negative,” said Featherman, adding the political climate will start shifting this week when residents start getting real-estate tax hike notices. “I just feel he hasn’t stepped up to the plate on a lot of issues like Carl Greene, DROP and flash mobs.”