Getting to know them

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Al Taubenberger knows South Philly well, whether taking in a Phils or Flyers game, dining at the area’s restaurants or visiting friends. But how many residents can say they know the city’s Republican mayoral candidate?

That will change June 20, when the Packer Park Civic Association hosts Taubenberger and Michael Nutter, who is running for mayor on the Democratic ticket, at 6:30 p.m. at Holy Spirit Catholic Church hall, 1845 Hartranft St.

They’ll be door prizes, refreshments and the usual monthly updates on local issues residents have come to expect at meetings.

Nutter, 49, from Wynnefield, and Taubenberger, 53, from the Burholme section, will address the crowd separately, discussing their platforms and then opening the floor to questions.

"I didn’t want to set up a debate or any type of controversy whatsoever," association President Barbara Capozzi said. "I wanted it to be a happy, informative meeting. I want [residents] to know how good both these candidates are. They are both intelligent, honest and ethical."

Capozzi had no problem scheduling Taubenberger, president of the Greater Northeast Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce, or May 15 primary election winner Nutter, who she said were "thrilled" to grace the association with their presence so they could get to know one of Philly’s southernmost neighborhoods.

Capozzi said she initiated the forum to introduce her Packer Park community to both men in time for the November showdown.

Next week won’t be the first time the two have met, with both attending close to 100 candidate forums in the past. After the May primary, Taubenberger and Nutter went to lunch.

"We’re running against each other but we’re friends. This is going to be a campaign that focuses on the issues not personalities," the Republican challenger said.

The civic association was founded in 1990 to uphold and maintain civic pride and improve living conditions in the Packer Park neighborhood — Packer to Pattison avenues and Broad to 20th streets. Open to the public, Capozzi said she’s expecting at least 300 Packer Park residents to turn out for the forum and hopes many others from outside the area will show, as well.

A member of the Burholme Civic Association since ’80 and an original participant of its Town Watch, formed in ’94, next week will be Taubenberger’s first foray into civic affairs in South Philly.

"I look forward to it. It’s an opportunity to exchange with the citizens down there — the homeowners — on important topics of the day," he said.

The Republican candidate said he never gets nervous at public forums and is ready for the aggressive attitude characteristic of many folks south of South Street. "People in the Northeast can be very aggressive too," he said with a laugh before summing up, "Whether you’re from South Philly, North Philly or the Northeast, there is a passion and love all citizens have that is unique to this town."

Though he’s never held an elected office, that’s not to say Taubenberger hasn’t been in the race. In 2002 and ’04 he ran but lost in the Republican primaries for the U.S. House of Representatives. He’s also worked in city government, most recently as vice chairman of the Philadelphia Tax Reform Commission and chief of staff for City Councilman Jack Kelly from ’88 to ’92.

In the ’80s, the Northeast Philly native served on the staffs of U.S. Rep. Charles Dougherty and City Councilwoman Joan Krajewski.

Job development tops the Republican candidate’s agenda and one he plans to push at the June 20 forum. Though the city is comprised of many different neighborhoods, Taubenberger believes concerns are all the same: "They all want high standards of good jobs. A good job at a good wage is a better program than Harrisburg or Washington can ever devise."

Crime and quality of life are two other topics he plans to address but added those issues are not unique to just South Philly.

Unlike Taubenberger, Nutter has appeared at South Philly civic meetings, most recently Queen Village Neighbors Association a month before the primary, Terry Gillen, his newly appointed political director, said.

Gillen, who lives near Graduate Hospital and is leader of the 30th Ward covering the blocks from Washington Avenue and Lombard Street between Broad and the Schuylkill River, has known Nutter for 20 years. "It’s a great honor and I’m delighted to be working with him," she said of her new post.

The first thing Nutter will do at the Packer Park meeting is open his ears.

"He really does want to hear what folks in Packer Park think is important. He’s in the middle of a campaign, which he is taking very seriously. Listening to neighborhood concerns is a part of that," the political director said.

In the weeks leading up to the primary, and certainly after Nutter’s win, edging out Tom Knox, Dwight Evans, Bob Brady and others, Philadelphia was in the throes of Nutter-mania. But next week, locals will have a chance to see the man up close and personal, without the glow from the media spotlight, Gillen said.

"He’s very comfortable with grass roots, Q&A; and talking to people in the neighborhood," she said. "I think you’ll see somebody who loves working with neighborhood folks. He loves the give-and-take of these community meetings. It doesn’t come across that much on television."

After hearing what people have to say, Nutter will discuss the four key issues that helped him lock up the primary: crime, education, jobs and ethics reform/corruption.

"He’ll talk about what he’s been talking about the last eight months, which is his vision for those issues. He has a reputation as someone who provided for his constituents for the last 15 years. You talk to people in Manayunk and Roxborough [Nutter’s City Council districts] and he paid attention to their constituent needs. He understands that is important for Packer Park, as well," Gillen said.