I Like Mike.

When I was looking at law schools, my friend Brenda and I jumped into my 1984 Buick Regal and road tripped from rural North Carolina, not quite sure how long we would be staying in which locations. The plan was to check out all of the schools that I was considering and see what there was to see. At the time, I wasn’t quite sure where I was going – I was leaning towards Emory (Atlanta) or Georgetown (DC).

But that all changed the day that I rolled down the Parkway. Within a few hours, I knew that I had found it: I was going to school in Philadelphia.

Did we have this incredible picture perfect visit? Not really. Brenda and I got lost in the projects initially – two little Southern girls in braids, radio blaring Brooks and Dunn. And then I was freaking out because I wasn’t sure that the man that I so casually handed my keys to was actually a valet – we didn’t have those in rural North Carolina. But there was just this amazing feeling that I had when I got out of the car – this sense of excitement that this is where things happen. I could see Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell all within a stone’s throw from the modern buildings “downtown.” And I knew. I knew this was the place that I wanted to be.

Almost fifteen years later, I call Philadelphia my home as if I grew up here. It feels like home to me. It is home to me.

I’ve been thinking a lot about the elections lately and how they are going to alter the landscape of the City – my City – in terms of economy, demographics and business. And I wondered whether I’d consider changing my vote at all. You see, I had always assumed that I’d vote for Nutter. I think for a bit that I was attached to idea of voting for Nutter for Mayor because it was comfortable.

Nutter has served me well as my Councilperson since I arrived in the Wissahickon in 1998, always responsive, always considerate, even when we didn’t share the same answers or priorities. As an officer in my local civic, I found Nutter and those he surrounded himself to be concerned about the same kinds of issues that we were concerned about: schools, quality of life, zoning, taxes.

And then when Sycamore, Sean D and other Phillybloggers and I got together to support and promote Nutter’s “Stop Pay to Play” legislation, I remember having this sense of admiration for the one guy on Council who wasn’t afraid to say that this entitlement had to end – and trust me, there were many on Council who would prefer to see it continue.

While pregnant with my first child, I had some concerns about the Water Department and a flyer that I received with respect to the level of lead in the water. I wrote several letters, including one to Councilman Nutter’s office. I received a call from the Water Department, offering to test my water for me, noting that Nutter’s office had asked them to contact me because they understood that I was concerned about drinking the water while pregnant.

As a business owner, I appreciated that Nutter wanted to lower taxes on business in a measured way that would help local businesses grow while continuing to provide much needed services to the City – services like fire, police and public transit that are essential to our continued growth.

As the President of my local development corporation, I watched as Nutter helped us promote economic development along Ridge Avenue – introducing legislation into Council that made us the first NID (Neighborhood Improvement District, a little different than a BID) in the City of Philadelphia. He assisted us with obtaining funds to clean our streets and provide services to the business community all the while insisting that we work with the broader community to address concerns about parking, overdevelopment and scale. Whenever a potential development arose that would affect the landscape of the Ridge, Nutter would ask what the benefits of the development would be and whether the community was on board.

I was asked to be on one of the panels for WHYY’s “The Next Mayor” forum just after the birth of my last child. Sitting in that chair, I thought about the upcoming election and what it means to the City – it means so, so much to our City – and I thought about the kinds of things that were important to me in a mayor. And the normal laundry list of items spilled out: fighting crime, bettering our schools (I said on camera that this was the most important to me and it is), economic development, the environment, the economy. Time after time, Nutter was the candidate that came to mind as the very best person to address those issues. He’s smart, he’s principled, he knows what makes this City work and what doesn’t.

As the elections draw closer, I have my Nutter sign in my yard. I am proud to support Nutter for Mayor. And it is exactly because I am comfortable with him at the helm, and there’s nothing wrong with that at all. In all facets of my life – as a businessperson, a community activist, a mother, a neighbor – I have felt comfortable knowing that Nutter was on my side. When I say that I support Nutter for Mayor, I am excited. I have that same feeling that I had when I got out of the car that first time in Philadelphia: I love this City. This is where things happen.