A New Kind of First Philadelphia Lady
LISA NUTTER STARTED HER HUSBAND'S election night victory party with a joke. The crowd at the Warwick Hotel in Center City had listened respectfully through two introductory speeches from the mayor-elect's pastor and his father, and the enthusiastic assembled were positively kvelling to see the victorious candidate in the flesh when the senior Mr. Nutter began his introduction, "And now please welcome the next mayor of the city of Philadelphia . . .!" and amid the cheers and applause, Michael Nutter's wife stepped forward, took the microphone into her hands and shouted, "SIKE!"
I'm trying to imagine any of the city's First Lady's in my lifetime having the mischevious wit and brazen cajones to engage in such crowd-gorging tantric humor on her husband's night of triumph. But it came naturally to Lisa Nutter, Philadelphia's First Lady-elect, and it seemed as naturtal as a dinner table jest among close friends when she kept the crowd hanging while she said a few words about the man she married. With her primary campaign-ad star daughter Olivia by her side, Lisa Nutter told Philadelphia what she loved and admired about her husband and his commitment to his city, his family and his desire to serve both.
It was extraordinary really; human, touching and funny. Totally Philadelphian in her confidence in the moment, the audience and the message. And when she finally did introduce the next mayor, she described him in terms, I daresay, have never been uttered by a mayor's wife on election night: After describing the next mayor by every familial relationship in the Nutter clan, from grandson to godfather, Lisa Nutter concluded, "And, yes, he's still my old dawg and my boo."
And I laughed like everyone else, not quite sure what "boo" means or even if that's how it's spelled. But I'm sure it's something every old dawg wants to be. Especially when he's mayor and the First Lady is waiting dinner..
