Mayor Nutter's announcement of budget cuts to deal with the local effects of the international economic crisis is somber news for Philadelphians.  There is no doubt that this crisis is real and serious and that cities and states across the country are making similar adjustments to their own spending plans. 

In the face of these difficulties, Philadelphia's long-term challenge remains fairly simple.  The cost of living and doing business in Philadelphia is too high compared to other cities and surrounding jurisdictions, and for many residents and employers, Philadelphia's quality of life and the quality of the marketplace is too low given those high costs.  We must find ways to reduce those costs AND improve amenities to attract and retain residents and employers.  Mayor Nutter's decision to end the city's successful tax-reduction program while reducing services enjoyed by residents does nothing to help us address our fundamental long-term challenge of reversing decades of job and population loss.

Thus, in second guessing the Mayor's decisions, many are wondering whether he could have cut spending that does not directly affect service delivery or increase other city revenues without affecting the city's planned schedule of tax reductions.  Unfortunately, because the Mayor chose to craft his budget-adjustment plan behind closed doors, we have no idea which other options he rejected, which ideas he never considered, and which assumptions he made to guide his decision-making process. 

The elimination of transparency and the reduction of openness is the unkindest cut of all from Mayor Nutter.