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Drawing on decades of government experience on the local and federal level, Michael Nutter and Rick Santorum provide illuminating insight on political issues.
A two-term Mayor of Philadelphia, Nutter provides razor-sharp, engaging analysis on today’s most pressing issues, going beyond the headlines to deliver frank insights on what’s truly at stake. With over two decades of experience as an elected official, a celebrated sense of humor, and tremendous depth of knowledge on everything from the economy to healthcare policy, Nutter brings the informative and dynamic commentary he’s known for as a political thought leader to the stage.
A leading voice of the Republican Party, Santorum delves into today’s top stories as a Senior Political Commentator on CNN, providing frank analysis on the GOP agenda, the presidency and more. A two-time Republican Presidential Candidate and longtime U.S. Senator from Pennsylvania, Santorum has an insider’s perspective on what it takes to resonate with voters on the campaign trail.
Both with experience campaigning and serving in key battleground state Pennsylvania, Nutter and Santorum offer insight into current politics.
Michael Nutter served as the 98th Mayor of the City of Philadelphia, his hometown. He served 22.5 years as an elected official in Philadelphia, serving 14.5 years as a City Council member, and then 2 four year terms as Mayor, leaving office on January 4, 2016 due to term limits.
Mayor Nutter was considered one of the foremost leaders in innovation, tackling challenges of public safety, increasing funding for educating children, revitalizing the economy and spurring economic growth, restoring ethics and integrity to city government, ensuring fiscal discipline and making Philadelphia one of the great green and sustainable cities in America.
Known for keeping an active and engaged schedule as Mayor, Michael Nutter is doing the same as a private citizen. He's a Professor at Columbia University, a Senior Fellow with Bloomberg Philanthropies What Works Cities Program, Chair of the Mayors Advisory Board for Airbnb, and holds numerous Fellowships and Advisory positions in academic, political, non-profit and corporate entities. Mayor Nutter is actively engaged in the work of cities and trying to make them work better on behalf of their citizens.
A passionate champion of America’s founding principles, Senator Rick Santorum's impressive presidential campaign positioned him as a leading voice of the Republican Party. Senator Santorum began his first presidential campaign as a dark-horse candidate, but with a victory in the Iowa caucuses, he became a center-stage challenger who went on to win another ten states, over 3 million votes, and claim the mantle of conservative alternative to the front-runner. In four years in the U.S. House of Representatives, 12 as U. S. Senator, Rick Santorum earned a reputation as a passionate fighter for conservative values and a vocal advocate for smaller government, cutting wasteful spending, a strong national defense, and a return to our country’s founding principles.
After serving almost 15 years in the Philadelphia City Council, Michael A. Nutter was elected the 98th Mayor of his hometown in November 2007 and took office in January 2008. At his inaugural address, Mayor Nutter pledged to lower crime, improve educational attainment rates, make Philadelphia the greenest city in America and attract new businesses and residents to the city. He also promised to lead an ethical and transparent government focused on providing high quality, efficient and effective customer service.
With the support of an experienced, professional staff, Mayor Nutter made significant progress on every pledge: homicides were at an almost 50 year low at the end of his tenure; high school graduation and college degree attainment rates increased significantly; Philadelphia added hundreds of miles in bike lanes and trails and launched the first low-income friendly bike share system in America, called Indego; and Philadelphia’s population grew every year since 2008, including the largest percentage of millennial population growth in the nation. He actively recruited businesses to set up shop in Philadelphia, both domestically and internationally with tax reforms, better business services and international trade missions. And, despite the damaging impact of the Great Recession, Philadelphia’s economy demonstrated significant growth – since January 2014, more than $11.5 billion of economic development projects have been completed, are under construction or announced.
Mayor Nutter made a commitment to strong financial stewardship, vigorously managing the City through the worst economic recession since the Great Depression. As a result, Philadelphia’s credit rating was upgraded to the “A” category by the three major credit rating agencies for the first time since the 1970s.
In 2013, Philadelphia City Council passed his Actual Value Initiative, the City’s first ever property assessment system overhaul, transforming a broken and corrupt system into a fair, accurate and understandable system.
In affiliation with the National League of Cities, Mayor Nutter and New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu launched Cities United, an initiative aimed at creating partnerships between cities, non-profits, and other stake holders to combat violence and crime among African-American men and boys. He also serves on President Obama’s My Brother’s Keeper Advisory Council.
In June 2013, Mayor Nutter concluded his tenure as President of the United States Conference of Mayors, which is the official non-partisan organization of almost 1,300 U.S. cities with populations of 30,000 or more. As President, Mayor Nutter represented the Conference by strengthening federal-city relationships and promoting the development of effective national urban policy. In June 2015, Mayor Nutter completed his year of service as President of the Pennsylvania Municipal League, which brings together municipal government officials from across the Commonwealth to advance policy initiatives state-wide.
In 2011, Esquire magazine named Mayor Nutter to its Americans of the Year list and in 2014, he was named Public Official of the Year by Governing magazine. During his tenure, Philadelphia City government received more than 150 awards for innovative programs, good government practices and excellence.
Since leaving public service on January 4, 2016, Mayor Nutter has remained active in public policy, government, and civic life. Since leaving office this year, a series of announcements were made demonstrating his continued commitment to public service and civic engagement. In January, the Department of Homeland Security announced that Mayor Nutter accepted an appointment to the Homeland Security Advisory Council. Also in January, Columbia University/SIPA announced his appointment as a Professor, and in March, the Board of Trustees voted to appoint him as the Inaugural David N. Dinkins Professor of Professional Practice in Urban and Public Policy. Also in February, Bloomberg Philanthropies announced his appointment as a Senior Fellow and national spokesperson for the What Works Cities program, working with Mayors all across the United States. In April, Drexel University announced that Mayor Nutter joined the Lebow College of Business as an Executive Fellow in Leadership, working with the Institute for Strategic Leadership (ISL). In July, Airbnb announced that Mayor Nutter will chair their first ever Mayor’s Advisory Council, an international group of former Mayors providing strategic advice on local government issues and public policy. In August, the University of Chicago Urban Labs announced that Mayor Nutter had been appointed to the position of Executive Fellow, the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia announced his appointment as a Member of the Economic and Community Advisory Council and the Chicago Council on Global Affairs announced his appointment as a Distinguished Fellow. In November, The Brookings Institution announced that Mayor Nutter had been appointed as a Distinguished Non-Resident Senior Fellow in the Metropolitan Policy Program. In December, Code for America announced that Mayor Nutter became a Board member. On January 3, 2017, Mayor Nutter became an Independent Director and Board member of the new publicly traded company, Conduent Corporation, the spin-off firm from Xerox Corporation. Mayor Nutter maintains active involvement in critical areas of education, media, public policy, political campaigns, the corporate community, and academic institutions across the country. He is active in the social media environment, and can be reached on Twitter @Michael_Nutter, or through his website WWW.MikeNutterLLC.com.
Mayor Nutter is a life-long Philadelphian, born and raised in West Philadelphia and educated at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. He has been dedicated to public service since his youth. Mayor Nutter is happily married to his wife Lisa, and. a proud parent to Christian and Olivia.
A native of Pennsylvania, Rick Santorum was a candidate for the Republican nomination for President of the United States in 2016, 2012, and became known as a voice for conservatives who didn’t feel their voice was being represented. His grassroots approach to campaigning – including visiting every one of Iowa’s 99 counties and his stunning victory in the Iowa caucuses – catapulted him to frontrunner status where he ultimately won 11 states and 3 million votes during the Republican primary process.
In June, 2012 Rick Santorum launched Patriot Voices, a grassroots and online community of Americans committed to promoting faith, family, freedom and opportunity. With a goal of recruiting one million members, Patriot Voices will transform the political landscape of our country.
Rick and his wife of 24 years, Karen, are the parents of seven wonderful children: Elizabeth, John, Daniel, Sarah Maria, Peter, Patrick and Isabella. And during his run for president, Rick spoke passionately about his belief that strong families help produce a strong economy. He shared his views that we must expand opportunities for all Americans by encouraging incentives for marriage, children, and free enterprise.
As an example of his commitment to improving our economy, Rick spoke often about his belief that we must renew America’s manufacturing sector to ensure that our nation isn’t just made of innovators but of those who can produce those innovations. Renewing our country’s manufacturing spirit will strengthen working families and help our struggling communities return to a path of prosperity during these tough economic times. Rick also believes we must support America’s domestic energy potential through pro-growth tax and regulatory reforms that will not only create jobs but strengthen our national security.
On the campaign trail, Rick was a voice for the voiceless. Voters across this country heard about Rick and Karen’s youngest daughter Isabella, who was born with a condition called Trisomy 18, and who wasn’t expected to survive her first birthday. Beating all the odds, Bella celebrated her 6th birthday in May of 2014 and is a joyful and loving little girl. Bella’s miraculous life has only strengthened Rick and Karen’s belief in the dignity of each of every life.
Furthermore, one of the key reasons that Rick chose to run for president in 2012 was because of the passage of Obamacare. He believes passionately that we must repeal Obamacare and replace it with a bottom up, patient -- not government -- driven system.
Prior to running for President, Rick served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1991 to 1995, and in the U.S. Senate from 1995 to 2007 where he was known as one of the most successful government reformers in our history. Rick took on Washington's powerful special interests from the moment he arrived in our nation's Capitol in 1991. Along with John Boehner and Jim Nussle, Rick was a member of the "Gang of Seven" that exposed the Congressional Banking and Congressional Post Office scandals. It was this record of reform that prompted a Washington Post reporter to write that "Santorum was a tea party kind of guy before there was a tea party."
Rick was also an author and floor manager of the landmark Welfare Reform Act which passed in 1996 that has empowered millions of Americans to leave the welfare rolls and enter the workforce.
He wrote and championed legislation that outlawed the heinous procedure known as Partial Birth Abortion as well as the "Born Alive Infants Protection Act," the "Unborn Victims of Violence Act," and the "Combating Autism Act" because he believes each and every individual has value and the most vulnerable in our society need to be protected.
Rick fought to maintain fiscal sanity in Washington before it was in fashion, fighting for a balanced budget and a line item veto. He bravely proposed reforming entitlements, cutting spending and even developed a "spendometer" that added up the cost of Democrat amendments to spending bills. This record made him one of the most conservative senators in Pennsylvania's history.
Rick served eight years on the Senate Armed Services Committee where he led the fight before the attacks of September 11th, 2001 to transform our military from a Cold War force to meet today's threats. He was a leader on US-Israeli relations, authoring both the "Syria Accountability Act" and the "Iran Freedom and Support Act" which he successfully fought to pass in spite of initial opposition by President Bush. Rick firmly believes that we cannot allow Iran to obtain a nuclear weapon. An accomplished author, Rick Santorum penned the 2005 New York Times best seller It Takes a Family.
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