Ever since her husband came home Thursday night worried about loosing his job at Coca-Cola due to a proposed tax on sugary drinks, Angela Quitola had a bone to pick with Mayor Nutter.
Then imagine her surprise when she got that chance Friday morning at the Mayfair Diner along Frankford Avenue.
"All I wanted him to do is hear me out, that's all," Quitola said Friday night.
Mayor Michael Nutter was visiting the Mayfair eatery to get feedback from residents on his $3.9 billion budget proposal for 2011. Among the most controversial items is a $300 fee for trash pickup and two-cents an ounce tax on sugary drinks such as soda, juice and sports drinks.
Quitola and Nutter went back-and-forth for more than two minutes as cameras rolled and diners hesitantly looked on.
"If you raise them taxes, what do you think the chances are that my husband will still have a job," Quitola asked Nutter.
Nutter responded by highlighting that soda companies like Coke make other products such as water and diet drinks that use sugar substitutes -- which would not be taxed.
"We have a $150 million deficit, I understand your concern, your husband works for Coke, I get that," the mayor said.
But Quitola, who says she voted for Mayor Nutter, feels like the mayor just didn't care.
"He could have cared a little more," Quitola said. "He could have understood what I was going through."
To be fair, the mayor did listen to the woman's questions and explain why the tax was necessary and its residual health benefits.
"We did make a lot of cuts and will continue to make a lot of cuts," Nutter said. "And if you have some ideas on how to save money, I'd love to hear them."
Still, Quitola thinks there are other ways to save money.
"For him to say 'It's not a healthy choice,' I understand it's not a healthy choice. Neither are cigarettes, but people still choose to smoke them," she said.
Quitola plans to continue to stand up against the measure and says she received many calls from people after the cola confrontation -- including her husband's boss -- pledging their support.
