UNIVERSITY CITY (WPVI) -- Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter touted the city's successes and struggles during his final State of the City address.
The mayor's annual address to the movers and shakers of the Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce is his seventh and final one.
They love him here.
"We at your Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce have enjoyed a productive and collaborative relationship with Mayor Nutter," said Rob Wonderling.
Mayor Nutter declared the city as healthy and growing fast with business building, blossoming and expanding.
"Our economy is booming. Since January of 2014, more than 8.5 billion of projects have been completed, under construction or announced in our city," he said.
Four municipal labor unions are at peace with City Hall for the first time since 2009.
Crime is down dramatically as well.
"In 2014, our homicide rate was down 36 percent and incidents of violent crime were down 17 percent as compared to 2007," said Mayor Nutter.
The high school graduation rate has jumped 12 percentage points in Mayor Nutter's seven years.
But underfunded schools and the perpetual crisis at the school district, the mayor says, feeds into the deepest chronic challenges for his successor - whoever it is.
"Education and funding, poverty and the epidemic of violence effecting young men and boys of color. These challenges are long term, they are deeply rooted, they are connected," said Mayor Nutter.
Mayor Nutter, his top aides and supporters are quick to note that all this development success during his era at City Hall has come during America's worst economic recession since the great depression of the 1930s - which is no small feat they say.