Philadelphia, January 8, 2010 – Today Mayor Michael A. Nutter ordered City of Philadelphia flags to be flown at half staff in honor of former State Senator Hardy Williams.rnrn“Those of us in politics and public service in Philadelphia today stand on the shoulders of Hardy Williams,†said Mayor Nutter. “As a young man making my way in a city in which he was such a dominant force, Hardy Williams helped to shape my political and social education. He demonstrated enormous courage in the way he blazed a trail for African Americans in this city. His political leadership was matched by his devotion, both in and out of public office, to the task of bringing hope and opportunity to the lives of Philadelphians from communities across our city.â€rnrn“He will be missed greatly but his memory and his legacy will live on through his son, State Senator Anthony Hardy Williams, and through all of us for whom he was a mentor and a leader,†said Mayor Nutter.