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May 19, 2023

Philly voters made history Tuesday


In nominating Cherelle Parker to be their mayoral candidate, city Democrats made her the odds-on favorite to become Philly's 100th mayor and the first woman to serve on the second floor of City Hall. Parker’s showing was strongest in Black neighborhoods and communities hit hardest by gun violence, the dominant issue of concern for voters. The GOP primary winner, former Councilmember David Oh, will be facing Parker in the November election but has a steep road to climb with nearly 7 times more Democratic voters than Republicans in the city. Still, both candidates now have the opportunity to fully put forward their vision for Philadelphia and how they plan to govern.


What does the mayor actually do? Philadelphia’s Home Rule Charter charges the mayor with using their position to “promote and improve the government of the city.” Billy Penn delineates the mayor’s powers and responsibilities. So do we, in our How Philly Works charts.

“It’s not either or”: Like her more progressive rivals, Parker promised to use the office to advocate for better schools and more effective social services, but she also pushed for more muscular policing, much as New York mayor Eric Adams did in his successful 2021 campaign. “It’s not either or,” she stressed during her campaign.



And down ballot: Candidates endorsed by Democratic City Committee performed well across all other races on the ballot, from City Council to City Controller to local judges. And all voters (not just registered Rs and Ds) approved three of the four proposed Charter amendments on the ballot, rejecting only a proposal to ease hiring requirements for the new Citizens Police Oversight Commission.

Case in point for electoral reform


With Democratic turnout barely over 30% and votes spread across five major candidates, no one was going to emerge from this election with a mandate. This is a problem and makes clear the shortcomings of the traditional, first-past-the-post elections. On cue, two Senate Republicans introduced a bill for primary runoffs while several Democratic House members are championing ranked-choice voting. Seventy’s Ballot PA initiative is pushing to allow independent voters to vote in primaries. But nonpartisan primaries, approval voting and other reforms should be on the table as well. Each has pros and cons, but one thing is certain: The status quo is not serving voters and making it harder to govern.

NOW, amend the Charter: We should press the next mayor and City Council to reexamine when and how we amend the Home Rule Charter, our local constitution, and if a pro-voter reform to municipal elections is possible without also changing state law, THAT would be a ballot question worth sending to the voters.

In Allegheny County, a leftward trend continues


The state’s second largest county is also likely to elect its first female chief executive in November after Democratic voters nominated State Rep. Sara Innamorato for County Executive Tuesday. Innamorato was the progressive in the race to succeed term-limited incumbent Rich Fitzgerald, and if she wins in November, she’ll join U.S. Rep. Summer Lee and Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey in succeeding incumbents considered less liberal. Innamorato’s Republican opponent in the fall will be Joe Rockey, who calls himself “a centrist.” Similar to Cherelle Parker in Philly, Innamorato won comfortably (with a nine-point margin in a six-candidate field) but with the votes of only 64,000 of the county’s 510,000 registered Democrats.

Wild west of campaign finance: The County Executive race wasn’t cheap, and unlike in Philly, there are few restraints on donations, limited transparency and no real oversight. The big spending spurred a proposal to limit donations similar to Philadelphia. Fitzgerald has said he’d veto it should it pass before he leaves office, but Innamorato supports campaign limits as well as a gift ban.

Caught Our Eye

How Cherelle Parker won: The Inquirer crunches the numbers of the Philadelphia Democratic mayoral primary, demographically and geographically.

On Our Radar

Bad news for election oversight: The six Republican County Commissioners in Berks, Fayette, and Lancaster counties who refused to certify 2022 election results because of a dispute over mail-in ballots were all renominated.


Third-party voters are second-class citizens: Scranton Times-Tribune columnist Chris Kelly joins the call to repeal closed primaries by personalizing it with the story of an independent-minded Northeast PA retiree. “You get the government you vote for,” he told Kelly, “and the government you don't vote for."


Not there yet: A Votebeat investigation finds that Philly has made headway in providing polling-place access for voters with disabilities in recent years, but only one-third are considered “fully accessible.”


Judicial Watch voter-roll suit settled: Politics PA reports that the conservative activist group will no longer contend that the PA Department of State failed to comply to federal or state law governing list maintenance.

Events

Gun Violence Briefing With the Coalition to Save Lives

Tues., May 23, 5-6:30 PM

Online

Join the Forum for Executive Women for a briefing about gun violence in Philadelphia with the Civic Coalition to Save Lives. The program will feature Philadelphia Urban League president/CEO Sharmain Matlock-Turner; Ted Qualli, the Philadelphia Foundation’s communications and marketing director; and Civic Coalition executive director Estelle Richman. Register.


What Does Data-Driven Local Government Look Like?

Thurs., May 25, 11 AM-12 Noon

Online

It’s been 20 years since CitiStat revolutionized data-driven performance management to make local government more efficient and effective. While many cities have established long-term, data-driven approaches, Philadelphia’s use of data and performance-management strategies has been more diffuse. How could renewed attention to performance management help local elected and operational leaders address our most pressing challenges?


Pew is leading a series of convenings on this essential feature of good government, starting with an expert panel on the past, present, and future of public-sector performance management. Guests include Beth Blauer of Johns Hopkins University; Rochelle Haynes of What Works Cities; Dan Hymowitz of Baltimore’s Office of Performance and Innovation. Moderator: Anjali Chainani of Anavi Strategies. Register.


Redistricting: Lessons Learned & Next Steps for Needed Reform

Wed., May 31, 7-8:30 PM

Online

Draw the Lines and the Committee of Seventy are partnering with Fair Districts PA, PA Voice, the League of Women Voters of Pennsylvania, and Common Cause PA to convene a panel discussion about the past cycle, consider lessons learned, and highlight questions of importance for future reforms. Panelists will be announced soon. You can register for free here: Sign up to attend PA Redistricting.


2023 Women in Public Leadership Event

Tuesday, June 6, 8:30 AM - 10:30 AM

The Kimmel Center

The Committee of Seventy’s Second Annual Women in Public Leadership event features a timely and important conversation on the vital role the media plays in a democracy. Dr. Kerry Sautner, Chief Learning Officer for the National Constitution Center, will moderate the discussion between Errin Haines, Editor-at-Large and Founder of the 19th*; Lisa Hughes, publisher & CEO of The Philadelphia Inquirer; and Sarah Glover, VP of News & Civic Dialogue at WHYY to discuss their path to leadership, how news organizations can strengthen democracy, and the challenges and opportunities their industries face in light of the heightened partisanship facing our nation. C70 will also honor renowned civic leader, Sharmain Matlock-Turner, CEO of the Urban Affairs Coalition, for her tireless work advancing social and economic justice, promoting voter engagement, and advocating for the rights of marginalized communities. Sponsorship and ticket information.

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