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April 15, 2023

Money talks (no, screams!) in the mayor’s race

The massive spending in the mayor’s race has been a growing concern as May 16 draws closer. On Monday, the city’s Ethics Board took the unprecedented step of suing the dark-money super PAC supporting Jeff Brown after collecting evidence indicating illegal coordination with the candidate and his campaign. While major donors to super PACs supporting other candidates are known, the Brown-aligned “For a Better Philadelphia” PAC funneled money through a nonprofit to mask contributors. A court has yet to rule on the matter, but if proven, the PAC and its associated nonprofit could face a $162,000 fine, the largest since the Ethics Board was created in 2006. “This would be one of the most significant enforcement actions the Board has taken up,” C70 Chief Policy Officer Pat Christmas told Axios. “But a lot of damage has been done.”

Small, but mighty: The Ethics Board proved its mettle this week—and Philly’s strict campaign finance rules are largely working. But the Board has endured flat funding for most of its tenure while its scope of responsibility and the complexity of public-integrity regulations have grown to match the evolving risks posed by special interests. Those running for mayor and City Council should commit to properly resourcing the Board and closing the loopholes that have surfaced this election season.

Dropping out: Maria Quiñones-Sánchez and Derek Green suspended their campaigns this week, both citing the challenge of competing in a race awash with super PACs. Both former council members also pointed to the need for public financing, which they supported while in office. Such a system would amplify the impact of regular voters who can’t write big checks by matching small donations with tax dollars.

Money talks more quietly in City Council races

The latest campaign-finance reports for City Council candidates contained few surprises, according to a Philadelphia 3.0 analysis, with incumbents leading the fundraising pack by and large, although in Northeast Philly, 10th District Democratic challenger Gary Masino’s $463,000 haul puts him in second place. Among the candidates for the five at-large seats certain to be won by Democrats, incumbents Katherine Gilmore Richardson and Isaiah Thomas took the top spots. Among the other 26 candidates, Rue Landau, Eryn Santamoor, incumbent Jim Harrity (who won his seat in a 2022 special election), Nina Ahmad, Amanda McIllmurray and Job Itzkowitz all have more than $100,000 on hand to make their cases to voters before May 16.

Ideological divergence: The Inquirer attempted to define the “distinct but occasionally overlapping camps” in the at-large Council race, largely between those deemed to be “business friendly” and others who will count on help from far-left grassroots groups such as Reclaim. Some of the candidates argue against labeling, citing the quality-of-life issues they’re campaigning around.

Questionable raises sought in Sheriff’s Office

Six weeks before she’ll face Democratic primary voters in her first reelection bid, Sheriff Rochelle Bilal was confronted by this week’s Inquirer investigation finding that her office sought to use funds earmarked for new deputies to give big raises to high-level officials including her. Bilal claimed to be in the dark on the planned pay raises, blaming the effort on her staff and the Kenney administration, although she did acknowledge her responsibility for leading the office. “I’m a new elected official,” she told the Inky. “I never ran for elected office before. This is a learning process. But I’m doing my best to change the atmosphere.”

It certainly needs changing: Bilal, a 27-year veteran of the police department, ran as a reformer in 2019, defeating Jewell Williams in the wake of sexual-harassment charges against him. The previous elected sheriff, John Green, was sentenced to five years in federal prison on bribery charges. The Inquirer's Chris Brennan surveyed the office's troubled history and found at least three mayoral candidates support abolishing the office.

Interactive Voter Guide is Live

Get ready to vote with C70’s Interactive Voter Guide. Type in your address for information on the statewide judicial elections as well as the local races and ballot questions in your area. Stay tuned for the races and questions in Bucks, Chester, Delaware and Montgomery counties.

Caught Our Eye

Youth civics in action at C70’s Candidate Convention: Students from PA Youth Vote at our Candidate Convention at WHYY studios, where voters met one-on-one with at-large City Council hopefuls Tuesday. Meanwhile, C70 interim president and COO Lauren Cristella stressed the importance of civics education in a new PA Capital-Star op-ed.

City Hall Roll Call

On Our Radar

Election Day in May: The Philadelphia Citizen outlines the reason why shutting out roughly 1 million independent voters from voting on candidates in primaries is both unfair and unwise.

Disturbing signs of gridlock: The PA Capital-Star reports that only one in seven state legislative districts had winners from both major parties in statewide and legislative races in 2022—down from 50% in 1992. And Bruce Ledewitz notes that the governor and legislature were unable to agree on a temporary pick to replace the late Supreme Court chief justice Max Baer until the next election.

Citizen journalists on the beat: Axios Philadelphia reports that the nonprofit Resolve Philly will train and pay amateur newshounds to report on City Council committee meetings and other government meetings that are often uncovered.

How Harrisburg Works: Spotlight PA reviews the new state House rule that defines the “majority party” as the one that won the most seats in the last general election, a provision inserted by Democrats to preserve their majority in the event of vacancies.

Events

Our Vote, Our Future Mayoral Forum

Mon., April 17, 6-8 PM

Columbia North YMCA

1400 N. Broad St., Philadelphia

The Urban Affairs Coalition, the Greater Philadelphia YMCA and One Day at a Time host a mayoral forum that will offer Philadelphians an opportunity to voice their hopes, concerns and what they know will make Philadelphia an ever-better place for all of us. The focus will be on such top-of-mind issues as education, youth development, health equity, substance abuse recovery, housing, equitable economic development and gun violence. Moderators: Urban Affairs Coalition CEO Sharmain Matlock-Turner and Shaun Elliott, the president and CEO of the Greater Philadelphia YMCA. Register.

Demystifying the Ballot: A Discussion of the 2023 Philadelphia City Council Race

Tues., April 18, 5:30-7:30 PM

The Quorum, 3675 Market St.

Join Young Involved Philadelphia for a nonpartisan event aimed at demystifying the ballot for the upcoming local elections for mayor and City Council in Philadelphia. It will provide attendees with an opportunity to learn more about the voting process, helping to ensure that they are well-informed when casting their ballots. Panelists include City Hall Roll Call reporter Lauren Vidas, Jen Devor of Better Civics and C70’s Ashley Session. This is a free event so all can attend. If you have the means, we ask for a $5-$10 donation to help support future events YiP will put on this year. Register.

Philadelphia’s Mayoral Town Hall on Disability

Wed., April 19, 4-6 PM

Liberty Resources, 112 N. 8th St. and online

The REVUP Philly! Coalition hosts this forum for mayoral candidates because they want to hear that candidates are including disability policies, hiring disabled candidates to work at all levels, and working to improve accessibility in Philadelphia. Disabled people make up 17% of the population (almost 270,000 Philadelphians), and we want candidates to understand that our vote matters. Register.

Why Vote? A Forum on Justice and Opportunity

Thurs., May 4, 4:30-5:30 PM

ECS St Barnabas Mission, 6006 W. Girard Ave. and online

Two weeks before the municipal primary, Episopal Community Services will host an in-person and livestreamed dialogue to provide important information to voters. What ballot questions will be presented to Philadelphia voters in the spring primary, and why do they matter? Why are judicial elections important? And perhaps most importantly—why vote at all? Answers to these questions and more will be covered by C70 interim president and COO Lauren Cristella and Deborah Gross, president and CEO of Pennsylvanians for Modern Courts. WHYY’s Cherri Gregg is the moderator. Register for in-person or the livestream.

Appellate Courts Candidate Forum

Tues., May 9, 6-7:30 PM

Zoom

Pennsylvanians for Modern Courts will host a virtual forum with the candidates for Pennsylvania's appellate courts: the Supreme Court, Superior Court and Commonwealth Court. All of the candidates have been invited to participate, and virtual attendees will have the opportunity to submit questions for the candidates. Co-Sponsors include the Allegheny County Law Library, the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, the Free Library of Philadelphia, the Philadelphia Bar Association, the League of Women Voters of Greater Pittsburgh, the Montgomery County Bar Association, the Pennsylvania Bar Association and the C70. Register.

2023 Women in Public Leadership Event

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

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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