What do you mean that there's an election coming up?
Remember that we have primary elections every spring and general elections every fall where, in the former, we vote for nominees from the Democratic and Republican parties; in the latter, the primary winners run against each other, and sometimes minority party candidates, for the offices they’re seeking. The reason you may not have realized it’s election season is because there are no executive offices (mayor, governor or president) on the Philly ballot this fall.
What about the New Jersey elections? Those have been national news.
The special election on October 16 between Corey Booker and Steven Lonegan was for one of Jersey’s U.S. Senate seats left vacant by the late Frank Lautenberg. In the gubernatorial race, incumbent Republican Governor Chris Christie – a possible 2016 presidential candidate – is running for re-election against Democratic challenger, Barbara Buono.
So we're not voting for a new executive in Philly? I'm not certain I'll want to burn time on this if that's the case.
For Philadelphians, it’s true that larger elections are coming up: we’ll be voting for governor in 2014 and mayor in 2015. Nevertheless, there are plenty of reasons to pay attention to the November 5 ballot. In Pennsylvania, we vote for our judges – all the way up to the state Supreme Court. In Philly, we’re also voting for City Controller and District Attorney, both of which have Democratic incumbents running for re-election with a heavy advantage in a town where registered Democrats far outnumber Republicans – probably another reason the races haven’t been in the news every day. Regardless of the races, though, both offices are critical to the city.
All right, I'll bite... If I'm going to the debate tonight, I'd rather not have to ask what the Office of the City Controller is. What exactly does it control?
The Office of City Controller is less about control and more about oversight. The Controller does sit on several important city boards that make spending decisions (for example, with regard to pensions and borrowing). However, the Controller has a larger responsibility as auditor of the city, evaluating the finances of various departments in the hunt for fraud and waste.
What about the schools? They're in real trouble.
Good point. And yes, the Controller has a role there. Between the schools, the city’s unresolved labor negotiations and our looming pension crisis (nearly a fifth of every budget dollar is going into a pension system that’s only half funded), there are serious fiscal issues facing the city. The Controller, along with PICA, the state-created fiscal overseer, is responsible for raising red flags.
And who's in the race?
The current Controller, Democrat Alan Butkovitz, is being challenged by Republican Terry Tracy. As a possible mayoral candidate, the turnout of Butkovitz’s base on November 5 may be a litmus test for a 2015 campaign. You can find out more about the candidates from Seventy’s website, but the debate tonight – sponsored by the Committee of Seventy, the League of Women Voters and Young Involved Philadelphia – would also be worth your while. WHYY is playing host to the event with its own Dave Davies moderating. Venture over to WHYY’s Public Media Commons at 150 N 6th St. by Independence Mall from 7:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. The event won’t be broadcast, so this will be your only chance to see the candidates engage each other before the election. Admission is FREE but on a first come, first served basis!
What about the office of District Attorney?
The District Attorney’s main job is to be the "Attorney for the People" in the criminal courts of Philadelphia, deciding whether cases are prosecuted, what charges are filed or dropped, and whether or not a plea agreement is permitted. The office also has a unit that provides some oversight by investigating problems of personal and institutional corruption in government.
You don't have to spell out for me wht that job is important…
We didn’t think so, but the scale of the responsibility is still staggering. According to the D.A.’s website, the office is responsible for prosecuting about 75,000 cases yearly. To be blunt, because the person who serves as District Attorney interacts with so many Philadelphians, it is arguably as important as any job in the city. In this year’s race, Democratic incumbent, Seth Williams, is being challenged by Republican, Daniel Alvarez.
I got it. What else should I know?
Judges are running for election at every level of the state’s court system. The most interesting of these may be a retention bid by PA Supreme Court Justice Ronald Castille, who is bumping up against a mandatory retirement threshold that will force him out of office at the end of 2014 even if voters keep him on the bench. Many judicial contests on this year’s ballot are retention elections.
What are retention elections?
While vacancies on the bench require partisan elections to determine new judges, voters get to approve or disapprove sitting judges after a set number of years. The idea is that, once they are elected to office, judges are excused from the peril of competition with new candidates in recurring election cycles; theoretically, this helps keep politics out of the justice system.
I’m going to take a closer look at some of these folks. Where can I get more information?
The Pennsylvania Bar Association has published ratings for the four state-level judges up for retention this fall. All four are rated as “recommended” including Chief Justice Castille. The Philadelphia Bar Association also just released their ratings last week for our Common Pleas and Municipal Court judges. You can also visit Seventy’s website for more information.
I got it. Anything else I should know about the ballot?
General elections sometimes include ballot questions that ask voters to weigh in directly on a particular issue by voting “Yes” or “No”. The only question this fall regards the issuing of city bonds, a routine fiscal maneuver used by municipalities to cover longer-term budgetary objectives. Philadelphians will also see the offices of Judge of Elections and Inspector of Elections on the ballot. These are the folks who administer the election (also called polling place officials) and serve four year terms.
That's enough for me. I'll see you at the polls on November 5.
Remember to check your registration status and polling place. And if you’re voting by civilian absentee or alternative ballot,applications are due next week on Tuesday, October 29. As always, Seventy will be operating its Election Protection Hotline at 1-866-OUR-VOTE (866-687-8683). If you have any issues, don’t hesitate to call!
10/22/2013