Reclaim Steering Committee Recommendations for Ballot Questions and Row Offices

Reclaim Steering Committee Recommendations for Ballot Questions and Row Offices for the May 16th 2023 Primary Election 

While the most consequential part of the primary election ballot is the vote for mayor, City Council and local judges in the Court of Common Pleas,, Reclaim’s Steering Committee offers the following analysis on the ballot questions, row offices and statewide judicial elections for our members to consider.  

Get all your voting resources for the upcoming election and reclaim your vote here! The last day to register for the primary or update your voter registration is Monday May 1, 2023.

On BALLOT QUESTION 1, we recommend voting NO. This question proposes higher budgeting requirements for the city’s “rainy day fund.” Given the level of disproportionate crisis we face in Black and brown communities today, we encourage City Council to prioritize equitably investing in public resources right now. Investments in parks, recreation centers, libraries and other public resources today will support communities that will be more resilient in the future. We believe the best way to increase the rainy day fund would be through legislation as an element of public and people-first budgeting rather than through a change to the Home Rule Charter as this question proposes. 

On BALLOT QUESTION 2, we recommend voting NO. This question proposes creating a Division of Workforce Solutions within the Department of Commerce. The Department of Commerce prioritizes big business over workers — and instead we believe improved benefits and working conditions are best won with ever stronger unions and movements to win bold worker’s rights legislation.

On BALLOT QUESTION 3, we recommend voting YES. This question proposes making employees of the Citizens Police Oversight Commission exempt from civil service hiring requirements. Voting in favor of this proposal will continue to keep civil service requirements in place for the vast majority of city jobs, but will make the Citizens Police Oversight Commission a more accessible position.

On BALLOT QUESTION 4, we recommend voting NO. This question proposes creating a Chief Public Safety Director that must be appointed by City Council. While our city needs bold, holistic solutions to our public safety crisis, those solutions include creating widely available good union jobs, community investment, excellent public schools and transformative alternatives to policing. They don’t include creating new, unaccountable agencies that take away power from elected offices like the District Attorney and Mayor.

For CITY CONTROLLER, we make no recommendation. The Controller is the City’s chief financial officer. We would love to be able to support a bold progressive in this race. Unfortunately,  Alexandra Hunt, in both this and her previous congressional run, has not been able to build the broad people-powered coalition needed to win. Most of her support in both races has come from outside of the city and state. We are disappointed by this, because the person most likely to win is Christy Brady. While she knows the Controller’s office well, she has also received the most money from the Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) of any candidate on the ballot on May 16, Democrat or Republican. 

For CITY COMMISSIONER, we make no recommendation. Omar Sabir and Lisa Deeley are running unopposed. The City Commissioners administer elections in the City. For the job of administering democracy, Reclaim’s Steering Committee would have loved to see democracy at work with a competitive race. Instead we’ll need to wait until the General Election, where we may have the chance to elect a Working Families Party candidate as the third Commissioner. 

For REGISTER OF WILLS, we recommend (#48) Tracy Gordon. We recommended Gordon in 2019 because she ran on a platform of engaging and supporting community members with the issue of “tangled titles,” a legal situation where a family may inherit property but not have full legal rights to the property’s value. This issue adds to displacement and gentrification in our communities. Over the past four years we’ve seen Gordon make good on this promise and invest in education and support for those caught up in tangled titles. 

For SHERIFF, we make no recommendation. The Sheriff manages foreclosures and provides safety to those who enter courtrooms. Incumbent Rochelle Bilal ran as a reformer of the office but has not made good on her campaign promises, and none of her opponents are running on a reform vision. We believe foreclosures and evictions are violence and would only recommend a candidate invested in a vision of reshaping the office to recognize this. 

Reclaim’s Steering Committee would also like to offer the following analysis for Statewide judicial races:

For JUSTICE OF THE SUPREME COURT, we make no recommendation. Maintaining and expanding the Democratic majority on the Pennsylvania Supreme Court is critical to protecting voting rights, abortion care, labor rights, and so much more in our state. This will be a major fight in the November General election, similar to the recent Wisconsin Supreme Court election. We do not have a preference between the candidates in this May's primary election.

For JUDGE OF THE SUPERIOR COURT, we recommend (# 4) Jill Beck & (# 5) Timika Lane. Before becoming a Judge, Timika Lane worked as a public defender and child advocate. She currently serves as one of four judges in the Civil Section of the First Judicial District's Complex Litigation program. Jill Beck’s quality of legal writing is excellent and is a strong believer in fair and equal access to the courts. 

For JUDGE OF THE COMMONWEALTH COURT, we recommend (# 6) Matt Wolf. Judge Wolf led Philadelphia's eviction diversion program and has fought to make Philadelphia Municipal Court a more fair, accessible, and just court through his work with debt relief. The recent Commonwealth ruling that found public school funding impacting Philadelphia unconstitutional heightens the importance of this court. 

Reclaim Philadelphia’s Steering Committee is a leadership team directly elected by Reclaim Philadelphia members to two-year terms. See the current membership that was recently elected on October 17th at the bottom of our Leadership Team page.