Five Democrats are running for Montco commissioner as the party faces growing pains

Five Democrats are running for Montgomery County commissioner this year — the most in modern history. And there’s plenty of internal strife to show for it.

More than a decade after Democrats won control of the three-member governing board, the party is experiencing the growing pains that come with success.

The May 16 primary election is a test of the Democratic machine at a time when political parties in Pennsylvania and across the country have been weakened and challenged from within.

Since at least 2000, there’s been only one other Democratic primary in which there were more than two candidates on the ballot — in 2019, a little-known candidate unsuccessfully challenged the two incumbents.

“I think it’s a maturation process in the party,” said county Sheriff Sean Kilkenny, a Democrat who’s up for reelection this year. With Republicans struggling to compete in countywide elections, he said, “Now all the action is on the Democratic side.”

That’s playing out as the county — the third biggest in the state — faces a leadership shake-up. Val Arkoosh resigned as commissioner to join Gov. Josh Shapiro’s administration in January, and fellow Democrat Ken Lawrence Jr. isn’t seeking reelection. The board manages a budget greater than $500 million and administers elections — a task expected to be in the spotlight in next year’s presidential race.

There’s only one party-endorsed commissioner candidate: Jamila Winder, a former local elected official who in January was appointed to serve the remainder of Arkoosh’s term. Rank-and-file activists declined party leadership’s recommendation to endorse a second candidate.

Four other candidates are running: Kimberly Koch, a teacher and Whitpain Township supervisor whom Winder selected as her running mate; Tanya Bamford, a marketing executive and Montgomery Township supervisor; attorney Neil Makhija, who leads a South Asian civic group; and county prothonotary Noah Marlier, a municipal lawyer.

On the Republican side, incumbent commissioner Joe Gale is facing challenges from businessman Tom DiBello and Liz Ferry, a vice president for the Chamber of Commerce for Greater Philadelphia.

Two Democrats and two Republicans will advance to the November general election. Democrats are likely to maintain control of two of the commissioner seats, given their advantage in voter registration. The third seat is reserved for the minority party.

Winder, 44, of Norristown, and Koch, 40, are highlighting the historic nature of their campaigns — noting that if they win, it would be the first time the board of commissioners was led by two women. Winder is also the first Black woman to serve as commissioner.

“We relate so much over being working moms,” Koch said. “We balance each other really well.”

They say their priorities include addressing staffing shortages and expanding affordable housing.

They’re getting support from influential party officials and lawmakers, as well as the influential and deep-pocketed Philadelphia Building and Construction Trades Council.

But they’ve also faced backlash from some Democratic activists who say Winder’s selection of a running mate undermines the party’s decision not to endorse for the second seat.

Winder, an executive with a digital medical education company, says she tapped Koch because she’d be her best governing partner, and her allies say the selection of a running mate was consistent with past practice.

“I’ve been an executive for 20 years, hiring the best and brightest talent with the organizations I’ve worked with. I know good talent when I see it,” Winder said.

Asked about the tenor of the campaign, she said, “It’s been unfortunate how contentious it’s been, and how I’ve been treated as the first Black woman [commissioner]. … I’m channeling Michelle Obama here. When they go low, I go high.”

Frustration with the process has helped create an opening for other candidates like Makhija, 36, of Lower Merion.

At the party’s convention in February, Makhija’s allies successfully pushed for a so-called “open primary” in which no candidate gets official party support.

Makhija, who teaches election law at the University of Pennsylvania and leads an Indian American civic and political group would be the first Asian American county commissioner in the state if elected, and has been endorsed by U.S. Sen. John Fetterman, former Gov. Ed Rendell, and former U.S. Rep. Allyson Schwartz.

“I wish overseeing elections were boring. I wish it were administrative. I wish we just counted the votes and counted the winner, and that’s it,” Makhija said during a forum last month. “But unfortunately, Republicans have realized that that’s not their path to power anymore. And so it’s really important to have someone who understands all of the facets that come to play.”

Makhija has faced questions from some Democrats about his political ambitions and the fact that he moved a couple years ago from Philadelphia to Lower Merion.

Makhija said he and his wife, who grew up in Lafayette Hill, moved to the suburbs “because this is where we’re going to raise our family,” adding that he’s focused only on this election.

Other candidates are leaning into their governing experience and hometown roots.

Marlier, a former Peace Corps volunteer and Montgomery County assistant district attorney, was elected county prothonotary in 2019.

He says he used his authority to make sure tenants facing eviction could file appeals during the pandemic, despite courthouse closures, adding that he’d prioritize housing security as commissioner.

“I can hit the ground running on day one. And I think that’s really, really important, considering the fact that we’re losing our two commissioners that have been so experienced and have guided the county for the last number of years,” Marlier said.

Some Democrats have raised questions about Marlier’s work with a political action committee associated with his law firm — Hamburg, Rubin, Mullin, Maxwell & Lupin — which has historically supported Republicans.

Marlier said he took on a leadership role with the PAC “to try to get my firm to support Democrats.”

“I have never given a dime to a Republican,” he added.

Bamford, 54, is a marketing executive and former small-business owner who led the Montgomery Township Board of Supervisors for three years.

She decided to run for local office after Donald Trump’s 2016 election, becoming the first Democrat elected to the supervisor board the following year.

Bamford said she would focus on the nuts and bolts of governing — starting with hiring and retaining a talented workforce amid staffing shortages.

She said her experience in business and leading a municipality make her a good fit for the job.

“When I’m elected, I’m not doing this as a stepping stone to some higher office. I aspire to be commissioner,” Bamford said. “I’ve got the right skill set to be an awesome commissioner. I want to serve my community in this capacity. … And I hope to retire in this role.”