The Register of Wills’ ‘hit list’ settlement is another example of how Philly residents pay the price for patronage | Editorial

For years, the city’s financial oversight board, local good government group Committee of Seventy, and this Editorial Board have pushed for abolishing the Philadelphia Sheriff’s Office and the Register of Wills. And for years, the actions of the elected officials who occupy these roles have only strengthened the argument.

The discovery of a “hit list” of Register of Wills employees targeted for termination based on their political preferences is the latest example.

Mayor Cherelle L. Parker and Council President Kenyatta Johnson need to act in the city’s best interest and end the independence of local government’s two inflamed appendixes.

The city recently settled a suit by Ian Ewing, who claimed he was fired for not supporting Register of Wills John Sabatina Sr.’s campaign. Sixteen other former Register of Wills employees have filed similar suits.

According to the document turned over to the plaintiffs by the city’s lawyers, roughly 30 people, most of them associated with Sabatina’s predecessor, Tracey Gordon, were identified for dismissal. No nonpolitical reasons were given.

» READ MORE: Register of Wills should be busy fixing tangled titles, not doling out political patronage | Editorial

When Sabatina challenged Gordon in 2023, he promised to restore trust to the office. Instead, he has kept the patronage mill humming. Prior Inquirer reporting found Sabatina had hired three Democratic ward leaders, 10 committeepeople, the wives of two other committeepeople, the daughter of a late City Council member, and the granddaughter of a former state representative.

Patronage is nothing new to the Register of Wills. Gordon herself was sued for firing employees for political reasons, including for failing to make donations to her unsuccessful reelection effort.

The bill to taxpayers for Gordon’s firings tipped $400,000. The invoice for Sabatina’s efforts is already $256,000 and counting. For a department with a yearly budget of just over $5 million, spending this amount of money on unnecessary payouts is unconscionable.

The Register of Wills also relied heavily on patronage under longtime head Ron Donatucci. Because of how the office is classified, employees are not subject to the same civil service rules and protections as other city roles, which has made it easier for whoever has their turn in the chair — whether Donatucci, Gordon, or Sabatina — to reward friends and punish enemies.

Given the decidedly nonpartisan nature of the work, which includes keeping records of wills, administering estates, and collecting inheritance taxes, there’s no reason politics should play any role in the job at all.

» READ MORE: Row offices should be abolished — starting with the sheriff’s office | Editorial

The Register of Wills is not the only patronage-heavy row office that should be abolished. The sheriff’s office also needs change. The Inquirer has chronicled corruption and mismanagement going back to the 19th century, with current Sheriff Rochelle Bilal unable to adequately and consistently perform basic functions like protecting the courts or holding auctions.

Unfortunately, these struggles have not yet prompted action from the city’s leaders. Parker and Johnson have both declined to use their power to hold these officials accountable for waste and mismanagement, let alone push to abolish or reform the offices.

This was not always the case. Former Mayor Michael Nutter successfully abolished the position of Clerk of Quarter Sessions, absorbing its functions into the First Judicial District. This move was credited with improving the management of bail money and city fines, and led to the modernization of the judicial records system, which had stagnated under its administration.

Nutter sought to eliminate the city’s other row offices as well, but was blocked by City Council. Since then, no leading city official has bothered to take up the cause.

Until they do, Philadelphians should expect to keep covering the tab for these political hirings and firings.