In the Democratic primary for Philly’s row offices, voters should value independence most | Endorsement

Philadelphia’s so-called “row offices” have long been treated as a backwater for Democratic Party apparatchiks. The upshot is a history of waste, inefficiency, and corruption.

But voters get the elected officials they deserve. That’s why it’s important to show up and cast a ballot on May 16. The primary will determine the likely winners in the November election, and the last day to register to vote is May 1.

This board has long called for abolishing two of the row offices and making them appointed positions. Until that happens, voters should support candidates who are independent and willing to act in the best interest of all Philadelphians and not just toe the Democratic Party line.

The roughly 70 employees at the Register of Wills receive wills for probate, collect inheritance taxes, maintain key records, and issue marriage licenses. Rae Hall, who is challenging one-term incumbent Tracey Gordon for the Democratic nomination, is the best choice for voters.

Hall knows the office, having previously worked there. She currently works in the Kenney administration and worked for former City Council President Anna Verna.

Hall has thoughtful plans to modernize the office by implementing new software to cut processing time and digitize records, bringing it (finally) into the 21st century. She says she will establish a strong and transparent hiring practice, ending its reputation as a “patronage mill” under her predecessors.

Her plan to integrate the Register of Wills under the Philadelphia government umbrella, changing its current status as a non-charter city office, would bring more ethical standards and oversight to the office. Change that is sorely needed.

In short, Hall would work to divorce the Register of Wills from party politics and add more oversight, making the office more efficient and effective.

Over the years, the office — and its budget of close to $4 million — has often been misused to the point where this board — and others — have called for its elimination. For decades, Ron Donatucci ran it as a private fief and jobs bank for committee members and ward leaders, all while collecting a $130,000 salary and running his real estate company.

Donatucci was defeated in 2020 by Gordon, who herself sent a bad message by hiring former State Rep. Vanessa Lowery Brown, who was convicted of bribery. A former clerk recently filed a lawsuit alleging he was fired for not contributing to the incumbent’s campaign. Although Gordon did some good outreach — using pop culture to explain why people should create wills for themselves — the office has a long way to go.

The other challenger in the race, John Sabatina, is part of the Democratic Party machine and, if elected, would likely keep the political patronage mill humming along.

Rae Hall is the candidate who deserves voter support.

The Sheriff’s Office is another scandal-plagued operation in desperate need of reform. The best choice to clean up the mess is Michael Untermeyer, a Republican turned Democrat who has run for sheriff, City Council, and district attorney.

The Sheriff’s Office supports the courts by transporting prisoners, serving writs and warrants, and conducting sheriff’s sales of property that have been relinquished due to tax delinquencies or foreclosures. But the office has been plagued with problems for years, prompting this board and other groups to call for it to be abolished as an elected office.

Untermeyer is a former prosecutor who has made some unusual decisions — such as wearing a GPS tracking device for 30 days to call attention to the need to release nonviolent offenders to home detention during his 2009 run for district attorney.

But Untermeyer’s 15-point plan to clean up the Sheriff’s Office and restore transparency and credibility is impressive.

For example, he wants to create a new inventory system to keep track of confiscated weapons (preventing them from being illegally resold, as in the past), hire an inspector general, improve accounting and record-keeping, and make it easier for residents to bid on properties being sold. He is also largely self-funding his campaign and promised to implement change in just one term.

All of this would be a dramatic improvement for the scandal-ridden office, with its $26 million budget and 400 employees.

Perhaps just as important, Untermeyer would unseat current Sheriff Rochelle Bilal, who ran as a reformer but has continued the tradition of abusing the office for personal gain.

She’s been accused of retaliation by former staffers, and diverted hundreds of thousands of dollars meant to hire more staff, using it to give herself and others raises. (Records show she tried to double her $136,083 salary.) Meanwhile, her top legal deputy, Tariq El-Shabazz, moonlighted as a defense attorney, representing clients charged with crimes.

Bilal spent more than $6,000 in taxpayer money for a holiday party. She also threw a going away party for the previous sheriff as he was going to prison.

Philadelphians should be sick and tired of watching public funds being misused by this office. As long as it remains an elected position, voters need to choose the person most likely to right the wrongs of the past. In the Democratic primary, Michael Untermeyer is that candidate.

The controller is the city’s fiscal watchdog and chief auditor. Its leader should follow in the footsteps of former Controller (and now mayoral candidate) Rebecca Rhynhart.

Rhynhart ran against the Democratic political machine and won. She was an independent controller who exposed waste and inefficiency in city government, the Police Department, and the record spending of the Kenney administration.

John Thomas is the best candidate to keep that momentum going.

Thomas served as deputy controller for more than a decade, where he gained experience with audits, investigations, and making sure the city got what it paid for. He has a degree in accounting from Temple University and wants to use the office to gather data on the city’s biggest challenges — crime, schools, and economic growth — and propose evidence-based solutions.

He would also become the city’s first Black elected controller, which is long overdue. Like Rhynhart, he is not deeply entrenched within the political machine.

He is running against Christy Brady, who took over for Rhynhart when she resigned to run for mayor. Although Brady has worked at the City Controller’s Office for 28 years, she is aligned with former Controller Alan Butkovitz, a Democratic insider, longtime ward leader, and former state representative. Fresh eyes are needed to maintain the office’s independence.

Thomas’ other opponent, Alexandra Hunt, lacks the relevant experience needed to oversee the office’s $10 million budget.

We don’t want business as usual in 2024, and neither should Philly voters.