Philly Sheriff Rochelle Bilal inches closer to a primary win in her bid for second term
Opponents Michael Untermeyer and Jackie Miles looked to unseat Bilal amid a series of controversies.
Rochelle Bilal inched closer Wednesday to a narrow Democratic primary win in her bid for a second term as Philadelphia’s sheriff.
Bilal led her closest challenger, attorney Michael Untermeyer, by 5,306 votes Wednesday afternoon, with 1,605 of the city’s 1,703 divisions reporting. That gave her a lead of 3% with about 6% of the vote still uncounted.
Bilal did not respond to a request for comment.
Untermeyer said he believes some of the uncounted votes come from wards that supported his challenge, which was steeped in criticism for how Bilal has operated her office in a controversy-laden first term.
“I don’t think it’s over yet,” Untermeyer said Wednesday afternoon. “We’re just waiting to see what the results are. I made my points clearly and convincingly that the office has been riddled with scandals for years and for decades.”
Bilal ran as a reformer in the 2019 Democratic primary, when she unseated Sheriff Jewell Williams — who had also faced a series of controversies. Bilal had the backing this year of the Democratic City Committee, where Williams is still a ward leader.
Still, she trailed in resources, starting 2023 with $2,751 in the bank and raising another $60,000 this year.
Untermeyer, who has sought office several times, invested $250,000 in his campaign this year and raised another $122,575. He spent $1.3 million in an unsuccessful 2017 Democratic bid for district attorney.
He also ran as a Republican for City Council in 2011 and for district attorney in 2009, and for sheriff in 2007 as a Democrat.
Jackie Miles, the director of security for the NBA’s Washington Wizards and a former deputy sheriff, received 26,125 votes in the Democratic primary for a distant third-place finish.
He ran a low-key campaign that appeared short on resources. His campaign filed one incomplete campaign finance report and failed to file another report that was due two weeks ago. Miles blamed that on inexperience in politics and said he expected to file the required reports in about a week.
“If Rochelle wins, I wish her the best of luck in getting the Sheriff’s Office on track and respected by the public,” Miles said Wednesday afternoon while predicting that he may seek elected office again. “It was a great experience for me.”
Among Bilal’s own controversies:
The Inquirer reported that hundreds of thousands of dollars earmarked for new hires — including deputies — had instead been used to cover $500,000 in raises for top aides to Bilal. The initial plan suggested doubling Bilal’s pay, which she later said she did not know about and put a stop to it when she found out.
Bilal’s undersheriff, Tariq El-Shabazz, was fined $16,000 by the Philadelphia Board of Ethics in February after The Inquirer reported that he had been running a private legal practice representing criminal defendants in Philadelphia on the side.
Bilal spent nearly $7,000 for a party at Chickie’s & Pete’s in South Philadelphia for some of her employees in December. She later told WURD the party was for employees who’d worked through the COVID-19 pandemic.
Bilal consistently deflected responsibility for problems during her term, frequently claiming that news stories in The Inquirer about those issues were motivated by her decision to stop advertising real estate sales in the newspaper.
Her controversies sparked a resumption in the debate about whether the city should abolish the Sheriff’s Office and fold its duties into existing agencies like the Philadelphia Police Department and the First Judicial District.
The Sheriff’s Office transports people in custody who are accused or convicted of crimes, provides security in courtrooms, serves warrants, and auctions properties seized to satisfy tax or mortgage debts.
To abolish the office, City Council would need to pass legislation for a ballot referendum and then the next mayor would have to sign that into law. Then voters would decide by answering a question on a ballot.
Three of the five leading contenders for mayor — Rebecca Rhynhart, Allan Domb and Helen Gym — said they support letting voters decide the issue while two — Cherelle Parker and Jeff Brown — said they wanted to keep the Sheriff’s Office.
Mark LaVelle was the only Republican on the primary ballot for sheriff. LaVelle, a warehouse manager who ran unsuccessfully for the state House in 2022 and coaches youth sports, does not list any law enforcement experience in his campaign materials.
He reported raising less than $5,000 for his campaign before the primary. In a city where Democratic voters outnumber Republicans 7 to 1, LaVelle faces long odds in November.
Seven Democrats have held the post of sheriff since the city’s Home Rule Charter was approved by voters in 1951, ending decades of Republican control in Philadelphia politics.