Because the Special Election for the next city councilperson is a one-shot deal, with no primary election, the Democratic nominee will be chosen by a vote the 69 Democratic Ward Leaders of Philadelphia at a meeting that has been announced for Tuesday March 11th at noon, at the Democratic City Committee headquarters (219 Spring Garden St.)
Transparency? There are no plans to make this meeting open to the public, nor to provide public minutes.
Accountability? The Ward Leaders are not even directly elected by the voters. A ward leader is elected by the Committeepeople once every four years. In between, the ward leader is, according to the rules of the Democratic Party of Philadelphia, “the exclusive and sole distributor of patronage in his ward.” Many Committeepeople are wary of holding the Ward Leader accountable. And the system is complicated enough that most voters don’t know how to hold their Committeepeople accountable.
Does it have to be this way? No. In every other Pennsylvania county, such a Democratic ballot nomination would be made by a vote of the Democratic Committeepeople, the rank and file of the party, directly elected by the people.
Could we change it if we wanted to? Yes. that’s the power we have in a democracy. All we have to do is step up, get involved and remember the mission: free fair elections and an informed engaged electorate.
Thanks, as always, for paying attention.
Sincerely,
Stephanie
PS: Here’s one way to get involved: If you have an opinion about who should be nominated for City Council, you have a very small window to let your Democratic Ward Leader and Committeepeople know. The meeting is on Tuesday at noon. Before Tuesday would be a great time to contact your ward leader to give your opinion. After Tuesday would be a great time to ask your ward leader how she or he voted and why.
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