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January 28, 2023

General Assembly standoff (and roadshow)

PA House Republicans couldn’t sidestep new Speaker Mark Rozzi and force a “rump session” this week, so it seems that the House will remain in recess until the end of February—three weeks after the three Feb. 7 special elections in Allegheny County that are expected to give the Democrats a 102-101 majority. The Senate also gaveled out until Feb. 27 after having sent to the House a controversial three-part package of constitutional amendments. In the meantime, Rozzi and a six-member workgroup hit the road for a “listening tour” on addressing partisan gridlock that opened Wednesday in Pittsburgh, visited Philadelphia on Friday and has a yet-to-be-scheduled stop in Northeast PA.

Rules and culture: C70 Chief Policy Officer Pat Christmas testified that certain reforms to the legislative process can help incentivize bipartisanship but creating opportunities to build relationships and trust across the aisle will also be essential. Read our testimony.

Spotlight independents: BallotPA chair and former C70 CEO David Thornburgh urged the workgroup to consider shifting the partisan incentives in primary elections as well by allowing roughly one million independent voters to participate. Read his statement.

#FixHarrisburg for good: PA Capital-Star opinion regular Patrick Beaty suggests amending the state constitution to enshrine fair and sensible legislative rules that won’t change every time the majority does.

Who paid for the party? Who knows? (But we should)

Gov. Shapiro’s refusal to disclose the donor list for his inaugural gala is concerning—not only because he won’t say who ponied up for the bash but also because no state law says he must. To be sure, no one has alleged any corrupt intent, but as Aaron McKean of the Campaign Legal Center told the Associated Press: “Nobody’s giving this money for fun.” Had Shapiro been elected Mayor of Philadelphia rather than governor he would have had to disclose the donors because the city regulates inaugural committees in a similar way to regular campaign committees.

Coffee’s on me: Shapiro also loosened former Gov. Tom Wolf’s stringent gift policy for executive-department officials and employees (not even a cup of coffee or a bottle of water), and we’re OK with that. Gifts from lobbyists are still forbidden, as are such things as travel expenses, tickets to sporting events and cash.

Philly elections: A new wrinkle in the City Commissioners races

Philadelphia’s City Commissioners and At-large Council members are chosen in what are essentially two separate elections: One for the party with the largest number of registered voters and the other for everyone else. Since the enactment of the city’s 1951 Home Rule Charter that has meant Democrats and Republicans, but it doesn’t have to—as Kendra Brooks of the Working Families Party demonstrated in 2019, when she picked off one of the two at-large council seats reserved for a “non-majority” party. This week, SEIU’s top Harrisburg lobbyist, Jarrett Smith, announced that he’ll run for City Commissioner under the WFP banner. The non-majority seat of the City Commissioners Office is currently held by Seth Bluestein, former deputy of now-Secretary of the Commonwealth Al Schmidt, and known to be instrumental during the tumultuous 2020 election cycle.

Another Council seat for the WFP? Brooks is running for reelection, and pastor Nicholas O’Rourke, a WFP Council candidate in 2019, is also running again. Republicans tell Billy Penn that they won’t be “caught flat-footed” this time.

Every Voice, Every Vote: The new citywide coalition of community groups (including C70) and media organizations formed by the Lenfest Institute to elevate Philadelphia’s diverse voices, inform voters and promote civic action around this year’s city elections, is up and running. Check out the new website.

Create a culture of voting: Stay tuned for new resources and programming from Seventy’s WeVote initiative, launched to galvanize the business community, media partners, and major civic institutions to play a leadership role in fostering a nonpartisan culture of voting and civic engagement.

Eye on City Hall

Caught Our Eye

Declarations of independence: Data from Gallup shows more than four in 10 Americans called themselves independent in 2022—far more than those who say they’re either Ds or Rs. But in PA, unaffiliated voters can’t participate in the party primary elections their taxes help pay for. C70’s Ballot PA initiative is working to change that. Sign our petition to repeal closed primaries.

On Our Radar

Mail-in report: The Election Law Advisory Board, formed two years ago by the PA General Assembly, urges lawmakers to modernize and reform rules around ballot envelopes, drop boxes and the deadline to request a mail-in ballot. C70 policy chief Pat Christmas is a member of the Commission.

Fitzgerald election bills: Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Bucks) introduced measures to institute nonpartisan redistricting commissions nationwide, open all state primaries to nonaligned voters, introduce uniform voter-ID requirements (and provide IDs to voters easily) and set federal standards for mail-in voting.

Expel the money managers: Gov. Shapiro wants PA’s state-employee pension funds (PSERS and SERS) to rely less on Wall St. money managers and more on lower-cost index funds to manage their $100 billion portfolios.

Say hello to: New PA Chief Justice Debra McCloskey Todd, the first woman to serve as chief justice of the high court, and Attorney General Michelle Henry, who’ll hold Gov. Shapiro’s former post through the 2024 election.

Events

Ultimate Job Interview: Philadelphia Citizen Sessions with Mayoral Candidates

Jan. 31, Feb. 7 and Feb. 21, 6:30-8:30 pm

Fitler Club Ballroom, 1 S. 24th St., Philadelphia

Join the Philadelphia Citizen for a series of public events where a panel of questioners with expertise in hiring—along with audience members—will interview the 2023 mayoral candidates using a job description created by the people of Philadelphia. Next up (Jan. 31): Former Council Member Maria Quiñones-Sánchez and businessman Jeff Brown. Allan Domb and Rebecca Rhynhart are scheduled for Feb. 7, with Helen Gym and Cherelle Parker for Feb. 21. RSVP.

Finding the Middle: A Symposium on Reform to Empower Moderates and Independents

Fri., Feb. 3, 12 noon

Bucks County Community College

The Epstein Campus at Lower Bucks

Bucks County Community College presents a solutions-oriented meeting of Democrats, Republicans and independents seeking to amplify the importance of the moderate middle. Panelists include U.S. Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, former U.S. Rep. Jim Greenwood, PA Sen. Maria Collett, strategist Danny Ceisler and Ballot PA chair David Thornburgh. Moderator: William Pezza, faculty member, BCCC Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences. Open to the public.

Ready to Run, Philadelphia

Sun., Feb. 4, 8 am-5 pm

Thomas Jefferson University, East Falls Campus

Ready to Run Pennsylvania provides nonpartisan training to encourage women to run for government leadership positions. This day-long program is for women considering or recently deciding to run for political office, providing training and mentoring by campaign professionals, political experts and officeholders. Ready to Run is part of the National Training Network of the Center for American Women and Politics at Rutgers University. Register.

Knight Media Forum, 2023

Wed., Feb. 22, 9 am-5:30 pm

Thurs., Feb. 23, 9 am-2:15 pm

Online

Join us at the 16th annual Knight Media Forum, the premier annual event for leaders in philanthropy, journalism and technology focusing on ways to overcome the financial and credibility challenges facing independent journalism, as reporters and editors provide citizens with accurate information and hold the powerful accountable. Together, we’ll learn from leading thinkers and practitioners, and foster efforts to strengthen, scale and sustain informed and engaged communities. Register.

Get Involved

Come Work With Us! The Committee of Seventy Is Hiring a Western PA

Youth Civics Coordinator

C70’s Youth Civics Program brings a comprehensive Elections & Voting curriculum to classrooms across the Commonwealth. Lessons are supported by project-based activities like a mock election, student-candidate interviews, a 17+ poll-worker program and deliberative democracy activities for K-8th graders. C70 has received funding from Allegheny County, and we are pursuing additional funding in Greene, Washington and Fayette Counties. Learn More.

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