2011 General Election Preview, Vote This November 8th

With the national coverage of the 2012 elections already approaching shouting volume, don’t forget that there are several important municipal and local elections this year. Election Day is Tuesday, November 8th, and polling places will be open from 7:00 AM until 8:00 PM.

In Philadelphia, Mayor Michael Nutter seeks a second term, facing Republican challenger Karen Brown and independent candidate Wali Rahman of the International People's Democratic Uhuru Movement. City Council is also up for election this year. While most Council races are settled in the party primaries, several candidates this year face general election challengers. 

City Council at-Large candidates Bill Green, William Greenlee, W. Wilson Goode, Jr., James Kenney, and Blondell Reynolds-Brown won their party’s primary and will almost certainly fill the five Democratic at-Large Council seats. Voters will have to choose between five Republican candidates and independent Richard Johnson for the two remaining seats. The Republican candidates are Joe McColgan, David Oh, Dennis O’Brien, Al Taubenberger, Michael Untermeyer. 

This year’s Sheriff’s race is one of the most interesting contests of the year.  John D. Green retired at the end of 2010 under a cloud of controversy due to suspicions of mismanagement and corruption, and voters will choose who’s best suited to reform the department. Democrat Jewell Williams, who has the registration advantage, will face Republican Joshua West and prominent homeless advocate and Green Party candidate Cheri Honkala.

In the City Commissioner’s race, Republican incumbent Joseph Duda faces a tough challenge from political operative Al Schmidt for the party’s seat on the body that oversees the city’s elections and tallies the results. Other offices up for election include Register of Wills, Court of Common Pleas, Municipal Court, and Traffic Court.

After decades of Democratic gains, Pennsylvania regained its reputation as a swing state in 2010, helping to elect Republican majorities to both houses of Congress and the Pennsylvania General Assembly. Pundits and political observers will be watching the 2011 contests closely in order to weigh the implications for the 2012 presidential election and determine whether this is just a temporary pendulum swing or a more permanent cultural shift.

In Bucks County, Democrats Det Ansinn and Diane Ellis-Marseglia are challenging Republicans Charles Martin and Robert Loughery for control of the three-member board of County Commissioners in what the Committee of Seventy is billing as one of the closest of all the suburban county races. Bucks voters will be voting in several other contested races, including Register of Wills and County Treasurer.

In Chester County, Democratic incumbent Kathi Cozzone and her running mate Susan Bayne are fighting to keep the only democratic seat on the three-seat board of County Commissioners. Cozzone was elected in 2008 when turnout heavily favored Democrats, but Republican incumbents Ryan Costello and Terence Farrell go into the 2011 general election with a commanding registration lead. Other offices up this year include District Attorney, Prothonotary and Register of Wills.

In Delaware County, three of five seats on the Republican-controlled County Council are up for election. Two of the incumbents will not be returning, so Councilman Thomas McGarrigle is joined on the ticket by County Solicitor John McBlain and former Supervisor of Concord Township Colleen P. Morrone.  They will face Democrats Jayne Young, Keith Collins and Lin Axamethy Floyd. Other Delaware County offices up for election this year include District Attorney and various township councils and supervisors.

In Montgomery County, Democrats Josh Shapiro and Leslie Richards and Republicans Jenny Brown and Bruce Castor are running for the three-member Board of County Commissioners in a race that has seen traffic congestion along Route 422 become a major issue in debates. Montgomery voters will be also voting in several other contested races, including the Clerk of Courts, County Controller, Coroner, Sheriff and Treasurer.

Statewide, voters will vote to retain one justice and five judges in the appellate courts.  Voters will also be choosing who will be filling one seat on the Superior Court and one seat on the Commonwealth Court. For more information on the candidates and this year’s judicial races, visit the Pennsylvania Bar Association.

For more informations on the 2011 Elections and voter resources, visit Committee of Seventy.

Photo by Aby Jose