As you may have heard, Tuesday is Election Day in Pennsylvania. Locally, it’s kind of a big deal with candidates for mayor, the entire City Council, sheriff, a bunch of judges, controller, register of wills and four questions on the ballot.

It all can be a little overwhelming, so what follows is a slew of links to help you make sense of it. Remember that Pennsylvania has closed primaries, so you have to be registered in a party to vote for a candidate. But you independents can still vote for ballot questions.

Who’s running?

There is no shortage of info on candidates for mayor. One place to start to hear from the candidates themselves is the Committee of 70’s “Last Word” mayoral forum held on May 4. Billy Penn’s “Procrastinator’s Guide” to the election is also super helpful for info on all of the candidates from Mayor to City Council to Supreme Court.

The Philadelphia Inquirer has a good analysis of the four ballot questions here. Continue Reading

The School District of Philadelphia has announced some changes to the 2019-2020 academic calendar to reflect the new date for the primary election, which was moved from April 28th to June 2nd due to the COVID-19 health emergency. Students will now be expected to participate in remote learning activities on Tuesday, April 28. On Tuesday, June 2, District schools will be closed, and remote learning activities will not be required.

The District has also announced a change to its grab-and-go meal distribution program. Beginning Thursday, April 23, the distribution of student meals will be held once a week, instead of twice a week. Every Thursday, the District will provide students with 5 breakfast and 5 lunch meals as well as a half-gallon of milk. The one-day-per-week schedule is a proactive measure the District is taking to minimize social interactions and help flatten the coronavirus curve. Social distancing, the use of masks and gloves, and other safety efforts are practiced at meal distribution sites to ensure everyone’s safety.  Continue Reading

Pennsylvania’s primary election has been postponed to June 2.

Gov. Tom Wolf recently signed legislation to move the primary from April 28 to June 2 due to the COVID-19 emergency. The legislation also expands provisions for mail-in voting in case restrictions are still in place and allows counties to consolidate polling places to make up for possible shortages of poll workers and locations.

Absentee and mail-in ballots are due May 26.  Continue Reading

Jamie Gauthier

City Council candidate for the 3rd District, Jamie Gauthier, will have meet-and-greets this week with two West Philly wards.

On Tuesday, April 23, Gauthier will meet with the 51st Ward at her campaign headquarters at 5121 Baltimore Avenue, from 6 to 8 p.m. She will have another at the same location and same time on Thursday, April 25 with the 46th Ward.

All interested individuals are invited to meet the candidate and ask questions. Free dinner will be served at both events.

The map with Philadelphia political ward boundaries is available here.

Jamie Gauthier is running against long-term incumbent Jannie Blackwell in the May 21 primary election.

The 2019 primary election is approaching fast, and this week, West Philly residents have a chance to hear from many candidates for City Council at a community forum. The City Council Candidate Forum will take place Thursday, April 4, from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Enterprise Center (4548 Market St.) and will feature 3rd District and at-large candidates.

So far the following candidates have confirmed their participation in the event:

• 3rd District candidates: Jamie Gauthier

• At-large candidates: Adrian Rivera-Reyes, Deja Lynn Alvarez, Helen Gym, Ogbanna Paul Haggins, Fernando Trevino, Eryn Santamoor, Beth Finn, Erika Almiron, Vinny Black, Mark Ross, Councilman Derek Green.  Continue Reading

Here are two opportunities for community members to meet candidates in the May 21 primary election.

The 27th Ward democrats are inviting friends and neighbors for a Spring Shindig at Clarkville (43rd and Baltimore), which will take place Monday, March 18, from 6:30 – 8:30 p.m. This is an opportunity to meet and mingle with local Democratic candidates running for office, including Congressman Dwight Evans, who will be a special guest at the event.

This is also a fundraising event supporting the 27th Ward democrats. Tickets are $20 in advance, or sliding scale at the door (no one will be turned away).  Continue Reading