Decision time is here

As I filled in for Vikki Leach, the regular host of the Electric Magazine Show the last few weeks, a caller recently said to me, “People in position need to do more to educate would-be voters before election day.” She added that we shouldn’t wait until two weeks before an election to try and start telling people what offices are up for grabs.
I didn’t want to come off rude or anything, but what I was thinking to myself as the caller was talking about what needs to be done to educate voters in advance was that if she read the SCOOP USA Media Newspaper weekly, she and others who claim “not to know” what’s at stake in this election, would have been informed.
Every single week for more than two months now, the Civics 101 column that I have the pleasure of writing for the SCOOP Newspaper has featured a spotlight on the various offices that are up for grabs. I also shared in each recent column, job descriptions for almost all of those offices. So not only were we telling our SCOOP readers what offices are open this election cycle, but we also let readers know what kind of work elected officials are supposed to do for the seats they win.
I get it. Everybody doesn’t read the SCOOP Newspaper, but they should. What else can I say?
Let’s go over the all-important voting list one more time because this is it folks, for the Tuesday, November 7 General Election.
Here’s what is at stake:
The highest court in the state of Pennsylvania has a seat available in this election, the Pennsylvania State Supreme Court. Whoever wins will become a Justice of the Pennsylvania State Supreme Court. The seven-seat high court currently has a majority of four justices elected as Democrats. Two other justices were elected as Republicans. Due to the death of Chief Justice Max Baer last year, one seat on the Pennsylvania Supreme Court is open at this time. Once you get elected as a Justice of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, you have a ten-year term, and you can run for an unlimited number of terms until you reach the retirement age of seventy-five.
Democrat Daniel McCaffery is running. He currently sits on the Pennsylvania Superior Court. McCaffery is a former assistant district attorney in Philadelphia. He also ended a brief candidacy for state attorney general in 2012 before winning a race for a Common Pleas Court judge position in Philadelphia.
Republican Carolyn Carluccio is currently the President Judge of Montgomery County Court. She’s a former federal prosecutor and chief public defender of Montgomery County.
At the state level, there are two seats available for Judge of the Superior Court in Pennsylvania. For Superior Court, we have Republican Maria Battista running for election. On the Democratic side, we have Jill Beck running for a seat on the Superior Court. She’s a Pittsburgh-based attorney who works in commercial litigation. We have Philadelphian Judge Timika Lane running for a statewide seat on the Superior Court. She is currently a Judge on Philadelphia’s Common Pleas Court. We also have Republican Harry Smail running for Superior Court.
I will also note that voters will also be asked to reapprove 10-year terms for two sitting Superior Court judges in nonpartisan retention elections. There’s Judge Vuc Stabile, who was elected as a Republican in 2013, and President Judge Jack Panella, who was elected as a Democrat in 2003 seeking a third term.
As for political races in our own backyard, everyone who loves politics is bracing themselves to see if, in fact, Philadelphia’s 100th Mayor will be the city’s first woman Mayor or be Philadelphia’s first Asian Mayor. Cherelle Parker, former Pennsylvania State Representative, and a former Philadelphia City Councilwoman, many believe, is poised to take home the prize. Why? Because Philly is largely a Democratic voting city, and we haven’t had a Republican Mayor in Philadelphia since Bernard Samuel was the Mayor, and that was back in 1941. He served as Mayor of Philadelphia until 1952.
Quite a few political pundits I’ve heard as they’ve been interviewed on radio and TV say that hell will have to freeze over first before David Oh can pull off a win on November 7. To his credit, David Oh has been spending money and campaigning hard all over the city. Some just don’t think it will be enough to beat off Cherelle Parker, who has the likes of President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris dolling out endorsements for her, amongst a ton of other powerful people from unions, to special interest groups and on and on.
In some cases, there are those who would charge that David Oh has had more advertising presence than Cherelle Parker over the last two months. David Oh’s first step into politics was as a City Councilman, where he served at large before resigning to run for Mayor this past winter of 2023. The reality is that David Oh is the underdog.
However, do not think for one minute that Cherelle and her team have taken anything for granted. They’ve had workers out every day over the summer and into the Fall fanning out across the city, doing door knocking, placing lawn signs, and hosting “Get out the vote” rallies for Parker. Parker herself has been quoted as saying she takes nothing for granted. May the best Mayoral candidate win on Tuesday.
What else is up for grabs? The Sheriff’s office is open, and it is strongly believed that the Democratic incumbent Sheriff, Rochelle Bilal, will take home that win.
In the Register of Wills Office, it is believed that Democrat John Sabatini will bring home a win.
The City Controller’s Office is open and needs a new leader. There’s a Republican candidate and a Democratic candidate vying for that seat.
Don’t forget we have seventeen Philadelphia City Council seats to fill. A few incumbents are running for reelection However, there will be a lot of new faces on City Council come January 2024. Keep in mind, the Working Families Party is giving both Democrats and Republicans a run for their money. It will be interesting to watch and witness what happened at the close of election night to see if the Working Families party can pull off any upsets as they did four years ago when Kendra Brooks, a Working Families party member, won a seat on City Council.
There’s also a question on the ballot for voters in Pennsylvania.
The question is this: Should Philadelphia have an office for People with Disabilities?
If you need more information about all the local elections or the statewide elections, log on at www.vote.phila.gov, and you’ll find the answers you need there. Whatever you do, if you are a registered voter and you didn’t vote by mail already, please go to the polls and vote on November 7. The polls in Philly open at 7 a.m. and stay open until 8 p.m. Any final questions and don’t have internet accessibility, Call the Philadelphia City Commissioner’s office (Omar Sabir) at 215-686-3462.