Incumbent City Commissioner Comes Up 4 Signatures Short, Will Not Have The Chance To Defend Her Seat
By Steve Tawa
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) --- The incumbent City Commissioner, Stephanie Singer, whose office runs elections, won't have the chance to run herself, again.
Commonwealth Court has rejected her appeal. Her name will not be on the May 19th Democratic Primary ballot in Philadelphia.
The three judges on Commonwealth Court agreed with a Philadelphia judge who removed Singer's name, because her camp produced a net 996 valid signatures on her nominating petitions.
That's four short of the required 1000.
Attorney Richard Hoy, who represented three voters who challenged the signatures, had maintained throughout the lengthy hearing process that Singer left herself vulnerable and open to challenges, because she only submitted 1500 signatures.
Hoy says Commonwealth Court alluded to that. "They kind of said, people file many more to protect themselves, and she didn't do that. others submitted 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10,000 signatures."
Hoy raised questions about 1100 of them.
Singer ran as a reformer and won office in 2011, but now will be out after serving one term.
