Maggie Lo ’23
Gianna Trala ’23
After the recent elections, Democrats not only won a majority on the Delaware County Council for the first time since the Civil War, but now unanimously control all five seats. This year, three female Democrats, Elain Scheafer, Christine Reuther, and Monica Taylor joined Brian Zidek and Kevin Madden on the county’s council. These candidates ran against three incumbent Republicans, James Raith, Kelly Colvin, and Michael Morgan. This sudden and unprecedented absence of Republicans on the council may come as a surprise, considering that President Trump defeated Hillary Clinton in Pennsylvania in 2016.
Zachary Metzler ‘23, who has a strong political voice in the freshman class, says, “It made me extremely happy to see [… that the Council is] progressively moving from a county that had three out of the five seats [filled by] Republicans, and now it’s zero out of the five seats [that are under] republican control.” In addition, this year, Madeleine Ott’s (Class of 2022) mother was elected to the position of judge on Delaware County’s Court of Common Pleas, one of the first times that there has been a democratic judge.
On the outcome of the election this year, Ott says, “It’s super, super encouraging to see those results, and I think we’re going to see a lot of positive effects coming out of those flips in positions.”
Robert Trumbull teaches AP U.S. Government and Politics at EA and was a three-term commissioner in Haverford Township. He was the only Democrat on the nine-person board of commissioners and says that the outcome of this year’s election shows “how much the county has begun to change in terms of both party registration and Democrats being elected to different offices in the county.” Trumbull expresses his excitement with the outcome not only because of his agreement with Democratic views, but also because he thinks that due to the Republicans having control of the Council for so long with no threat to their position, “they didn’t have to worry about the views of the Democrats whatsoever.” Now, Republican candidates looking to be elected to the council may have to take more moderate views on certain issues if they wish to be elected.
There are a number of factors which might have played into the Democratic victory. The Philadelphia Inquirer reports that the number of registered Democrats is significantly higher than the number of registered Republicans in the county by about 30,000 people. Trumbull suspects that “a lot of people went in and just did the straight party line vote instead of splitting their votes between Democrats and Republicans.” Additionally, a focused campaign by all three newly elected councilwomen on transparency may have resonated with voters. Elaine Schaefer, one newly elected member, mentioned that “For decades, Republican politicians have given out county jobs, no-bid contracts, and expensive perks to their friends and donors while sticking the taxpayers with the bill […] Our anti-corruption plan aims to crack down on corruption, cut waste, and focus tax dollars on improving the quality of life for Delco residents.”
Metzler points out another possibility: “Out of all the political scandals that are happening in the White House, this is obviously reflecting the [possible] impeachment. It’s making people lose trust in the Republican Party.”
CBS Philadelphia seems to agree with Metzler’s interpretation saying that, “Long a bastion of Republican support, Philadelphia’s heavily populated suburbs are becoming increasingly liberal, a trend that has accelerated since Donald Trump’s election as president. Additionally, The Philadelphia Inquirer claims that it is likely that Pennsylvania will reverse its 2016 position and go blue in the 2020 presidential election, though this is an early prediction.
The council plays a large role in the lives of all who live in Delaware County. The sixty-seven counties in Pennsylvania allow for leadership in the state to be divided, leading to a more focused government for each. According to Delaware County Pennsylvania, the Delaware County Council has many duties, which all contribute to the well-being of the citizens. The Council works to improve aspects of the citizens’ lives, like “economic development, public transportation, waste disposal, human services, housing, land use and culture.”
Metzler expresses hope that “they [the council] are going to make the school districts better, improve the roads, and do as many good things locally and work with as many people as they can- not just having the government deciding everything, but having citizens involved.”
The council also decides how the budget is spent, and have the ability to “pass ordinances, resolutions, and proclamations.” They are responsible for the actions of all of the County’s departments and control many patronage jobs.
Trumbull hopes that the new Council will “revamp the patronage system (a system in which civil service positions are given to friends and supporters) [… and] that they go more on a merit system than on the straight patronage system, which is what it has been in the past.” The council also helps run the George W. Hill Correctional Facility, a tax-funded jail.
Ott elaborated on this, saying, “A really big message [from] the Democrats was getting rid of that and not using taxpayer dollars to fund that. I think that’s one of the biggest priorities.”