City Controller Christy Brady recently announced her re-election bid at Sprinkler Fitters Local 692.
Wayne Miller, the longtime business manager for Local 692 and president of the Philadelphia Building Trades, was Brady’s first prominent supporter when she first ran in 2023.
“She’s doing a fantastic job now and will continue to do a fantastic job,” Miller said.
Brady, of Fox Chase, was a controller’s office veteran when then-Mayor Jim Kenney named her acting city controller in November 2022, following Controller Rebecca Rhynhart’s resignation to run for mayor.
However, in order to run to serve the final year-plus of Rhynhart’s term, she had to resign. She won that race and is now running for a full four-year term. The primary is on May 20.
Jonathan Saidel, who served 16 years as city controller and hired Brady as an auditor, was emcee of the event. Former Controller Alan Butkovitz was also in the crowd.
Bob Brady, the longtime Democratic City Committee chairman and a former congressman, said Brady (no relation) works hard, credited her with ensuring that Election Day workers are paid in a timely manner and predicted she has a bright political future beyond the controller’s office.
Brian Eddis, a ward leader and building trades business representative, said Brady possesses the right strength, temperament and work ethic for the controller’s office.
Others in attendance included Butch Bennett, a business representative for the building trades; Jim Snell, business manager of Steamfitters Local 420; Roosevelt Poplar, president of Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 5; John McNesby, business manager of FOP Lodge 92 and a former FOP Lodge 5 president; Mike Bresnan, president of Firefighters and Paramedics Local 22; city elections commissioner Lisa Deeley; state Reps. Pat Gallagher, Ed Neilson and Andre Carroll; City Councilman Jim Harrity; and ward leaders.
The controller said she ran in 2023 setting public safety and government accountability as her two priorities.
“Promises made, promises kept,” she said.
Brady said she wants city government to be more transparent and accountable.
In office, she has brought back the controller’s community affairs unit; publishes the Municipal Money Matters newsletter at controller.phila.gov; supported financial literacy education at Boys & Girls Clubs; sponsored senior fraud seminars; issued reports on unsafe and imminently dangerous properties and the bidding process for the sometimes illegal awarding of contracts using a nonprofit exemption; released a special investigation of the Homestead Exemption that found the city and the School District of Philadelphia are losing a combined $11.4 million annually by individuals who are taking advantage of the program; is preparing an audit of the city Department of Licenses and Inspections, to be released early this year, that will touch on code enforcement, unscrupulous contractors and unlicensed workers; and plans to look to see that Rebuild is spending every dollar in neighborhoods.
“We’re just getting started,” she said. ••
