Congregations of Shaare Shamayim recently continued its annual Meet the Candidates Brunch. The synagogue was on Verree Road in Bustleton for more than 60 years, but has been on the campus of Reform Congregation Keneseth Israel, in Elkins Park, since 2024.
Paul Kaplan, a 66th Ward committeeman, organized the forum. Jacques Lurie, longtime executive director of Shaare Shamayim, was in attendance.
The following candidates attended: Rob Gurtcheff, Democratic candidate in the 170th Legislative District; state Reps. Ben Sanchez and Napoleon Nelson; Todd Johnson, Republican candidate in the 4th Senatorial District; state Sen. Art Haywood; Stephanie Berardi, who is running in the 154th Legislative District as a member of the Progress for Pennsylvania party; and Aurora Stuski, Republican candidate in the 4th Congressional District.
Gurtcheff, of Walton Park, is challenging Republican Rep. Martina White. He’s a U.S. Army veteran who works as a fraud investigator for a health insurance company.
Gurtcheff supports a bill that would ban lawmakers from accepting gifts valued at more than $50 from lobbyists and special interest groups. He’s a gun owner who backs legislation for the safe storage of guns and red flag laws that would temporarily restrict a person’s access to firearms if they pose an immediate danger to themselves or others.
As for medical office visits, he supports transparency, specifically legislation to make up-front pricing mandatory to eliminate hidden fees.
In addition, three-term city elections commissioner Lisa Deeley spoke. Deeley, who is not up for re-election until next year, assumed everyone in the crowd either had already voted or would vote by the Nov. 3 election. She asked people to get others to vote. Philadelphia, she said, has 10 satellite election offices where voters can request a ballot. For more information, she said to go to vote.phila.gov. ••
