Victory for LGBT Voters!
In May 19th's primary election, 12 of Liberty City LGBT Democratic Club's endorsed candidates won 18 of the seats that were up for grabs including two members of the community, Dan Anders and Dawn Segal.
Anders won a seat on the Court of Common Pleas and Dawn Segal won a seat on Municipal Court. Because so many Philadelphians are Democrats, they are virtually assured to win the fall election. That means, along with former Liberty City member and Judge Ann Butchart, we'll have three out elected officials in the city.
In the two top of the ticket races, Liberty City-endorsed incumbent City Controller Alan Butkovitz held on to his seat and in the DA's race, and our support of Seth Williams in the primary will help elect the city's first ever African-American District Attorney in the fall.
Judges Anne Lazurus and Robert Colville won the Democratic nomination for Superior Court. Linda Judson, our endorsed candidate in the statewide Commonwealth Court race also won.
Locally, in addition to Anders, Judge Angeles Roca, Donna Woelpper and Diane Thompson won spots on the Democratic ticket for Court of Common Pleas. In the Municipal Court race, Joe Waters and Charles Hayden won nominations along with Dawn Segal.
Other Liberty City endorsed candidates Christine Adair, Judge Joyce Eubanks, Jonathan Irvine, Stephen Pollock, Sharon Williams-Losier, Judge John Younge all worked very hard too and we're sorry that they did not win.
Of the 12 candidates we supported that won, 4 were NOT endorsed by the local Democratic party. That's because Liberty City members were out in full-force on Election Day. We ran an Election Day operation--knocking on doors, standing at polls, and dropping literature--in more than 80 divisions across the city including Mt. Airy, Germantown, University City, Grad Hospital, Queen Village, Bella Vista, Fairmount, Northern Liberties and Center City.
Congrats to all of the winners and thank to all who helped!
Primary Election 2009
Want to find out where you vote?
Want to see Liberty City's endorsed slate of LGBT and LGBT-friendly candidates?
Interested in working on Election Day to help get out the vote? You could earn a stipend of up to $75.
Vote on May 19th!
The primary election will be held on Tuesday, May 19th. You must be a registered Democrat to vote for the candidates Liberty City supports. Polls will open at 7 AM and close at 8 PM. Find your polling place here.
Liberty City Primary 2009 Slate of Endorsed Candidates
Liberty City held two Candidates Nights for candidates to speak to the membership and fill out a questionnaire. The questionnaire asked candidates about their past experience with the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender communities. Responses can be found here.
Based on a vote of Liberty City members in good standing, here is the slate the club endorsed:
District Attorney:
Seth Williams, button #55
The District Attorney is the city's top prosecutor. His or her staff investigates and prosecutes violations of state law within Philadelphia county boundaries. To learn why club members endorsed Seth, click here.
City Controller:
Alan Butkovitz, button #58
The Controller is responsible for auditing the financial operations of the City, including the Mayor's Office and City Council, and has the authority to approve or disapprove of all payment requests. To learn why club members endorsed Alan, click here.
Superior Court:
Anne Lazurus (#4), John Younge (#5) and Robert Colville (#7).
Pennsylvania voters will elect three judges to the Superior Court. Fifteen judges are elected to ten-year terms. The Superior Court hears appeals from the Court of Common Pleas. The Superior Court may one day play a very important role in determining the rights of LGBT Pennsylvanians in terms of employment and housing discrimination and adoption and marriage rights. To learn why club members endorsed this slate, click here.
Commonwealth Court:
Linda Judson (#8) and Stephen Pollock (#11).
Pennsylvania voters will fill two spots on the Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania. Judges of the Commonwealth Court hear appeals regarding legal matters involving state and local government and regulatory agencies. This court also serves as trial court for suits filed by or against the Commonwealth. These nine judges are elected to ten-year terms. To learn why club members them, click here.
Court of Common Pleas:
Diane Thompson (#15), Angeles Roca (#21), Donna Woelpper (#26), Sharon Williams-Losier (#27), Jonathan Irvine (#28), Dan Anders (#34 and also a member of the LGBT community), Joyce Eubanks (#38).
This is Philadelphia's state trial court for civil and criminal matters, including family court. Judges are elected to a ten-year term and there are seven seats up for grabs this year. For the Court of Common Pleas, Liberty City has endorsed a slate of 7 highly qualified candidates. Our slate is made up of 2 men, 5 women, 3 African-Americans, 1 Latina, and an openly gay man. We believe that this is a strong, balanced ticket. Each recommended candidate has demonstrated a strong understanding of issues important to our community, the level of qualifications necessary to be a good judge, and a credible path to winning their election. To learn more about why members chose this slate, click here.
Municipal Court:
Dawn Segal (#40 and also a member of the LGBT community), Charles Hayden (#42), Joseph Waters (#45), Christine Adair (#48).
This is Philadelphia's "people's court" which handles small claim and other small civil cases. In addition, all criminal cases begin at this court but may be appealed to the Court of Common Pleas for a new trial. There are four seats up for grabs this year. We've chosen to endorse four candidates: All support a woman's right to choose. All view transgender rights as human rights. All are supportive of LGBT rights in the issues that matter to us. To learn more about why members chose this slate, click here.
Candidates for the 2009 Primary
Click on the highlighted names for responses to our questionnaire.
District Attorney
Dan McCafferey
Dan McElhatton
Seth Williams
Brian Grady
Michael Turner
City Controller
Brett Mandell
John Braxton
Alan Butkovitz
Supreme
Jack Panella
Superior Court
Robert Colville
Anne Lazarus
John Younge
Kevin McCarthy
Paula Patrick
Tom Munley
Commonwealth Court
Stephen Pollock
Jimmy Lynn
Daniel Bricmont
Linda Judson
Barbara Ernsberger
Michael Sherman
Municipal Court
Christine Adair
Adam Beloff
Judge Dugan
Charles Hayden
Jonathan Irvine
Kenneth Powell
Dawn Segal
Sharon Williams Losier
Donna Woelpper
Joe Murphy
Joseph Waters
Lopez Thompson
Fran Shields
Thomas Nocella
Ted Vigilante
Dan Rendine
Common Pleas
Christine Adair
Dan Anders
Adam Beloff
Roxanne Covington
Joyce Eubanks
Angelo Foglietta
Charles Hayden
Jonathan Irvine
Elinore O'Neill Kolodner
Kenneth Powell
Angeles Roca
Dawn Segal
Diane Thompson
Sharon Williams Losier
Donna Woelpper
Robert Coleman
Fran Shields
Beverly Muldrow
Leon King III
Vince Giusini
James Lloyd
John Joseph Capaldi
Fred Harrison Jr.
Marilyn Rigmaiden-Deleon
Judge Hall
Gregory Coleman
Anne Marie Coyle
Dan Rendine
Thomas Martin
Ted Vigilante
James Crumlish III
