HARRISBURG – On Saturday, February 26th, 2011 the Republican Party of Philadelphia held their first ever Committeeperson Forum and Straw Poll at the German Society of Pennsylvania. Over 1,000 committee people were invited to hear from candidates for various elected offices in Philadelphia, including judicial positions on the Court of Common Pleas, Municipal Court, Traffic Court, as well as Mayor, Sheriff, Register of Wills, District City Council, City Commissioner, and City Council-at-large.

“This is just the latest sign of the hard work that is being done by committed candidates and volunteers to reenergize the Republican Party in Philadelphia,” said Republican Party of Pennsylvania Chairman Rob Gleason.  “With so many major issues facing the city of Philadelphia, it is critical that we elect the very best candidates.  That is why it was so critical that Philadelphia Republican committee members were provided an open forum to meet with and question prospective candidates for public office. We are shining sunlight on the political process in Philadelphia and I look forward to working with Republican leaders who are committed to increasing grassroots participation.”

Committee members participated in a straw poll for the following elected offices. The results are shown below (percentage based on total ballots cast):

City Commissioner (Vote no more than two):

Al Schmidt (96%)

Marie Delany (38%)

Joe Duda (1%)

Jim Mugford (0%)

City Council at Large (Vote no more than five):

David Oh (82%)

Denny O’Brien (53%)

Malcolm Lazin (46%)

Joe McColgan (44%)

John Giordano (42%)

Steve Odabashian (31%)

Michael Untermeyer (29%)

Elmer Money (20%) *did not attend, represented by surrogate Adam Lang

Frank Rizzo (18%) *did not attend, represented by surrogate Marc Collazzo

Al Taubenberger (18%) *did not attend, represented by surrogate Pat Mattern

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Valerie Caras
Press Release