Editorial: Mandel for controller

The Democratic primary for city controller may barely register as a blip on Philadelphia voters' radar screens. But they should pay attention to the May 19 election in which incumbent Alan Butkovitz is taking his next step in seeking a second term.

A history of corruption and misspending makes it imperative for Philadelphia to have an aggressive, independent fiscal watchdog. Butkovitz has been that person at times, but he also has troubling shortcomings.

Offering a better chance for Philadelphia to move further away from the business-as-usual politics that too often leads to cozy deals that cost taxpayers more than they should be paying is BRETT MANDEL. He would bring a fresher perspective to reforming how City Hall spends the public's cash.

Mandel is the former executive director of Philadelphia Forward, a citizens' organization that promotes tax, government, and ethics reform. His election would put some additional distance between party politics and the way City Hall operates.

Butkovitz is a ward leader who has the backing of the city's Democratic establishment. Elected in 2005, he made headlines with scathing audits that revealed an apparent attempt by then-School District CEO Paul Vallas to hide a $200 million deficit. But Butkovitz has left people wondering why other city agencies with questionable spending practices have seemingly been given a pass.

It also continues to weigh on some voters' minds that, as a state legislator representing the Northeast, Butkovitz voted for the hefty pay raises that lawmakers gave themselves in 2005, and then refused to refund the money.

Mandel says he will fulfill a requirement of the controller's office that Butkovitz continues to leave undone - audit every city department annually, not just those agencies whose scrutiny might involve some political calculation. Mandel would carry out his agenda by using review teams and a staggered audit schedule.

Having worked in the controller's office under Jonathan Saidel, Mandel has a good grasp of how the department operates. Lead author of the book Philadelphia: A New Urban Direction, Mandel says he would cut spending in the department, starting with elimination of its Office of Community Affairs.

That makes a lot of sense. While Butkovitz hails the community affairs office's ability to work with the public, that simply isn't a function of his department. The controller instead should be pointing out agencies that fail to do the public's work as they should. What's needed are more audits like the one that found Philadelphia's Emergency Medical Service units were late 40 percent of the time.

The third Democratic candidate is former Common Pleas Court Judge John Braxton, who was also on the 2005 ballot until being removed for failing to disclose some real-estate interests. It's understandable that Braxton wants another shot, but he isn't the best candidate in this field.

The winning Democrat will face Republican Al Schmidt, a former financial analyst, who has no opposition in the GOP primary.

Among the Democrats, Mandel offers the best hope of removing any doubt that the controller's sole motivation is to ensure that Philadelphians get their money's worth out of City Hall.