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Incumbents romp in row-office races

There were no surprises on Election Day in voting for Philadelphia's lesser-known row offices: sheriff, register of wills, and the three city commissioners.

Ronald R. Donatucci's reign as register of wills is to continue for four more years.
Ronald R. Donatucci's reign as register of wills is to continue for four more years.Read more(MICHAEL BRYANT / Staff Photographer)

There were no surprises on Election Day in voting for Philadelphia's lesser-known row offices: sheriff, register of wills, and the three city commissioners.

In an overwhelmingly Democratic city, Democrats won. That meant Ronald R. Donatucci's reign as register of wills is to continue for four more years. Donatucci, 67, won his 10th term Tuesday, easily defeating Republican opponent Ross Feinberg.

An independently elected office, the register of wills oversees marriage licenses and estates as well as wills. Its annual budget of $3.3 million covers a 63-person payroll. Donatucci is unabashed about political patronage in his office and says the proof is in the pudding - his employees do their jobs.

Most of them also helped fund his reelection campaign, as did employees of another Democrat who won easily Tuesday, Sheriff Jewell Williams. He defeated Republican challenger Chris Sawyer, a newcomer to politics.

Williams, 58, a former state legislator who was elected four years ago on a pledge to bring efficiency and transparency to the oft-criticized sheriff's department, won a second term. He was criticized this year for sending campaign solicitation fliers to employees' homes. The most generous campaign donors in his office also were the highest overtime earners.

The sheriff's office oversees court security, transportation of prisoners, and sheriff's sales.

The three candidates for the Board of City Commissioners, which oversees elections, ran unopposed.

That meant City Commissioner Anthony Clark, who has been the subject of media scrutiny for his failure to vote in recent elections and his frequent absences from the office, won reelection.

So did the board's sole Republican, incumbent Al Schmidt. The City Charter requires that one of the three seats go to the minority party. The third winner was Democratic newcomer Lisa Deeley, who will take the seat previously held by Stephanie Singer.

Singer failed to get sufficient signatures on her nomination petitions to get on the May 19 primary ballot.

cvargas@phillynews.com

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