Copyright The Philadelphia Inquirer
Media has a lot riding on the ballot this year, with a new slate of local leadership and administrative roles at borough and county level. Plus, local school board elections. To make Election Day easier, whether voting at the polls or by mail, here are the important points for Media voters to remember. Media will be electing a new mayor, new local legislators with the Borough Council and County Council elections, and important administrative roles at the borough and county level, such as county controller, register of wills, and sheriff. The Rose Tree Media School District’s board of directors are up for election as well. On the statewide level, Media will help decide whether three state Supreme Court justices will keep their jobs for another decade. The election and retention of Superior and Commonwealth Court judges, who hear cases before they reach the state Supreme Court, are also on the ballot. After 33 years, Mayor Bob McMahon is retiring, bringing a new face to the position for the first time since 1992. Borough Council member Joi Washington is running as a Democrat with a focus on walkability and lowering speed limits, and would be the first woman and Black person to hold the mayoral role in the borough’s history. Kevin Kellogg, a borough resident and a 2021 mayoral candidate, is running as a Republican with a focus on parking issues and supporting small businesses. Democratic Republican The Rose Tree Media School District board of directors, or school board, sets the tone for the district’s culture and educational policies, while also approving its annual budget and the hiring and evaluation of the district superintendent. Board members serve two- or four-year terms. Democratic candidates have a joint campaign Facebook page, at facebook.com/RTMDemSlate, where candidates promote their focus on transparent leadership and responsible spending, among other issues. Republican candidates have a joint campaign website at unitedvoicesrtm.com, where candidates highlight the need for better parent-school communications and investments in infrastructure, among other issues. Vote for up to four candidates. Democratic Republican Vote for up to one candidate. Democratic Republican Media’s Borough Council are local legislators who pass local ordinances, oversee local agencies, and manage the town’s assets and funds, among other duties. Council members serve two- or four-year terms. For more information on the Democratic and Republican Borough Council candidates, check out the websites for Media Democrats, at mediadems.com, and Media Republicans, at mediarepublicans.com. Vote for up to four candidates. Democratic Republican Vote for up to one candidate. Democrat Republican These two positions manage local elections on the ground level, from opening and closing polls to verifying voter registration and overseeing voting machines. Each voting precinct has its own judge and inspector of election, elected to four-year terms. Candidates running for this office must live in the voting precinct. To find your precinct’s candidates, look up your voting precinct’s sample ballot on Delaware County’s voter services webpage at delcopa.gov/vote. Not sure of your precinct? Look it up at pavoterservices.pa.gov. Delaware County Council members are the county legislators who pass local laws, approve budgets, and oversee the county’s various agencies, among other duties. Council members serve four-year terms. This race will see two Republican candidates try to upend Democratic control of the county’s legislature, which they say is overspending, leading to higher property taxes. Democrats, who took control of council in 2020, defend their record, arguing that the previous Republican-controlled county council failed to raise taxes for 12 years and properly invest in municipal agencies and local infrastructure. Last year, a Delco resident who owned a home assessed at the county average of $255,108.10 paid $185 more in property taxes, a 23% increase, after federal COVID-19 relief funds ran out. The Inquirer has a breakdown of the candidates’ views on spending, taxation, and whether there could be another tax hike in the future. For more information on candidates for Delaware County Council and other countywide offices, check out the county Democrats' website at delcodems.com, and county Republicans' website at delawarecountygop.org. Vote for up to two candidates. Democrat Republican The Delaware County Sheriff’s Department serves as the law enforcement and security for the county’s Court of Common Pleas. This means safeguarding the courts, transporting prisoners, and enforcing court orders. Sheriffs serve a four-year term. Democratic Republican The county controller is the fiscal watchdog and accounting office for Delaware County. Their office is responsible for receiving and spending the county’s funds, and providing financial reports to the public. Democratic Republican The register of wills is an administrative role that oversees many of the county’s most important record management, including marriage licenses, inheritance tax, and probates and estates when someone dies. Democratic Republican Pennsylvania’s Court of Common Pleas is broken up into 60 judicial districts, with Delaware County located within the 32nd District. These are the courts handling general trials for civil and criminal cases, as well as appeals from lower courts. These judges serve 10-year terms, after which they are up for retention. Vote for up to two candidates. Democratic Republican One of the most lasting votes Media residents will cast on Nov. 4 will be whether to retain three of the state’s Supreme Court justices for another 10-year term. Voting “yes” will extend their term. Voting “no” will end their term. If voters elect not to extend the justices’ terms, vacancies will be created, which allows Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro to nominate new justices to the state Supreme Court. However, new appointees would need to be approved by a Republican-controlled Senate. Read a detailed breakdown of the three Supreme Court justices — Christine Donohue, Kevin M. Dougherty, and David Wecht — in The Inquirer’s Philadelphia election guide. » READ MORE: Philly’s guide to the Nov. 4 election An opening on Pennsylvania’s Superior Court was created after Dan McCaffery was elected to the state Supreme Court in 2023. Voters will decide on who will fill that vacancy and join 14 other judges in presiding over criminal and civil cases, before they can be taken to the Supreme Court. These judges serve 10-year terms, after which they are up for retention. Vote for up to one candidate. Voters will also be asked if they want to retain Alice Beck Dubow. Read a breakdown of the candidates in The Inquirer’s Philadelphia election guide. Democrat: Republican: Liberal: “Yes” or “no” retention vote: » READ MORE: Philly’s guide to the Nov. 4 election An opening on the Commonwealth Court was created after Ellen Ceisler retired. Voters will decide who will fill the vacancy on this state court, which oversees state and local government cases and regulatory agencies. These judges serve 10-year terms, after which they are up for retention. Vote for up to one candidate. Voters will also be asked whether to retain Michael H. Wojcik for another term. Democrat: Republican:
