Philadelphia commissioners will monitor primary election after all

A Pennsylvania state judge has rejected an effort to stop the Philadelphia city commissioners from overseeing Tuesday’s primary election.

The Committee of Seventy and Philadelphia 3.0 sued the city commissioners with hopes of temporarily replacing them with three judges or “electors.”

They argued the commissioners should be barred from serving because of ballot questions proposing changes to Philadelphia’s Home Rule Charter — something they said is not permitted under the state election code.

The petitioners also said one of the ballot questions creates a conflict of interest. It deals with how the city awards city contracts, which they argued, could directly affect the commissioners office.

Common Pleas Court President Judge Sheila Woods-Skipper disagreed on both counts. The state election code only applies to county home rule charters, not city charters like Philadelphia’s, she ruled Monday.

A lawyer representing the Committee of Seventy said he’s “disappointed” with the ruling, adding that the suit’s petitioners are “strongly considering” an appeal to Commonwealth Court.