| Philadelphia
Government
From
a governmental perspective, Philadelphia County is a legal
nullity, as all county functions were assumed by the city
in 1952, which has been coterminous with the county since
1854.
The city
uses the "strong-mayor" version of the mayor-council
form of government, which is headed by one mayor, in whom
executive authority is vested. Elected "at-large,"
the mayor is limited to two consecutive four-year terms under
the city's home rule charter, but can run for the position
again after an intervening term. The current city mayor, having
taken office in January 2008, is Michael Nutter, replacing
John F. Street who served two terms from 1999 to the end of
2007. Nutter, as all Philadelphia mayors have been since 1952,
is a member of the Democratic Party, which tends to dominate
local politics so thoroughly that the Democratic primary for
mayor is often more noticeable than the general mayoral election.
The legislative branch, the Philadelphia City Council, consists
of ten council members representing individual districts and
seven members elected at large. The current council president
is Anna C. Verna.
The Philadelphia
County Court of Common Pleas, also known as the Court of Common
Pleas for the First Judicial District of Pennsylvania, is
the trial court of general jurisdiction for Philadelphia.
It is funded and operated largely by city resources and employees.
The Philadelphia Municipal Court handles matters of limited
jurisdiction as well as landlord-tenant disputes, appeals
from traffic court, preliminary hearings for felony-level
offenses, and the like. Traffic Court is a court of special
jurisdiction that hears violations of traffic laws.
Pennsylvania's
three appellate courts also have sittings in Philadelphia.
The Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, the court of last resort
in the state, regularly hears arguments in Philadelphia City
Hall. Also, the Superior Court of Pennsylvania and the Commonwealth
Court of Pennsylvania sit in Philadelphia several times a
year. Judges for these courts are elected at large. Each court
has a prothonotary's office in Philadelphia as well.
The
Philadelphia Historical Commission was created in 1955 to
preserve the cultural, social, political, economic and architectural
history of the city. The commission maintains the Philadelphia
Register of Historic Places, adding historic buildings, structures,
sites, objects and districts as it sees fit.
The Philadelphia
Housing Authority is the largest landlord in the entire Commonwealth
of Pennsylvania. Established in 1937, it is the nation’s
fourth-largest housing authority, housing approximately 84,000
people and employing 1,250. In 2006, its budget was $313 million.
Politics
and Elections
As of November 2007, there are 992,696 registered voters in
Philadelphia.
Democratic:
749,652 (75.52%)
Republican: 150,477 (15.16%)
Other Parties: 92,567 (9.32%)
From the American Civil War until the mid-20th century, Philadelphia
was a bastion of the Republican Party, which arose from the
staunch pro-Northern views of Philadelphia residents during
and after the war. After the Great Depression, Democratic
registrations increased, but the city was not carried by Democratic
Franklin D. Roosevelt in his landslide victory of 1932 (in
which Pennsylvania was one of the few states won by Republican
Herbert Hoover). While other Northern industrial cities were
electing Democratic mayors in the 1930s and 1940s, Philadelphia
did not follow suit until 1951. That is, Philadelphia never
had a "New Deal" coalition.
The city
is now one of the most Democratic in the country, despite
the frequent election of Republicans to statewide offices
since the 1930s; in 2004, Democrat John Kerry drew 80% of
the city's vote.
Philadelphia
once comprised six congressional districts. However, as a
result of the city's declining population, it now has only
four: the 1st district, represented by Bob Brady; the 2nd,
represented by Chaka Fattah; the 8th, represented by Patrick
Murphy; and the 13th, represented by Allyson Schwartz. All
four are Democrats; no Republican has represented a significant
portion of Philadelphia since 1983. However, Pennsylvania's
Republican Senator, Arlen Specter, is from Philadelphia.
Source
of Article:
Wikipedia.
(2008). Philadelphia. Retrieved May 31, 2008 from
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philadelphia#Government
List
of Mayors of Philadelphia
The
Mayor of Philadelphia is the chief executive of the government
of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, as stipulated by the Charter
of the City of Philadelphia. The current Mayor of Philadelphia
is Michael Nutter.
The first
mayor of Philadelphia, Humphrey Morrey, was appointed by city
founder William Penn. Edward Shippen was appointed by Penn
as first mayor under the charter of 1701, then was elected
to a second term by the City Council. Subsequent mayors, who
held office for one year, were elected by the city council
from among their number.
No compensation
was paid to the earliest office-holders, and candidates often
objected strongly to being selected, sometimes choosing even
to pay a fine rather than serve. In 1704 Alderman Griffith
Jones was elected but declined to serve, for which he was
fined twenty pounds. In 1706, Alderman Thomas Story was fined
twenty pounds for refusing office. In 1745, Alderman Abraham
Taylor was fined thirty pounds for refusing the mayoralty;
Council then elected Joseph Turner, who also refused and was
likewise fined. Others who refused election included Richard
Hill (1717), Isaac Norris (1722), John Mifflin and Alexander
Stedman, while William Coxe pleaded illness (1758), Samuel
Mifflin (1761), William Coxe and Daniel Benezet (1762), John
Barclay and George Roberts (1792), and Robert Wharton (1811).
In 1747,
at the request of retiring Mayor William Attwood, Council
resolved to institute an annual salary of 100 pounds for the
office. Nevertheless, that same year, Anthony Morris secretly
fled to Bucks County to avoid being notified of his election
to the mayoralty. When after three days he could not be located,
a new election had to be arranged, and Attwood was re-elected
to a second term.
From
1845, mayors were elected by popular vote. The length of the
term of office was extended to two years in 1854, to three
years in 1861, and to four years in 1885. A two-consecutive-term
limit was instituted in 1951.
List
of Mayors of Philadelphia
Mayor/
Term/ Political Party
Humphrey
Morrey 1691-1701 (appointed by William Penn)
Edward Shippen 1701-1703 (appointed by Penn to a one-year
term, elected by Council to another)
Anthony Morris 1703-1704
Griffith Jones 1704-1705
Joseph Willcox 1705-1706
Nathan Stanbury 1706-1707
Thomas Masters 1707-1709 (two one-year terms)
Richard Hill 1709-1710
William Carter 1710-1711
Samuel Preston 1711-1712
Jonathan Dickinson 1712-1713
George Roch 1713-1714
Richard Hill 1714-1717 (three one-year terms)
Jonathan Dickinson 1717-1719 (two one-year terms)
William Fishbourn 1719-1722 (three one-year terms)
James Logan 1722-1723
Clement Plumsted 1723-1724
Isaac Norris 1724-1725
William Hudson 1725-1726
Charles Read 1726-1727
Thomas Lawrence (I) 1727-1729 (two one-year terms)
Thomas Griffitts 1729-1731 (two one-year terms)
Samuel Hasell 1731-1733 (two one-year terms)
Thomas Griffitts 1733-1734
Thomas Lawrence (I) 1734-1735
William Allen 1735-1736
Clement Plumsted 1736-1737
Thomas Griffitts 1737-1738
Anthony Morris 1738-1739
Edward Roberts 1739-1740
Samuel Hasell 1740-1741
Clement Plumsted 1741-1742
William Till 1742-1743
Benjamin Shoemaker 1743-1744
Edward Shippen (II) 1744-1745
James Hamilton 1745-1746
William Attwood 1746-1748 (two one-year terms)
Charles Willing 1748-1749
Thomas Lawrence (I) 1749-1750
William Plumsted 1750-1751
Robert Strettell 1751-1752
Benjamin Shoemaker 1752-1753
Thomas Lawrence (I) 1753-1754
Charles Willing 1754 (Replaced Thomas Lawrence (I), deceased)
William Plumsted 1754-1756 (Replaced Charles Willing, deceased)
(two one-year terms)
Attwood Shute 1756-1758 (two one-year terms)
Thomas Lawrence (II) 1758-1759
John Stamper 1759-1760
Benjamin Shoemaker 1760-1761
Jacob Duché, Sr. 1761-1762
Henry Harrison 1762-1763
Thomas Willing 1763-1764
Thomas Lawrence (II) 1764-1765
John Lawrence 1765-1767 (two one-year terms)
Isaac Jones 1767-1769 (two one-year terms)
Samuel Shoemaker 1769-1771 (two one-year terms)
John Gibson 1771-1773 (two one-year terms)
William Fisher 1773-1774
Samuel Rhoads 1774-1775
Samuel Powel 1775-1776
(vacant) 1776-1789
Samuel Powel 1789-1790
Samuel Miles 1790-1791
John Barclay 1791-1792
Matthew Clarkson 1792-1796
Hilary Baker 1796-1798
Robert Wharton 1798-1800
John Inskeep 1800-1801
Matthew Lawler 1801-1805
John Inskeep 1805-1806
Robert Wharton 1806-1807
John Barker 1807-1810
Robert Wharton 1810-1811
Michael Keppele 1811-1812
John Barker 1812-1813
John Geyer 1813-1814
Robert Wharton 1814-1819
James Nelson Barker 1819-1820
Robert Wharton 1820-1824
Joseph Watson 1824-1828
George Mifflin Dallas 1828-1829
Benjamin Wood Richards 1829
William Milnor 1829-1830
Benjamin Wood Richards 1830-1831
John Swift 1832-1838
Isaac Roach 1838-1839
John Swift 1839-1841
John Morin Scott 1841-1844 Whig
Peter McCall 1844-1845
John Swift 1845-1849 Whig (1st popularly elected)
Joel Jones 1849-1850
Charles Gilpin 1850-1854 Whig
Robert Thomas Conrad 1854-1856 Whig
Richard Vaux 1856-1858 Democratic
Alexander Henry 1858-1866 People's; Republican
Morton McMichael 1866-1869 Republican
Daniel Fox 1869-1872 Democratic
William Strumberg Stokley 1872-1881 Republican
Samuel George King 1881-1884
William Burns Smith 1884-1887 Republican
Edwin Henry Fitler 1887-1891 Republican
Edwin Sydney Stuart 1891-1895 Republican
Charles Franklin Warwick 1895-1899 Republican
Samuel Howell Ashbridge 1899-1903 Republican
John Weaver 1903-1907 Republican
John E. Reyburn 1907-1911 Republican
Rudolph Blankenburg 1911-1916 Republican elected on Democratic
ticket
Thomas B. Smith 1916-1920 Republican
J. Hampton Moore 1920-1924 Republican
W. Freeland Kendrick 1924-1928 Republican
Harry Arista Mackey 1928-1931 Republican
J. Hampton Moore 1932-1936 Republican
Samuel Davis Wilson 1936-1939 Republican
George Connell 1939-1940 Acting mayor for the balance of Wilson's
term after Wilson's death.
Robert Eneas Lamberton January 1, 1940-August 22, 1941 Republican
Bernard Samuel August 22, 1941-January 7, 1952 Republican
Joseph S. Clark Jr. January 7, 1952-January 2, 1956 Democratic
Richardson Dilworth January 2, 1956-February 12, 1962 Democratic
(elected to two four-year terms, resigned)
James Hugh Joseph Tate February 12, 1962-January 3, 1972 Democratic
(succeeded Dilworth, resigned; elected to two four-year terms)
Frank L. Rizzo January 3, 1972-January 7, 1980 Democratic
(two four-year terms)
William J. Green III January 7, 1980-January 2, 1984 Democratic
W. Wilson Goode January 2, 1984-January 6, 1992 Democratic
(two four-year terms)
Edward G. Rendell January 6, 1992-December 21, 1999 Democratic
(elected to two four-year terms, resigned)
John F. Street December 21, 1999-January 7, 2008 Democratic
(succeeded Rendell, resigned; elected to two four-year terms)
Michael Nutter January 7, 2008-present Democratic (incumbent)
Source
of Article:
Wikipedia.
(2008). List of Mayors of Philadelphia. Retrieved
May 31, 2008 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_mayors_of_Philadelphia |
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