Christy Brady
Democrat
Campaign website
What is one life experience you have that voters should know about?
I grew up in Olney and now live with my husband and three children in the Fox Chase section of the city. I went to Philadelphia College of Textiles and Science, now Jefferson University, where I majored in accounting. When I became Acting City Controller, I knew I wanted to be a part of changing the direction of the city. I did not want to leave my position in the Controller’s Office where I worked for almost three decades but I knew it was necessary if I was going to have an impact. It took a huge leap of faith and courage to resign to run for office but I am really glad that I did. In the Controller’s Office, I was leading audits that have affected citizens everyday life. One such audit I directed was the performance audit on the Philadelphia Fire Department’s Brownout and Firefighter Rotation Policies where the city was trying to save money at the expense of public safety. We were able to show there were no cost savings and a huge potential for catastrophe. Those unsafe practices were eliminated immediately when the audit was released.
What would be your top three policy priorities in office?
Our city faces many challenges from an out-of-control crime rate, a drug epidemic, and a failure to educate our children to grade levels. We also have issues with the city's enforcement of building code violations, and developers misclassifying workers as independent contractors which results in millions of dollars in unpaid license and permit fees as well as lost payroll and city wage taxes related to these unsafe building practices. I want to lead audits, financial analyses, and investigations that can improve the safety of our neighborhoods and the education of our children while having a positive economic impact on the citizens and city finances.
What sets you apart from other candidates?
I have over 28 years of experience in the City Controller's Office working my way up the ladder from an auditor trainee to become the first female Deputy Controller of Audit, leading the largest division in the Controller's Office. I am also a Certified Public Accountant, and as such, I am the only candidate qualified to sign the audit opinions for Annual Comprehensive Financial Reports of the City of Philadelphia and the Philadelphia School District. I later became Acting City Controller where in addition to managing the operations of the Controller’s Office, I served on the Board of Pensions, the Sinking Fund Commission and was a member of the City's Bond Committee. Lastly, I certified the City's debt capacity and the capital nature and useful life of capital projects built with bond proceeds.
How do you plan to work across ideological lines to achieve shared goals?
The role of the Controller's Office is to promote, honest, effective, and fully accountable city government. I plan to work with city leaders by conducting independent audits and analyses to provide objective information to city officials and the public about the city's financial operations, and on ways to improve operations, and the use of public resources.
The Committee of Seventy has partnered with the Carter Center to promote the Candidate Principles for Trusted Elections to improve the voting process, encourage honest leadership, and promote civic engagement. Do you support the Candidate Principles?
Yes
