Candidates for City Council

Office Description

City Council, Philadelphia’s 17-member legislative body, enacts bills by majority vote, which are then signed into law by the mayor, who is also empowered to veto them. But Council can override a mayoral veto with a two-thirds vote. Council also holds hearings. Of the 17 Council members, seven are elected “at-large” (by voters from throughout Philadelphia) and 10 from districts. Of the seven at-large members, no more than five can be from the political party with the largest number of registered voters in the city. There are no party restrictions on district members. All members must be at least 25 years old, be U.S. citizens and residents of the City for at least one year. (District members must have lived in their districts for a year.) Terms are four years, and there are no term limits. Per city records, the Council president’s salary is $179,167. Members’ salaries begin at $142,000.

For the at-large council seats, the five top vote-getters from the Democratic and Republican primaries will be featured on the General Election ballot in November. Minor party candidates were eligible to submit nominating papers up through August 1 to be included on the ballot as well. This list will not be exhaustive until after the nominating paper period is complete in early Fall. 

C70 has invited each candidate to complete a five-part questionnaire to state their case to the voters. You can see those answers plus full bios of candidates and campaign contact information customizable to your personal ballot in our Interactive Voter Guide.