Former acting Controller Christy Brady officially joins the race, likely with Democratic Party support

Former acting Controller Christy Brady announced her candidacy for city controller Saturday on Twitter, likely bringing with her significant support from the city’s Democratic Party.

Brady, a longtime employee in the controller’s office, will officially launch her campaign Tuesday at the Sprinkler Fitter Local 692 union in Northeast Philly.

Her announcement comes after she resigned from the controller’s office Friday without signaling an intention to run. Brady worked at the office for 28 years and was appointed acting controller by Mayor Jim Kenney in November after Rebecca Rhynhart resigned to run for mayor.

“For the last 28 years, I’ve dedicated my career to protecting Philadelphians from fraud, waste, and abuse while improving the effectiveness of our government,” Brady said in a statement.

Brady in January sued the city to avoid the Home Rule Charter’s “resign to run” law, which requires city employees to quit their jobs before running for office. The rule does not extend to incumbents running for reelection, but a Common Pleas Court judge ruled that since Brady was appointed and not elected, she was not considered an incumbent. She resigned from the office effective immediately last Thursday.

Brady won the support of the Democratic City Committee’s policy committee last week and is expected to receive the endorsement of the entire city party after members vote on Monday, giving her backing from influential ward leaders across Philadelphia. She touted support from the Democratic City Committee in a statement Monday and said Sprinkler Fitter business manager Wayne Miller will chair her election committee.

Kenney has appointed Charles Edacheril as the new acting controller. Edacheril was most recently deputy controller of audit and has worked in the office for 17 years.

“I am honored to accept this appointment and thank Mayor Jim Kenney and his Administration for the opportunity to lead this office,” Edacheril said in a statement.

The Philadelphia city controller is responsible for auditing all city departments and the School District. Under Rhynhart’s leadership, the office sought to hold legislators and the mayor accountable for spending on issues like crime and gun violence, for diverse hiring in city departments, and Police Department personnel issues.

Brady joins a growing list of Philadelphians vying for the chance to be the city’s chief auditor.

Gregg Kravitz announced his run for controller last Thursday. He initially began a run for at-large City Council last year. Kravitz is a real estate agent and has spent much of his career working in politics on Democratic campaigns. He worked for just under three years as a deputy commissioner in former Republican City Commissioner Al Schmidt’s office, helping administer elections, and spent the earliest parts of his career working in finance. He has been endorsed by the LGBTQ Victory Fund.

Karen Javaruski has been a banking professional for more than 20 years. She works in enterprise risk-management for Citi and is active in the local and state Democratic parties. Javaruski is a 31st Ward committeeperson and ward treasurer. She has touted her strong support among ward leaders and said she traveled to Harrisburg to help endorse judicial candidates in late January.

Alexandra Hunt is a public health researcher who gained national attention after raising hundreds of thousands of dollars in an unsuccessful bid last year to unseat U.S. Rep. Dwight Evans (D., Pa.).