Mayor Jim Kenney appoints Christy Brady as acting city controller after Rebecca Rhynhart resigned
Replacing a city controller involves an unusual three-part process in which the mayor, City Council, and voters all get chances to pick successive replacements, according to the mayor's office.
Mayor Jim Kenney on Monday appointed Christy Brady to be acting city controller, temporarily filling the office of Philadelphia’s financial watchdog after Rebecca Rhynhart resigned to run in next year’s mayoral election.
The city controller is an independently elected office, and the city Home Rule Charter requires the mayor to pick a replacement controller from among the office’s deputies.
Brady, who has worked in the office for almost three decades, was Rhynhart’s deputy controller in charge of the Audit Division. She is a certified public accountant and certified global management accountant with a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Jefferson University.
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The city controller audits city finances, investigates potential fraud or mismanagement, and issues reports aimed at improving city services.
“I’m grateful to Mayor Kenney for his confidence in my ability to fulfill the mission of the Office of the Controller,” Brady said in a statement. “Working with stakeholders and partners, my number one goal will be to ensure that we’re delivering the most efficient City services, programs, and operations with a focus on what’s best for taxpayers and the public.”
Kenney said that Brady “has the experience and financial acumen needed to help effectively evaluate best practices and cost savings across our City government.”
Rhynhart, who served as budget director under former Mayor Michael Nutter’s administration and also served in the early days of Kenney’s administration, repeatedly clashed with the mayor after becoming controller and publishing a series of audits and reports critical of the city.
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Rhynhart was first elected in 2017 in a surprise victory over incumbent Alan Butkovitz, and coasted to reelection last year.
It is unclear how long Brady will lead the office thanks to an unusual three-part process for filling vacancies in the controller’s office.
In addition to allowing Kenney to pick an acting controller, the charter and state law also allows City Council to name someone to fill the appointment, according to the mayor’s office. If Council picks someone besides Brady, that person would take over the office until a special election next year, the mayor’s office said.
The special election process for replacing a controller is different than it is for vacancies in some other Philadelphia elected offices. For instance, vacated Council seats are filled in a special election called by the Council president, and the candidates are nominated by party ward leaders, not voters. (There are four special Council elections on Tuesday’s ballot following the resignations of members who will be competing against Rhynhart in the mayor’s race.)
The special election to replace Rhynhart, however, will look more like a regular election: Voters will pick their party nominees in the May primaries, and those nominees will compete in the November general election, with the winner serving out the final two years of Rhynhart’s four-year term.
Asked whether Council intends to appoint a successor before the special election, Council President Darrell L. Clarke said, “I haven’t given this matter any thought.”
Staff writer Anna Orso contributed reporting.