Political hopefuls from around the state submitted their stacks of signed petitions last week to secure their spots on the ballot of the upcoming primary election.
Candidates had until March 8 to file their petitions — Philadelphia City Council district candidates had to secure 750 signatures and all other candidates 1,000 — a deadline that whittled down the list of hopefuls, including some from the LGBT community.
At the municipal level, 99 candidates submitted nomination petitions, including 71 seeking a City Council seat. Of the 17 City Council seats, five incumbents are retiring this year.
Among the 20 Democratic City Council-at-Large candidates who submitted petitions were out candidates Sherrie Cohen and Daryl LaFountain, as well as the five incumbent Democratic at-Large Councilmembers.
Five at-Large seats will go to Democrats and two to Republicans, 10 of whom, including out candidate Malcolm Lazin, filed petitions for those seats.
Two openly gay candidates who had announced the intent to run did not file: Chris Hayes, who had been running for an at-large seat, did not collect enough signatures by the deadline but has announced he will campaign as a write-in candidate, and Lou Lanni, who was running as a Republican in the hotly contested First District Council race, did not file.
The city’s openly gay former prison commissioner, Leon King, filed in his bid for one of the nine open Court of Common Pleas judgeships, along with out Common Pleas candidate Chris Mallios.
Mayor Nutter will be challenged in the primary by T. Milton Street, a former state legislator and brother of former Mayor John Street.
Nutter supporters filed suit this week to challenge Street’s position on the ballot, questioning the validity of his petition signatures and the residency requirement.
On Wednesday, Street drew the top spot on the ballot over Nutter during the ballot-drawing ceremony at City Hall.
Incumbent Democratic Councilman-at-Large Bill Greenlee drew the lucky first spot on that list, while Cohen took the sixth spot and LaFountain the 18th.
Michael Untermeyer will lead the Republican at-Large ballot, while Lazin drew number two.
In the judicial races, of the more-than 50 candidates for Common Pleas, Mallios will be number eight.
Jen Colletta can be reached at [email protected].