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Committee of Seventy

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For the 19th-century New York City organization, see Committee of Seventy (New York City).
Committee of Seventy
Founded1904
PurposeClean and effective government. Fair Elections. Informed Citizens.
Location
  • 123 South Broad St., Suite 2830
    Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, US
Region served
Philadelphia and five suburban counties
President and CEO
Lauren Cristella
Websitehttp://www.seventy.org/

The Committee of Seventy is an independent, nonpartisan, nonprofit organization which advocates for the improvement of government in Philadelphia and Pennsylvania. Founded in 1904, its board of directors is made up of 70 business, legal, and civic leaders. The Committee of Seventy focuses on issues such as elections and voting, campaign finance, ethics and transparency, and redistricting.

History

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On December 19, 1904, an initial Committee of Seven was formed with the goal of getting competent and honest people into government in Philadelphia, improving voting, fighting corruption, and keeping people informed and involved in the important issues of the day. The initial seven members were soap manufacturer Samuel Simeon Fels, attorney Frank P. Prichard, Dr. George Stanley Woodward, William Henry Pfahler, J. Percy Keating, trade unionist Alfred D. Clavert, and dry-goods merchant Frederic H. Strawbridge. In January 1905, this core group expanded to form the ongoing Committee of Seventy, "to keep watch and ward over the public interests".[1][2][3][4][5] New members included engineer Morris Llewellyn Cooke, book publisher John C. Winston,[6] banker George Washington Norris,[7] dye manufacturer Joseph Henry Scattergood,[8] Quaker merchant Joshua Longstreth Baily, William W. Justice, William H. Jenks, Louis Childs Madeira, Walter Wood, Francis B. Reeves, and lawyer Russell Duane.[9][2]

For the 1905 election, the Committee originally intended to recommend a slate of candidates. However, in some cases they found no candidates that met their standards. The group then formed a "City Party", which entered fifteen candidates for magisterial posts. They built support among press, civic and religious organizations for broad reforms, challenging candidates from the entrenched Republican political machine. In the county elections of November 1904 the reformers won strongly, gaining (for a time) support from Mayor John Weaver, and putting pressure on the state government to enact reform legislation.[1] The election of Rudolph Blankenburg as Mayor of Philadelphia in 1911 was seen as a major achievement of the Committee of Seventy. Blankenburg headed a nonpartisan administration that focused on the businesslike provision of city services, cutting costs while improving schools, hospitals and transit. However, in 1915, Republican Thomas B. Smith defeated reform candidate George D. Porter.[1]

The Committee of Seventy independently investigated electoral fraud, through the work of their counsel Thomas Raeburn White.[1] Members reviewed electoral lists, and were instrumental in introducing legislation to reduce voter fraud.[10] They contributed significantly to changes made to the civil service and the passage of the Philadelphia Home Rule Charters of 1919 and 1951.[11][12][13] By the mid-century, the Committee of Seventy had broadened its focus to include public policy and civic education.

The Committee of Seventy provides information and analysis about Philadelphia's political culture and government. From 2005 to 2018, the Committee of Seventy led fights to defend campaign financing limits,[14][15] including a lawsuit initiated by Seventy that was eventually heard by the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania,[16] to implement tough new public ethics laws, and to sever the tie between contracts and political contributions in Philadelphia.[17]

In 2018, the Committee of Seventy launched Draw the Lines PA, leading a coalition of academic and civic groups that developed its own redistricting map based on 1,500 submissions.[18][19][20] Patrick Christmas, policy director of the organization, has raised concerns about the use of dark money in Philadelphia elections.[21] The organization has also proposed amending Philadelphia's Home Rule Charter to address concerns about the Philadelphia Sheriff’s Office.[22]

Name

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The name comes from the Bible. From the organization's website, "Chronicling the Israelites’ journey through the desert, Exodus tells of seventy elders who were appointed to assist Moses in the governance of the people."[23] The references appear in Exodus 24:1–9, in which God instructs Moses on how to proceed once Israel accepts the Covenant: "And he said unto Moses, Come up unto the Lord, thou, and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel; and worship ye afar off."[24] In 1905, this Philadelphia Committee of Seventy was so named to serve an analogous function: "to be the ethical backbone of a city forgetting its conscience."[23] An organization of the same name and derivation already existed in 19th-century New York City.[25]

Organization and leadership

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The Committee of Seventy has a Board made up of more than 70 civic, business, labor, and nonprofit leaders. Its current Chair is Eric Kraeutler,[26] a retired Partner at the law firm of Morgan, Lewis & Bockius.[27] Lauren Cristella has served as the president and CEO since June 6, 2023, when she became its first woman president and CEO.[28] She succeeded Al Schmidt, a civic leader in Philadelphia and a former Philadelphia City Commissioner, who left the organization in January 2023 to serve as the Pennsylvania Secretary of State.[29][30] In 2024, Schmidt was named to lead the Pennsylvania Governor's Election Threats Task Force.[31] David Thornburgh led the Committee of Seventy from December 2014 to January 2022.[30]

Publications

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The Committee of Seventy provides nonpartisan information on a variety of issues related to government and politics, traditionally focusing on elections and voting, campaign finance, ethics and transparency, and redistricting.[32][33]

Funding

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The Committee of Seventy is an independent, non-profit organization that depends on charitable donations to advance its mission for better government in Philadelphia and Pennsylvania. Seventy's IRS Form 990s are available on their website.[34]

Archives

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d Rosen, Evelyn Bodek (2000). The Philadelphia Fels, 1880-1920: A Social Portrait. Fairleigh Dickinson Univ Press. ISBN 978-0-8386-3823-1.
  2. ^ a b McCaffery, Peter (1 November 2010). When Bosses Ruled Philadelphia: The Emergence of the Republican Machine, 1867-1933. Penn State Press. ISBN 978-0-271-04057-8.
  3. ^ "George Stanley Woodward, Pennsylvania Senate Library". PA Senate Library.
  4. ^ Pearson, Chad (2016). Reform or repression: organizing America's anti-union movement. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press. ISBN 9780812247763.
  5. ^ Benjamin, Philip S. (1 March 1970). "Gentlemen Reformers in the Quaker City, 1870-1912". Political Science Quarterly. 85 (1): 61–79. doi:10.2307/2147558. ISSN 0032-3195. Retrieved 15 October 2024.
  6. ^ Fox, Bonnie R. (1967). "The Philadelphia Progressives: A Test of the Hofstadter-Hays Theses". Pennsylvania History: A Journal of Mid-Atlantic Studies. 34 (4): 372–394. ISSN 0031-4528.
  7. ^ "George W. Norris | Federal Reserve History". www.federalreservehistory.org. Retrieved 2024-10-14.
  8. ^ "J. Henry Scattergood – CCMCL". Retrieved 2024-10-14.
  9. ^ "RUSSELL DUANE, 71, LAW FIRM PARTNER". The New York Times. January 20, 1938. p. 24. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2024-10-14.
  10. ^ Woodruff, Clinton Rogers (1907). "Some Permanent Results of the Philadelphia Upheaval of 1905-06". American Journal of Sociology. 13 (2): 252–271. ISSN 0002-9602.
  11. ^ Powell, Thomas Reed (1919). Constitutional Law in 1917-1918: The Constitutional Decisions of the Supreme Court of the United States in the October Term, 1917.
  12. ^ Proportional Representation Review. Proportional Representation League. 1925.
  13. ^ Crumlish, Joseph D. (1959). A city finds itself: the Philadelphia home rule charter movement. Wayne State University Press.
  14. ^ Briggs, Ryan (April 19, 2018). "Philadelphia tries again on campaign finance reforms". City & State PA. Retrieved 2024-10-15.
  15. ^ "Editorial | Campaign Finance". The Philadelphia Inquirer. 2007-04-19. Retrieved 2024-10-15.
  16. ^ "Fattah's Planned Appeal of Campaign Contribution Limits Under Fire". The Legal Intelligencer. April 4, 2007.
  17. ^ Janesch, Sam Janesch; Couloumbis, Angela (13 October 2021). "Pa. lawmakers hand out millions in public contracts to law firms that fill their campaign coffers". Spotlight PA.
  18. ^ Caruso, Stephen (9 September 2021). "'It's a Rubik's Cube': Pa. grapples with competing redistricting priorities • Pennsylvania Capital-Star". Pennsylvania Capital-Star. Retrieved 15 October 2024.
  19. ^ Lai, Jonathan; Tamari, Jonathan (2022-01-15). "Pa. Gov. Tom Wolf unveiled proposed congressional maps as deadlines loom". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved 2024-10-15.
  20. ^ "IN THE SUPREME COURT OF PENNSYLVANIA Middle District No. 11 MM 2022 KERRY BENNINGHOFF, individually, and as Majority Leader of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, Petitioner-Appellant, v. 2021 LEGISLATIVE REAPPORTIONMENT COMMISSION, Respondent-Appellee. BRIEF OF AMICI CURIAE THE LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS OF PENNSYLVANIA, FAIR DISTRICTS PA, AND THE COMMITTEE OF SEVENTY" (PDF). pacourts.com.
  21. ^ Walsh, Sean Collins (12 April 2023). "Philadelphia's Era of Dark Money Politics Has Begun". The Philadelphia Inquirer.
  22. ^ Bender, William (9 July 2024). "'We need reform': State Rep. calls for change in Philly Sheriff's Office amid reports of growing dysfunction". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved 15 October 2024.
  23. ^ a b Wink, Christopher (2008-04-03). "The Committee of Seventy: a century-old political watchdog". Christopher Wink. Retrieved 2024-10-15.
  24. ^ "Exodus 24:1 - Bible Gateway". www.biblegateway.com.
  25. ^ Beckert, Sven: "Democracy and its Discontents: Contesting Suffrage Rights in Gilded Age New York" in Past and Present (February 2002), pp. 114–155.
  26. ^ "Knight Foundation Hosts Event to Help Journalists Inform Voters About Pennsylvania Election Laws - Bucks County Beacon". 2024-10-09. Retrieved 2024-10-14.
  27. ^ "A Winning Design: Morgan Lewis, IP Litigation Department of the Year Winner". The American Lawyer. Retrieved 2024-10-14.
  28. ^ Owens, Ernest (2023-06-06). "Lauren Cristella Becomes First Woman to Lead Committee of Seventy". Philadelphia Magazine. Retrieved 2024-10-14.
  29. ^ "Lauren Cristella Named Interim President of the Committee of Seventy". seventy.org. Retrieved 2024-10-14.
  30. ^ a b "Al Schmidt to join Committee of Seventy as president and CEO". City & State PA. 2021-11-30. Retrieved 2024-10-14.
  31. ^ Todd, Alexandra (2024-02-29). "Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro creates election security task force - CBS Pittsburgh". www.cbsnews.com. Retrieved 2024-10-15.
  32. ^ "Committee of Seventy Launches Nonpartisan Interactive Voter Guide for Upcoming November Election - Bucks County Beacon". 2024-09-30. Retrieved 2024-10-15.
  33. ^ Williams, Racquel (28 September 2024). "Philly watchdog group explains how elections work, so voters can feel confident on Nov. 5". KYW Newsradio.
  34. ^ "See Our Tax Filings". Retrieved 18 May 2021.
  35. ^ "Collection: Committee of Seventy Photograph Collection | Temple University ArchivesSpace". Temple University.
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