Not just the mayor's race: Storylines to look out for on Election Day in Philly

The makeup of Philadelphia's city government will look very different in just a matter of hours -- and not just because the city will be getting a new mayor as term-limited Mayor Jim Kenney prepares to step down.

Voters head to the polls on Tuesday in Philadelphia, beginning at 7 a.m., and will decide on key positions in city government that will shape the next four years -- and beyond -- in the birthplace of America. Those elected will take office in January 2024.

Not only will there need to be a new council president, as 5th District councilperson Darrell Clarke is not seeking re-election after more than 20 years on council. City Council could also see its first openly LGBTQ+ member, and members of the Republican party could be completely voted off of the city's legislative body.

But let's start with the biggest race first.

All eyes on the Philadelphia Mayor's race

Cherelle Parker, a Democrat with a long political history in Philadelphia, is most likely to be in line to be Philadelphia's 100th mayor.

The 51-year-old Parker, a former city councilwoman who also served for 10 years as a state representative for a district in northwest Philadelphia, would be the first woman to serve as the city's top executive.

But even though there hasn't been a Republican in the mayor's office in seven decades -- last was Bernard "Barney" Samuel, who served from 1942 to 1952 -- there's always a possibility that Republican David Oh could be elected. It's considered unlikely due to the 8-to-1 edge Democrats have over Republicans on the city's voter rolls.

But even if he were elected, Oh -- a former councilperson himself -- might have to deal with an unfriendly City Council, as voters could eliminate all Republicans from the body for the first time since at least 1919 when council's size was hemmed from over 150 members to just 21.

City Council storylines: Could GOP disappear from ranks? First openly LGBTQ+ member poised to win

City Council could look very different after Tuesday's election.

Though most seats will see incumbents re-elected after running unopposed, some key seats could see changeover.

There are only two district seats contested. Will there be an upset?

In the 3rd District, Democratic incumbent Jamie Gauthier will face off against challenger Jabari Jones, who is running as a representative of the so-called "West is Best" party. Gauthier, who was elected to council in 2019 after unseating longtime Democratic councilwoman Jannie Blackwell, is favored.

Jones describes himself as a "[p]resident of the business corridors in West Philly" and the only experience that the Committee of Seventy -- a local nonprofit dedicated to good government -- has listed for him is a bachelor's degree in business from Drexel University.

If he were elected, he would be the first member of the West is Best party -- which doesn't seem to have any online presence or stated goals -- on City Council. Jones had initially intended to run as a Democrat in the spring primary.

In the 10th District up in the Northeast, Democratic challenger Gary Masino, president of the Sheet Metal Workers' Local 14, is looking to unseat Republican incumbent Brian O'Neill.

This might be a tall order as O'Neill has served on council for more than 40 years, and he's running for his 12th term this year. If Masino can pull it off, his ascension to council would be a key step toward evicting the GOP from the ranks entirely.

The only other seats on City Council that Republicans are seeking are at-large seats, which represent the entire city as opposed to the 10 geographically-aligned district seats.

Republicans Jim Hasser and Drew Murray are running for open seats. As a heavily Democratic city, incumbents and challengers from the Democratic Party are expected to secure five of the seven open at-large seats.

Dems running here are incumbents Katherine Gilmore Richardson, Isaiah Thomas and Jim Harrity along with newcomers Nina Ahmad and Rue Landau. These five Dems emerged victorious in a wide-open, 27-person Democratic primary in the spring.

Landau, an attorney and former city official, would be the first openly LGBTQ+ member of City Council.

That leaves Hasser and Murray to vie against members of the Working Families Party for the two spots that remain reserved for minority party candidates.

Hasser and Murray are attempting to topple incumbent Kendra Brooks, council's only member of the Working Families Party, and her fellow Working Families Party member Nicolas O’Rourke for the open seats.

It is certainly not an impossible task -- Brooks' win in 2019 was the first by a third-party candidate in city history. But if at least one of them fail to win a seat, O'Neill is upset, and the Dems win the other five at-large seats as expected, City Council would be without a Republican member for the first time since the city charter changed the size of the body in 1919.

Other citywide races

Voters in Philadelphia will also select a Sheriff, City Controller, and the Register of Wills.

In the race for Sheriff, Democrat and incumbent Rochelle Bilal is taking on Republican challenger Mark Lavelle.

Bilal has been Sheriff since 2020 and has recently faced controversy after a number of firearms were found to be missing from her office. Lavelle, a warehouse worker, still has an uphill battle due to the city's Democratic edge.

There will be a first time head in the Controller's office. Democrat Christy Brady and Republican Aaron Bashir each won primary elections for the seat in the spring.

Brady has worked in the office for nearly 30 years and previously served as acting controller when she replaced former Controller Rebecca Rhynhart. Rhynhart resigned to run for mayor but lost in the spring primary. Brady resigned from her acting seat in order to run in this election.

Bashir previously worked as a financial accountant for the City of Philadelphia and has been an adjunct mathematics professor at the Community College of Philadelphia. He is also working to obtain a Ph.D. at the Chicago School of Professional Psychology, according to a campaign website that hasn't been updated since a failed run for U.S. Congress in 2022.

In the race for Register of Wills, Democrat John Sabatina, a real estate lawyer, is taking on Linwood Holland, a Republican who has worked for the Philadelphia Parking Authority.

This race is open to challengers after incumbent Tracey Gordon lost to Sabatina in the primaries.

Gordon found herself mired in controversy as she is facing at least five lawsuits from former employees. The Philadelphia Inquirer noted that these lawsuits allege improper behavior -- like "badgering" employees for campaign donations or forcing them to lie to members of the press.

She had even permitted the sale of Eagles paraphernalia in her office, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer.

Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 7. Click here to find your polling place.