After spending nearly 30 years in the Philadelphia City Controller's office, Christy Brady officially took the reins on Tuesday -- a role she previously served as Acting City Controller.
In an announcement upon taking office, Brady said during her term she hopes to protect Philadelphia residents from "fraud, waste and abuse."
“I am proud and honored to stand here today as leader of the office where I have spent almost three decades,” Brady said in a statement. “I’ve dedicated my career to protecting the citizens of Philadelphia from fraud, waste and abuse and to improving the effectiveness of government operations. As Controller, I will build on that record by working with Mayor-elect Parker and all branches of city government to keep Philadelphia moving forward.”
Brady was named as Acting City Controller by Mayor Jim Kenney in November of last year, after the role was vacated by former City Controller Rebecca Rhynhart so that she could run for mayor.
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Rhynhart lost in the spring primary.
Brady then resigned from her role as Acting City Commissioner in February, after just three months, in order to run in this year's special election for the office.
During the general election, Brady, a Democrat, handedly defeated Republican Aaron Bashir. Brady received more than 200,000 votes, dwarfing the slightly more than 50,000 that her opponent secured.
In laying out some of her plans for the office, Brady said that she intends to review the city's Community Expansion Grant program to "ensure that all dollars are properly accounted for," as well as, reviewing Department of Licensing and Inspections efforts to prevent hazardous building collapses and creating a financial literacy program for city schools.
“I am hitting the ground running and have already directed the team to start work on a number of initiatives that are important for making our city safer and improving the lives of every Philadelphian,” Brady said in a statement. “It is the job of my office to ensure that our tax dollars are supporting the services and programs that will make our city the best it can be.”
In a statement, Brady said she started out as an entry level auditor nearly 30 years ago, in the City Controller's Office, before becoming the first female to oversee the largest division in the office as the Deputy Controller of Audit.
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