Delaware County Republicans see a chance to regain representation on the all-Democratic County Board in 2025.
In 2019, Democrats took over the county board, which had been under Republican control since the Civil War. They easily retained all five seats in 2021 and 2023.
But Republicans hope to apply public frustration over tax increases this year to regain a seat or two on the board, which oversees a budget of more than $386 million.
“It will require a massive defeat on the part of the Democrats [for Republicans to win]which they have already done by voting to raise taxes by 23%,” said Michael Straw, the GOP media chairman.
Two seats will be voted on in November. Candidates are still just starting to line up for the seats, and neither side has expressed support in the races.
Who’s running?
Council Vice President Richard Womack announced plans to seek re-election, but the second seat will be vacant because incumbent Councilmember Kevin Madden is on term limits.
Frank Agovino, chairman of the Delaware County GOP, said several people have reached out to him to express interest in running. Agovino expressed hope that the party would have a candidate by February, but did not provide details on who would run.
Charlie Alexander, a right-wing activist who has spread conspiracy theories about illegal immigrants, said he plans to run for the Republican nomination, citing concerns about overspending. In an interview, he said he would consider applying for the position without the party’s approval if he does not receive it.
Among Democrats, party chairwoman Colleen Guiney said five candidates have announced plans to run – Womack, County Controller Joanne Phillips, Nether Providence Commissioner Max Cooper, Haverford Township Democratic Committee Chairman Jon Larsen and Delco Black Caucus member Malcolm Yates.
Two other people, Guiney said, are considering launching campaigns.
The county will hold an official approval meeting in February. While other candidates can still run in the primaries, party support is extremely critical. And while meeting procedures are still underway, Guiney said Womack will likely win party support for his re-election bid.
“As a county, we always support our officials,” Guiney said.
Womack, the only council member up for re-election, was also the only member to vote against the tax escalate last month. Although he said he wasn’t thinking about his re-election bid when he cast his vote, he said he plans to work on lowering taxes if re-elected.
» READ MORE: Delaware County raises property taxes by 23% despite community outcry
“I just didn’t think a tax increase was the right decision at this point,” he said, suggesting that some spending cuts could have been made to soften the blow.
Response to the tax escalate
Although Republicans once controlled the Delaware County Council for over a century, the county’s electorate is now largely Democratic. Vice President Kamala Harris won the county in the November presidential election by more than 20 points over Donald Trump.
But Trump won the county by nearly 5,000 more votes than in 2020, with gains in parts of southeastern Delaware County. Republicans hope these gains will continue.
“I think there will be a lot of Democrats, unaffiliated Republicans and all of the above who are now putting it all together and saying, ‘We’ve had one party in control for a long time,’” Agovino said. “And most reasonable people don’t actually like it.”
Democrats would still maintain control of the council even if Republicans win both seats, because the three seats won’t be up for election until 2027.
Democratic county councilors’ December vote to raise the county’s property tax by 23% gave potential GOP candidates a clear case to argue for more conservative representation on the board, but Democrats maintained that the tax escalate was necessary to offset years of underinvestment under Republican councils.
Several candidates appear willing to defend the raise, pointing to county services like the Department of Health that were created as a direct result of Democratic leadership.
Larsen, the Haverford Democratic Committee chairman, argued that the services the county has added since Democrats took over will have an impact on voters.
“There are a lot of things the county does that don’t often occur to people, and many of those services make it a better place to live. And that’s part of what needs to be communicated,” Larsen said.
Phillips, who controls the district, pointed to her experience managing the department’s budget and the low wages that existed when she took office on the GOP board. She said that the experience would allow her to find savings in the budget.
But Republicans believe the raise revealed the need for more diverse voices on the board, including the voice of the minority party. Wally Nunn, a former Republican council member, said it would take the right candidate to effectively convey the message.
“Will Republicans have articulate, hard-working candidates who will go home and deliver the message? You can’t just pick someone up from the subway,” he said.
