City Elections Chief Who Hasn’t Voted Since 2011 Breaks Silence

Anthony Clark, the City Commissioner chairman who has not voted since the 2011 general election, has broken his silence on the matter. “That’s personal,” he told reporters. “I have made a choice and that’s my private choice.” So, he sort of broke his silence.

The City Commissioners office oversees Philadelphia’s elections. The other two commissioners, Republican Al Schmidt and Democrat Stephanie Singer, did not comment on Clark’s voting record.

Yesterday in an editorial, the Daily News called for the abolition of the office, saying it’s overly expensive and a professional director of elections could do the job of organizing elections much better.

The editorial characterized Clark as a “low-show” employee and a “political hack.” It also said Singer “is estranged from her colleagues and has hardly any decision-making power.” The day-to-day operations of the office, per the Daily News, are primarily performed by Schmidt. Singer and Schmidt have voted in every election since 2005, as far back as records go.

“It sends to the voting public — that is, we do have privacy,” Clark said about what type of message his voting record says. “The main focus of our operation is to make sure that we do our job.”

[KYW 1060 | Daily News]