Commissioner Singer not allowed to rejoin May 19 ballot

City Commissioner Stephanie Singer's bid to get back on the May 19 ballot is dead - for now.

Common Pleas Court Judge Joel Johnson refused Tuesday to reverse his ruling from last week removing her name because she did not have at least 1,000 signatures on nomination petitions.

Singer, a former mathematics professor and Democratic ward leader, had 996 valid signatures remaining when a four-day legal challenge ended early on March 27.

Johnson on Tuesday rejected Singer's last-minute attempt to disqualify a handwriting expert who examined her petitions.

Singer vowed a swift appeal to Commonwealth Court, claiming she had "well over" 1,000 valid signatures from registered voters.

"Their voices deserve to be heard," Singer said.

Singer's lawyer, Charles Goodwin, said the appeal would be based in part on affidavits of 16 people who now claim their signatures were wrongly challenged.

Johnson, after he removed Singer from the ballot last week, rejected Goodwin's attempt to submit those affidavits. He said Singer could have brought that information to court during the lengthy hearing.

"We are not short on our petitions," Singer insisted after Tuesday's hearing.

The three city commissioners oversee elections in Philadelphia, including the petition process.

Singer won office in 2011, running as a reformer. She soon clashed with her fellow commissioners, who elected her chairwoman in January 2012 but ousted her from that role 11 months later.

Singer this year filed 1,485 signatures in her bid for a second term.

Richard Hoy, the lawyer for three voters who challenged Singer's petitions, raised questions about 1,124 of her signatures.

One out of every three signatures Singer filed was either withdrawn or ordered stricken in the challenge.