A look ahead at the race to replace former City Controller Rebecca Rhynhart

A nuclear weapons expert, a former exotic dancer-turned-public health researcher, a risk-management professional, and a 28-year veteran of city government are among the candidates said to be eyeing next year’s special election for city controller.

Philadelphia was already poised for a hectic 2023 election cycle, with an open mayoral race and significant turnover on City Council, before Rebecca Rhynhart stepped down as controller in October to run for mayor. That triggered a special election for her office, which provides independent financial oversight for city government and investigates waste, fraud, and abuse.

The election will run parallel to the regularly scheduled races, with candidates competing in party primaries in May before a November general election. The winner will serve out the remainder of Rhynhart’s term, which ends in January 2026.

» READ MORE: Philly City Controller Rebecca Rhynhart resigns to launch a run for mayor

Thanks to a mix of overlapping city and state laws, replacing Rhynhart involves an unusual three-step process.

The first step is done: Mayor Jim Kenney appointed Christy Brady to be acting controller after Rhynhart’s resignation. Kenney was required by the city Home Rule Charter to pick among the existing deputy controllers. Brady, who has nearly 30 years of experience in the controller’s office, was serving as Rhynhart’s deputy for audits.

» READ MORE: Mayor Jim Kenney appoints Christy Brady as acting city controller after Rebecca Rhynhart resigned

Next, City Council has the option to appoint someone to occupy the office until the special election, and it can choose Brady or someone else. Council President Darrell L. Clarke has not indicated whether Council will make an appointment. If it chooses someone else, that person would replace Brady.

Finally, next year’s special election will determine who holds the office until the next regular controller election in 2025.

Given Democrats’ more than 7-1 voter registration advantage in the city, the winner of the party’s primary is all but guaranteed a victory in November, and several Democrats are already lining up to run.

The first candidate to have entered the race is Karen Javaruski, an enterprise risk-management professional for Citi.

“There’s a lot of opportunity for transformation [in the controller’s office], and that’s exactly the work that I’m doing in the banking space,” said Javaruski, who is the treasurer of the 31st Democratic Ward. “Any type of efficiency that can be gained through the work of the controller’s office is money that can be used to solve major issues that the city is facing, such as safety and gun violence.”

Jack Inacker, an Air Force veteran who was a nuclear weapons systems specialist, said he is “exploring the possibility of getting in the race.” He chairs the Democratic City Committee’s veterans outreach committee.

Inacker, who lives in Philadelphia and owns a boat-docking company in Connecticut, said his past experience has made him a good fit for the job.

“If $25 million goes missing from the police, it’s a story in The Inquirer,” he said. “If a nuclear weapon goes missing, the president gets woken up at night.”

Alexandra Hunt, a public health researcher and former exotic dancer, generated headlines this year by raising hundreds of thousands of dollars in her unsuccessful challenge to U.S. Rep. Dwight Evans (D., Phila.). Hunt said she is considering running for controller as well after seeing how Rhynhart “started to expand the possibilities with this role.”

“I’m actually really excited about this role and running for it,” Hunt said. “There’s greater ways to create transparency through this office for people to see where their taxpayer money is going.”

It is unclear whether Brady will run and, if she does, whether she would have to resign before getting in the race.

The charter requires city employees to step down if they want to campaign for an elected office, but it makes an exception for officials running for reelection. Brady’s position has sparked a legal debate in City Hall about whether the “resign to run” rule applies to her, given that she would be running for her current office but has never been elected.

Brady has requested a legal opinion from the city solicitor’s office but has not yet received a response. A Kenney spokesperson said the Law Department is still working on the issue.

The Board of Ethics, which oversees enforcement of the laws concerning city employees’ political activity, can also weigh in if asked to by someone affected by its regulations, but it has not yet done so, Executive Director Shane Creamer said.

Brady declined to discuss the election.

“I’m just grateful for the opportunity to run this department,” she said.

Former City Controller Alan Butkovitz, who promoted Brady when he led the office, said he has encouraged her to explore running.

“I think she would be interested if there was a way that she could run without resigning,” Butkovitz said. “She would probably be the most qualified person ever to run for or hold the office.”

Staff writer Anna Orso contributed to this article.