Butkovitz, 57, is an attorney, former state legislator and Democratic ward leader. Schmidt, 38, has a Ph.D. in political history and worked as an auditor for the U.S. Government Accountability Office. He was recently executive director of the Philadelphia Republican party.
Butkovitz said that he's running on a record of accomplishment. Since his 2005 election, he said that he's changed the office's focus from routine financial audits to more thorough performance reviews of critical city functions, such as the 9-1-1 system.
"We've also been very aggressive on collecting delinquent taxes and other measures to improve the city's cash position," Butkovitz said, noting that he's taken advantage of a little-noticed state law to begin withholding funds from the paychecks of municipal workers who owe the city money.
Schmidt has been running radio ads attacking Butkovitz's independence, saying that he was soft on the Philadelphia Parking Authority in a recent report.
Schmidt's message is simple: if you want a watchdog in a city run by Democrats, don't expect a Democratic ward leader like Butkovitz to do the job.
"I'm independent of the political class running this city," said Schmidt. "The current City Controller is a ward leader auditing agencies headed by other ward leaders on whom he depends for his re-election."
"It's an outrageous lie," Butkovitz said of Schmidt's criticism, noting that recent criticisms of the Clerk of Quarter Sessions, headed by Democratic ward leader Vivian Miller, had come from an audit by the Controller's office.
"Our office routinely does honest and critical audits of agencies all over the city, including the City Commissioners and City Council," Butkovitz said. "We tick people off on a regular basis."
