The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Editorial Board has endorsed Noah Marlier and Neil Makhija in the Democratic Party primary for Montgomery County Commissioner. The endorsement published on May 4th revisited the recent article in the paper that detailed what it called a “pay-to-play culture” within the Montgomery County Democratic Committee and a small group of law firms that donate to the party and candidates.

The reasoning behind the endorsement for Noah Marlier and Neil Makhija is because of their experience and the board “wants voters to decide who represents them — not the political machines.”

The endorsement was a blow to the one candidate that the Montgomery County Democratic Committee endorsed, Jamila Winder, and her chosen running mate Kimberly Koch.

Regarding Koch, the editorial board wrote:

In one example, recently detailed by Inquirer reporter Andrew Seidman, Michael P. Clarke, managing partner of municipal law firm Rudolph Clarke, helped Kimberly Koch and other Democrats take over the Whitpain Township Board of Supervisors in 2019, after which Whitpain hired Rudolph Clarke as the town’s law firm. Koch is now running for county commissioner and has Clarke’s backing once again.

Regarding, Winder, the editorial board wrote:

There’s a lot to like about Winder, the first Black woman to serve as Montco commissioner. But after she was endorsed by the party, she chose Koch as her running mate — even though the majority of hundreds of members of the Montgomery County Democratic Committee elected to leave the second spot on the Democratic ticket open, so voters could decide. Her actions are concerning.

On the Republican side of the primary, the editorial board recommended Liz Ferry and Tom DiBello, over incumbent Joe Gale. In the recommendation, the board referred to Joe Gale’s “confrontational style” as counterproductive and that picking Ferry and DiBello was an easy choice for Republicans to make.

Buckle up, we will have our endorsements on Friday, May 5th.

Photo: Candidates’ campaigns