By Jared Edgerton, Contributing Writer

If ever a four-way election was anyone’s guess, this is it. PoliticsPA has seen polls from several of the campaigns that paint the picture of a race that’s wide open.

The first question here is, does the Democratic machine (which backs Mark Squilla) have enough juice to win him a plurality? If not, which candidate has the name ID and ground game to do it?

Four candidates remain in the contest to fill the position of retiring Councilman Frank DiCicco. Councilman DiCicco, like several of his colleagues this year, chose not to seek reelection because of his ties to the controversial Deferred Retirement Option Plan (DROP). According to estimates from outside the Council, the city of Philadelphia has spent $258 million on DROP over the last ten years, straining the limited budget. DROP has become a prominent issue for the candidates who are trying to portray themselves as reformers.

All four candidates have promised that if they are elected they will eliminate the provisions of the DROP retirement program. Joe Grace (former communications director for Mayor Street and leader of CeasefirePA) not only promises to end the DROP program but has also pledged “not support anyone enrolled in DROP for Council President.” (cough Marian Tasco)

Along with reforming the DROP program candidates Vern Anastasio (attorney and Supervisor of the Philadelphia Fair Housing Commission) and Jeff Hornstein (Political Director for SEIU with deep ties to labor)  have called for the consolidation of the Sheriff, Register of Wills and City Commissioners offices into city government. Anastasio believes that consolidating these offices will, “ensure greater accountability, save taxpayer money and help root out waste and fraud.”

Joe Grace and Mark Squilla have taken a different approach arguing that these offices help meet community needs. Squilla (leader of Ward 39B with 2 and a half decades experience in the Auditor General’s office) clarified his position stating “there needs to be greater accountability and supervision of these offices.”

During the primary Squilla has established himself as the leading fundraiser, bringing in over $54,400 in the last two weeks. His efforts were no doubt boosted by endorsements from Mayor Nutter and outgoing Councilman DiCicco.

Grace is endorsed by former Governor Ed Rendell, the Philadelphia Inquirer and the Daily News, as well as Liberty City Dems (no small potatoes in the district that includes the Philly “gayborhood”), but still trails Squilla’s fundraising with $49,000.

Hornstein landed endorsements from some of the district’s delegation in Harrisburg, including State Representatives Mike O’Brien, Tony Payton Jr. and Babette Josephs.  His fundraising is third among the candidates who submitted reports, raising just $2,441 in the past two weeks.

But that isn’t the whole picture, says Hornstein.

“As of May 2, Squilla indeed was #1 in the 1st District, raising close to $230K, with large numbers of PAC donations from the usual suspects.  After that things get interesting.  Anastasio raised $147K as of May 2, but of that, over $80K came from himself.  Grace raised about $99K as of May 2, of which $28K came from himself and $30K more since then.  I raised $109K, of which $9K was from myself.  So, in terms of broad base of financial support raised from people other than themselves, I am clearly #2 by a wide margin.”

And Anastasio recently opened an office in Port Richmond, indicating that he believes a last minute push in this area could put him over the edge. He’s raised $82,200 since May 2, according to his campaign.

Fundraising numbers come from the good folks at Our Philadelphia, God bless ‘em.

The original version of this story was updated to include Anastasio’s fundraising numbers and comments from Hornstein.