Rebecca Rhynhart


Rebecca Rhynhart is an American politician from Pennsylvania. A member of the Democratic Party, she serves as the City Controller of Philadelphia. Prior to running for City Controller, Rhynhart worked in Philadelphia city government and in the private sector.

Political career

Philadelphia city controller

Rhynhart is the first woman ever elected to the office of controller in the city of Philadelphia. She won a primary challenge by 17 percentage points against three-time democratic incumbent Alan Butkovitz in the Spring of 2017. This was considered a significant upset victory as it was an off-year election and Butkovitz was backed by the democratic party.
Rhynhart went on to defeat Republican Mike Tomlinson in the November general election of that same year where she won over 80% of the vote.

Prior involvement in Philadelphia government

In 2008, Rhynhart became Philadelphia’s City Treasurer as part of Mayor Michael Nutter’s administration. She subsequently became Budget Director, playing a pivotal role in the city’s economic recovery from The Great Recession.
Rhynhart also served as the Chief Administrative Officer in Mayor Jim Kenney’s administration.

Education

Rhynhart has a Bachelor of Arts from Middlebury College and received a graduate degree in Public Administration from Columbia University.