Stephanie Singer facts for kids

Stephanie Frank Singer (born in 1964) is an American mathematician and politician. She lives in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Before becoming a politician, Singer was a professor at Haverford College. She also started a company called Campaign Scientific, which helped political groups with computer data. In November 2011, she was elected as a Philadelphia City Commissioner. This job involves helping to run elections in the city.

Early Life and School

Stephanie Singer was born in 1964. Her mother, Maxine Singer, was a scientist who studied tiny parts of living things (a molecular biologist). Her father, Daniel Singer, was a lawyer.

Stephanie Singer went to Yale University for her first degree. She then earned a special advanced degree called a Ph.D. in 1991 from New York University. She also spent a year studying computer science at Stanford University.

Career Path

Working as a Professor

From 1991 to 2002, Singer taught as a professor at Haverford College. During this time, she earned "tenure," which means she had a permanent teaching position.

After leaving the college, she started her own company, Campaign Scientific. This company helped political groups and businesses by providing them with important computer data. In 2002, she began asking for election data from the Office of the Philadelphia Commissioners. This office is in charge of elections in Philadelphia. She wanted to put this data on a website for the city's Democratic party. At first, the commission only gave her paper copies. She had to threaten to take legal action in 2008 before they started giving her the data in a digital format.

Getting Involved in Politics

Singer became more and more involved in politics. She volunteered to help with election data for John Kerry's presidential campaign in 2004. In 2008, she was chosen as a Democratic Party committeeperson for Philadelphia's 8th Ward. This was an important role in the Center City area.

In 2011, Stephanie Singer was elected as a Philadelphia City Commissioner. She won against Marge Tartaglione, who had held the position for 36 years. Singer ran a strong campaign. Her campaign was supported by the Philadelphia Daily News newspaper and a local workers' union. She officially started her job on January 3, 2012.

While in office, she sometimes disagreed with the other commissioners, Republican Al Schmidt and Democrat Anthony Clark. She also had disagreements with the head of the Philadelphia Democratic Party, U.S. Representative Bob Brady. The day after the November 6, 2012, elections, there was some criticism about how the city handled them. Schmidt and Clark then voted to remove Singer from her role as chair of the commission and became co-chairs themselves. A local newspaper, The Philadelphia Inquirer, reported that this change didn't seem to be directly related to the election issues. They noted that the commissioners had been disagreeing for many months over small things. Singer was also openly against a new state law that required voters to show identification. Both Singer and Schmidt had initially run for office saying they wanted to make improvements. Schmidt had even voted with Singer to make her chair at first.

When Singer tried to run for reelection in 2015, she faced a challenge. Three Democratic voters said she didn't get enough signatures on her official forms to be on the ballot. She was four signatures short of the 1,000 needed. In March 2015, a judge decided to remove her from the Democratic primary election ballot. Her time as a city commissioner ended in 2016.

In October 2018, Singer started a podcast called Defend Democracy!. In this podcast, she talks about her experiences as an election official, a data expert, and a successful candidate. She also gives advice to people who are interested in getting involved in politics.

Family Life

Stephanie Singer's mother is Maxine Singer, a scientist who studies molecular biology. Her sister, Amy Singer, is a historian.

In 1993, Stephanie Singer married Stephen Fischer. Their wedding ceremony was led by Ruth Bader Ginsburg. At that time, Ruth Bader Ginsburg was a judge for the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.