Candidate for
City Controller; City of Philadelphia

Al Schmidt is a former senior analyst at the non-partisan U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO)- the investigative arm of Congress. He assisted members of Congress, both Democratic and Republican, in conducting oversight of government agencies, programs, and policies- anywhere that taxpayer dollars were spent- to identify and eliminate waste, fraud, abuse, and mismanagement.

Al held a top secret security clearance and was responsible for performance audits involving classified and unclassified national security information. His audits focused on improving the efficiency and effectiveness of government agencies and resulted in improved performance and better interagency cooperation. His dedication to good government is documented in numerous reports, testimonies, and briefings on behalf of members of Congress.

Prior to joining GAO, Al served as a policy analyst for President Clinton's Commission on Holocaust Assets in the United States. The Commission was charged with conducting original research into the fate of assets taken from victims of the Holocaust that came into the possession of the U.S. federal government, and advising the President on policies that should be adopted to make restitution to the rightful owners of stolen property or their heirs.

As the Commission's policy analyst he played a key role in formulating and presenting recommendations to President Clinton. The Commission's final report was used by Holocaust survivors in a civil case to secure a settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice totaling more than $20 million dollars to be used to provide social services and humanitarian relief to surviving victims of Nazi persecution.

Most recently Al served as Executive Director of the Philadelphia Republican Party, the only urban organization of its kind in the United States. After serving in that capacity for one year, Al stepped down to pursue the office of Philadelphia City Controller full-time. Al received his B.A. from Allegheny College and his Ph.D. in political history from Brandeis University. He lives in East Falls with his wife, Erin, and daughter, Maggie.