On Friday, the Supreme Court ruled that the City's embattled (and celebrated?) campaign finance legislation is legal under the PA Constitution. With the defeat of the Fattah-Dougherty challenge, we no longer have to worry about whether we will have unregulated money back in our elections.

When the General Assembly rewrote Pennsylvania's campaign-finance laws in 1978, it was silent on the issue of contribution limits. In its recent decision, the state's top court basically had to consider what the Legislature's silence meant.

Did it mean the state was prohibiting campaign-contribution limits in any Pennsylvania races or did it leave the law open for municipalities to enact their own limits, as dozens of municipalities have done across the country?

In its majority opinion, written by Justice Max Baer, the state's top court ruled that it cannot be inferred that the state General Assembly's silence meant it was prohibiting Philadelphia and other cities from enacting their own campaign-finance ordinances.

Now, before the next municipal election season heats up, we should think seriously about improving the law. For example, there is the whole overarching issue of public financing of elections... Maybe we can use the District Attorney race as a pilot program to evaluate it?

Within the law itself, there are additional improvements, too. For example, in the federal law, donation limits are in place for each election cycle. For the City law, they are in place for each calendar year. We should align ourselves with the federal law. And, if there is more concern about the Tom Knox self-funding, we could change what happens to campaign contributions when someone self funds, by letting them triple, instead of double.

Finally, in general, it is good for believers in local control anytime the Court sets a precedent that when the State does not speak about an issue, Philadelphia has the power to act.