PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — City Councilmember Cherelle Parker has resigned from City Council to run for mayor of Philadelphia. She is the third member of Council in two days to do so.
Maria Quiñones Sánchez and Derek Green submitted their resignations on Tuesday and confirmed they are both running in the 2023 mayoral race.
Allan Domb resigned from Council last month amid rumors that he, too, would run to replace Jim Kenney in the mayor’s office, but he has yet to commit to his candidacy.
In her letter of resignation to Council President Darrell Clarke, effective Wednesday, Parker said, in part:
“Like many people across Philadelphia, I see the crossroads at which our city is standing. I know that our future has the potential to shine so bright, but it is not yet written. We can have a city where people in every neighborhood feel safe; we can have a city government that provides world-class services and clean communities free of trash and blight; and we can build an economy that works for everyone, from skyscrapers to rowhomes, and everywhere in between. But we only get there if our leaders understand the path and its challenges.
“Philadelphians need a leader who will put ego aside and sincerely engage those with whom they disagree in order to find compromise, and to address difficult problems for the good of the city.”
Parker, who lives in Mt. Airy, has served on the City Council since 2015. She previously served Philadelphia as a state representative in the Pennsylvania General Assembly for 10 years. For five of those years, she said, she was chair of the Philadelphia delegation.
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Asked why voters should cast their lot with her, Parker said it comes down to her “demonstrated body of work.”
“The inter-governmental experience that our city needs right now to get things done, I have that experience,” Parker said. “I am going to do everything possible to communicate that, a message to earn the support of voters across the city.”
She said public safety needs to be Philadelphia's top priority. She drew a direct correlation between public safety and economic opportunity.
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"Industry can’t thrive, commerce can’t flow, without us having a safe city. And that will definitely be my No. 1 priority," Parker said. "We have to make sure we use every tool of the city of Philadelphia in order to do our best efforts to make it safer, and that means also providing access to economic opportunity."
Philadelphia law requires candidates to resign their seats to run for another public office. It is now up to Clarke to decide if the city will hold any special elections to fill the four vacant City Council seats.
The Democratic primary election is May 16. Democratic Mayor Jim Kenney cannot seek reelection as he has reached his two-term limit.