PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Mayor Cherelle Parker drew a large crowd — more than 2,000 people, according to Chamber President Chellie Cameron — and for the most part, she got a warm reception, as she asked for unity and collaboration and promised greater public safety in her first mayor’s lunch with the Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce.
“I do not plan to ignore quality of life crimes. Retail theft, shoplifting, illegal use of ATV’s, those are all issues that this administration will address,” Parker said.
But it also came with some requests of the business community that got more subdued responses.
Parker asked for the chamber’s help in Harrisburg to push for a $15 an hour minimum wage. It is currently $7.25 an hour and hasn’t been raised since 2009.
She also pushed employers to follow her administration’s lead and bring their workers back to the office full time.
“This is not just impacting your business, it’s impacting surrounding businesses, it’s impacting safety on our streets, the efficiency of SEPTA,” said Parker.
On that note, she thanked companies like Comcast and Independence Blue Cross for leading the way in bringing employees back, and said the entire city workforce would return too, but gave no timetable. Eighty percent of the city workforce is already back since she took office.
“We’re going to be doing everything in our power to make sure when our employees come back,” Parker said. “They’re going to be coming back to a safe and clean and green Center City but it is only sustainable if they come back to the office.”
The mayor also thanked Amazon for a $100,000 contribution to her pet project to clean commercial corridors citywide.