PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — A special election will be held in November to fill vacant seats on City Council, following the resignation of some council members vying for the mayor’s office.
On Friday, City Council President Darrell Clarke issued writs for special elections to fill vacancies in the seventh and ninth district seats, following the resignations of Maria Quiñones Sánchez and Cherelle Parker, respectively.
The two district council vacancies will have Democratic and Republican nominees chosen by city ward leaders. The vote will be held on Election Day on Tuesday, Nov. 8.
Both former council members resigned from office to pursue a run for mayor, as required by the city's Home Rule Charter.
Related
Derek Green and Allan Domb, both at-large council members, also resigned — Green to pursue the mayor's office as well, and Domb expected, but not confirmed, to do the same.
Clarke spokesperson Joe Grace says there’s been no decision on when to schedule elections for the vacant at-large seats. They could remain unfilled until the next cycle, with a primary election in the spring and the winners to be determined in the general election November 2023. All 17 seats in the City Council will be up for election next year.
In the event of a vacancy, the City Council president must decide whether to hold a special election to fill the seat for the rest of the unexpired term. In this case, that is through December 2023.
The seventh council district covers Frankford, Kensington, Juniata Park, Hunting Park, Feltonville, Fairhill and other neighborhoods in North and Northeast Philadelphia. The ninth covers East Mt. Airy, West and East Oak Lane, Olney, Lawncrest, Lawndale, Burholme, Oxford Circle and other neighborhoods in Northwest and Northeast Philadelphia.
Related
CORRECTION: A previous version of this story misstated what is known about filling the two at-large vacancies on City Council.