PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — The first big snow after a new mayor’s inauguration is the informal test of their readiness to direct the levers of government, and Mayor Cherelle Parker seized the moment, returning from her first U.S. Conference of Mayors meeting in Washington, D.C., Thursday night to direct the city’s response and make the bold promise to clear small residential streets along with major thoroughfares.
“We are in the business of customer service and you are our customers,” she said during a Friday morning news conference at the city’s salt storage facility. “Those smaller residential streets sometimes waited too long for plowing and attention. We’re doing things differently in a Parker administration. This is our standard operation moving forward.”
The mayor also played the cheerleader role she pledged to take on during her campaign, praising both workers and residents for their actions in the storm.
“It’s snowing, but I’m seeing Philly shine,” she said. “People are heeding the call to stay home and off the roads. Neighbors and community members are checking on one another and those who can are checking on those in need.”
She called the city’s operations to salt and plow roads “extremely impressive.”
Parker was flanked by her Managing Director, Adam Thiel, and by Carlton Williams who remains streets commissioner even as he’s been named to a new post, in charge of Clean and Green Initiatives.
Williams said the city will deploy more than 450 pieces of equipment and about 300 to 400 employees will be out working.
Some parts of the region are expected to get up to a half foot of snow. Our partners at NBC10 say things should start to taper off later in the evening.
“This is a very dynamic forecast and it’s a very dynamic event. Look, it’s snowing, and look, we’re working. We got this,” Thiel said.