PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Mayor-elect Cherelle Parker has named the leadership, steering committees, staff and technical advisers for her transition team, and she says more appointments are on the way.
The team is already 40 people strong, but Parker says there will also be subcommittees on areas such as public safety, transportation, housing, finances, immigration, sustainability education, the arts — and preparation for 2026. That's the year Philadelphia will be in the national and international spotlights as host of the United States' 250th birthday and host to several FIFA World Cup soccer matches.
In addition, she is planning to have "roundtable working groups" — something new for a transition team.
"They won't just work with the transition; they'll be ongoing partners within the Parker administration," she said.
She has named three: an intergovernmental group, a faith-based group and a business group.
"This will be an unprecedented assembly of leaders, including labor, workforce development, life sciences and biotech, professional sport teams, all our chambers of commerce, including the diverse chambers, capital financiers, and people focused on the recovery of Center City," she said.
Parker says she will have top-tier hires and a plan in place before her inauguration — and a transition report early in the new year.
In fact, her transition team is taking applications now. Parker has often spoken about the village that helped raise her. Now she's looking for a village to help her govern.
"Philadelphia doesn't work without the men and women who go to work for us on a daily basis. We need them, and we respect the work that the men and women who currently serve our city are doing," she said.
Parker sent an email to current exempt employees — that is, appointees — encouraging them to let her team know if they want to keep their jobs or apply for a different one. They'll follow the same procedure as new applicants.
That is, all applications will go through the website transition2023.org. Transition Chair Ryan Boyer emphasized it's the only way to get a job in the Parker administration.
"We want to create a culture where it's not a phone call — where you put some work in, you put some thought in. Because working for Cherelle is not an easy task," Boyer said. "Because she demands the most. Because this city deserves it."
