Parker, who served for 10 years as state representative, promised to make Philly the ‘safest, cleanest, greenest big city in the nation’
Cherelle Parker was elected as Philadelphia’s 100th mayor on Tuesday, becoming the first woman to hold the post.
Voters were also choosing a new leader for Allegheny county, which is home to Pittsburgh. The races will set the electoral stage for 2024, when Pennsylvania will be a presidential battleground state, with candidates taking lessons about how Democrats see crime and the strength of progressives in local races into the next election cycle.
Parker, 51, emerged from a crowded field of Democrats in the May primary and was heavily favored over the Republican David Oh in the city, a Democratic stronghold. She will replace the Democrat Jim Kenney, who was ineligible for re-election due to term limits.
Parker has held office at the state and local level after becoming involved in politics as a teenager.
She campaigned on a promise to make Philadelphia the “safest, cleanest, greenest big city in the nation that will provide access to economic opportunity for all”.
Parker, who served for 10 years as a state representative for north-west Philadelphia before her election to the city council in 2015, touted herself as a leader whose government experience would allow her to address gaping problems in the city.
“We can’t solve these problems alone,” she said in a previous interview. “We need federal, state and local government, along with the private sector and philanthropic communities, to help us address the public health and safety.”
Parker’s moderate message resonated with voters who are increasingly worried about public safety as well as quality-of-life issues, from faulty streetlights to potholes to trash collection.
“We will have a police department that is supported by the mayor that is the best, well-trained and is proactively engaged and woven into the fabric of our communities, along with mental health and behavioral health supports, along with social and human services and connection to employment opportunities and workforce development address and quality of life issues,” she said.
Across the state in western Pennsylvania, voters are choosing between the progressive Democrat Sara Innamorato and the Republican Joe Rockey for their next Allegheny county executive.
Innamorato, 37, is a former state lawmaker who resigned to pursue local office. Pushing to modernize county government and create a community-driven office, she campaigned on progressive policies such as taking a public health approach to public safety, affordable and dignified housing and a revamped workforce. She also has invoked national issues such as abortion and voting rights that can be protected at the local level.
Rockey, 59, is a retired chief risk officer for PNC bank who has touted his business expertise as giving him the ability to manage the budget and workforce. He identified public safety, jobs and taxes as top concerns to voters. He’s sought to appeal to moderate voters.
Though Allegheny county leans Democratic, a Republican was narrowly elected to the position when it was first created in 1999.
