From prosecutor to public safety chief | Morning Newsletter

Hi, Philly. Stay safe out there: It’s set to be a brutally hot few days. Temps on this sunny Monday are expected to hit the mid-90s.

Adam Geer, once a relatively unknown prosecutor, became the city’s first chief public safety officer earlier this year. Can he earn Philadelphians’ trust and help the Parker administration more effectively fight one of its most intractable challenges?

And other Northeast U.S. cities have brought municipal workers back to the office — just not every day, like Philly’s mayor wants. A week before a strict in-person mandate is set to take effect, we have the story on what hybrid work policies look like elsewhere.

Here’s what you need to know to start your week.

— Julie Zeglen (morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)

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Philadelphia’s chief public safety officer, Adam Geer, is tasked with advising Mayor Cherelle L. Parker on one of her top priorities. He’s also the first person to hold the title — and you might not have heard of him before he was nominated to the job in December.

Who is Geer: The former prosecutor is a New York native who has worked under several Philly district attorneys, including current DA Larry Krasner. In his last role with the Office of the Inspector General, he was tasked with holding the city’s public safety programs accountable.

What the role means: Think of Geer as the yin to Police Commissioner Kevin Bethel’s yang. Bethel manages the police force, while Geer oversees the admin side of the police, fire, and prisons departments, including services for crime victims and antiviolence programming.

Case in point: Geer was on the scene of the Parker administration’s first coordinated Kensington sweep in May after Bethel’s officers dismantled a homeless encampment.

What insiders say: His peers and bosses describe Geer as “ego-free,” a “moderate voice,” and someone who can convene people on opposing sides of a contentious issue via their shared goals.

Will that mean success in the difficult job of improving cooperation among public safety leaders and boosting public trust? City Hall reporter Anna Orso digs in.

If the mayor has her way, municipal employees will be working from their Center City offices five days a week starting July 15.

Parker faces fierce pushback and a lawsuit from the union representing thousands of city workers aiming to halt the mandate. But if they fail, next week Philadelphia would become the only city in the Northeast with such a strict return-to-office policy.

🏢 Baltimore, D.C., Pittsburgh and Boston all allow at least some municipal employees to work remotely one to two days a week.

🏢 New York City is the only nearby city that’s ordered employees into the office five days a week, but Mayor Eric Adams walked back that plan last year. Now, much of the workforce can work from home two days a week.

🏢 Part of why NYC’s plans changed? To counter worker shortages — which Philadelphia also faces, as a fifth of its municipal jobs lay vacant.

Anna Orso and Jake Blumgart have more details on each city’s hybrid policies, and where Philly fits.

Philadelphia celebrated a new holiday last week, exactly 248 years after one of the country’s Founding Fathers predicted it. What was it called?

A) Second Continental Congress Day

B) Red, White, & Blue To-Do

C) Signing Day

D) Shews, Games, Sports, Guns, Bells, Bonfires and Illuminations

Think you know? Check your answer.

🏥 Testing: How well we know our Philly medical firsts.

🚢 Touring: Battleship New Jersey, post-$10 million facelift.

🪲 ‘Tecting: Ourselves from tick-borne illnesses, which are on the rise.

The Philly-born director and Drexel alum behind Desperately Seeking Susan.

ELISSA MUNDANES

Email us if you know the answer. We’ll select a reader at random to shout out here. Cheers to Bob Centonze, who solved Sunday’s anagram: Caleb Martin. The Sixers reportedly finalized a multiyear, free-agent contract for $32 million with the former Heat forward over the weekend.

The East Broad Top Railroad in Central Pennsylvania is one of the last remaining narrow-gauge rail lines in the United States and began serving passengers in 1873. Reporter Jason Nark has the story of its revival.

📬 Think back to the night that changed your life that could only happen in Philly, a true example of the Philly spirit, the time you finally felt like you belonged in Philly if you’re not a lifer, something that made you fall in love with Philly all over again — or proud to be from here if you are. Then email it to us for a chance to be featured in the Monday edition of this newsletter.

This “only in Philly” story comes from reader Nilmini Klur, who describes a hankering that will sound familiar to most anyone in the region:

In June 2019, my son graduated high school. I had lived in Philly for 20 years but still considered myself a New Yorker. My son and I took a trip to Japan and China. On the way back from the airport, late at night, I absolutely had to stop at Wawa. That’s when I knew I was a Philadelphian, with a son born and bred here.

Thanks for starting your week with The Inquirer. Enjoy your Monday.

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