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Philly City Council results: Anthony Phillips is poised to win the 9th District seat based in Northwest Philly

Phillips will fill the seat left vacant by Cherelle Parker, his former boss who resigned to run for mayor.

Anthony Phillips stands inside Salem Baptist Church in Abington, where he worships. Phillips won a seat on Philadelphia City Council and will replace Cherelle Parker, who resigned to run for mayor.
Anthony Phillips stands inside Salem Baptist Church in Abington, where he worships. Phillips won a seat on Philadelphia City Council and will replace Cherelle Parker, who resigned to run for mayor.Read moreAlejandro A. Alvarez / Staff Photographer
    by Anna Orso
    Published 

Anthony Phillips, a 33-year-old Democrat, was poised to win a seat representing parts of North of Northwest Philadelphia on City Council Tuesday, and will become the youngest member of the city’s legislative body.

Phillips, a Ph.D. student who cofounded a nonprofit, Youth Action, when he was 14 years old, held a significant lead over Republican Roslyn Ross and Libertarian Yusuf Jackson in the special election, which was held to fill the 9th District seat vacated by Cherelle L. Parker.

Parker — who Phillips once interned for — resigned to run for mayor in next year’s municipal election. Phillips will serve out the final 14 months of Parker’s term while running for a full four-year term in the May 2023 Democratic primary.

Phillips, like Parker, considers himself to be a political centrist. He was nominated by party ward leaders in the district, not voters, which is the process the city uses to fill vacancies on Council.

» READ MORE: What you need to know about Anthony Phillips, the 33-year-old Ph.D. student in line for a City Council seat

The 9th District includes parts of Mt. Airy, East and West Oak Lane, and Olney, and stretches to neighborhoods in the lower Northeast, including Lawndale and Oxford Circle. The seat has long been held by elected officials affiliated with the storied Northwest Coalition, including legendary Black politicians like Marian Tasco and John White Jr.

“It’s hard to celebrate this particular race in Philadelphia, because there’s so much work to be done,” Phillips said Tuesday night. “It’s important that I really focus on what can I do to take the foundation that was created here so that we can forge better results.”

Phillips, who lives in East Mt. Airy, is one of four new members of City Council picked in special elections Tuesday, all expected to be Democrats filling seats vacated by members who resigned ahead of mayoral runs.