Mayor-elect Cherelle Parker begins the transition process by vowing to fix Philly’s ‘hope deficit’

Recruiting the “best and brightest.” Ending the “hope deficit.” And creating 16 new subcommittees and “round table working groups.”

Mayor-elect Cherelle Parker on Thursday outlined how she plans to build her new administration, which will begin in January, in her first major event since her historic victory in Tuesday’s election. She vowed to build an executive team and city workforce that will include top talent “from in city government, across the Philadelphia region, and the country.”

“I said on the campaign trail that our city is functioning with what I referred to as a ‘hope deficit,’ and this is not the time for us to point fingers as to why,” she said. “But this process is to set the foundation for how we want to bring hope back to this city, and we begin that today.”

Parker laid out her 40-member transition team, along with a dizzying array of other panels, during an hour-long news conference in the ornate Mayor’s Reception Room. Those groups will help her hire for key roles, develop and prioritize policy proposals, and prepare to take office.

As she spoke, Parker was flanked by outgoing Mayor Jim Kenney — she said his administration’s legacy would be “a part of our work” — and labor leader Ryan Boyer, who will chair the transition committee.

» READ MORE: What kind of mayor does Cherelle Parker want to be?

In the Democratic primary, Boyer orchestrated an independent expenditure campaign that was critical to Parker’s success. Boyer and Parker are longtime allies, and he joked Tuesday that it will be difficult for him to get used to calling her “Mayor Parker.”

“I have to call you Cherelle because you’re my friend, and friend might be too mild of an adjective to describe our relationship,” Boyer said. “It’s more like sister.”

Parker did not reveal who will fill any of the top jobs in her administration, but said she plans to announce her pick for police commissioner before Thanksgiving.

The hiring process for that key role is still ongoing, she said. Parker and her advisers have interviewed both internal and external candidates. She said the hire must have the trust of the mayor, the support of the rank-and-file, and knowledge of the city.

“I’ve talked about someone not needing a GPS to make it to 52nd and Market,” she said.

The committee will be co-chaired by Della Clark, president of the West Philadelphia-based Enterprise Center, and Greg Segall, a private equity investor and CEO of Versa Capital Group. Segall has been a top political supporter of Parker’s, and gave $150,000 to the super PAC that boosted her mayoral bid in the spring.

Several other campaign supporters have roles on the transition’s steering committee, including Democratic political operative Jeffrey Sheridan, of Aligned Strategies. Sheridan headed the super PAC that spent more than $1.3 million to boost Parker during the Democratic primary.

Also on the steering committee is William C. Sproule, who leads the Eastern Atlantic States Council of Carpenters, which endorsed Parker in the spring, and Dennis Zatlin, president of Allied Resources, who gave nearly $150,000 to the super PAC that supported her.

In addition, Garrett Snider, grandson of the late Flyers owner Ed Snider, will be a senior adviser. He also gave $25,000 to the super PAC and made $3,100 contributions to both her campaign and transition committee.

» READ MORE: What Cherelle Parker said about political rivalries, her ex-husband, and charter schools during her victory speech

There are several notable names on the transition committee roster, including former Councilmember Derek Green, who ran against Parker for mayor and then supported her after dropping out. Philadelphia Parking Authority head Rich Lazer, former city Commerce Director Harold T. Epps, and former Aramark CEO Joseph Neubauer will sit on the steering committee.

The staff of the committee will be led by Parker’s two top aides during the campaign: senior adviser Aren Platt and campaign manager and Sinceré Harris.

The transition committee members will be organized into more than a dozen subcommittees, ranging from education to public safety to preparation for 2026, when Philadelphia will host World Cup games as well as events celebrating the 250th anniversary of America’s founding.

Parker also outlined “round table working groups,” “kitchen cabinet” members, and other groups of people who will be part of her transition process over the next two months.

It may sound like a lot. But it’s right in line with Parker’s leadership style.

Parker said in a September interview on how she plans to govern that she is hoping to include as many stakeholders as possible in the early days of her administration. In addition to getting valuable input, that strategy sends a message that Parker wants to get across to movers and shakers in the city: Get on board now because she doesn’t want to hear your complaints later.

“I need a structure and an organized vehicle that has anyone who has a nickel in the quarter in that industry at the table, so no one is left out,” Parker said. “You may not like the ultimate outcome of the decision, but I will never give anyone the opportunity to say, ‘I have a nickel in the quarter, and this administration didn’t even bother to hear me.’”

In addition to a bevy of advisers, Parker will also lean on Beth Hare, of the Criterion Service Group, and John Salveson, president of Salveson Leadership Advisors, to manage hiring.

Salveson said top talent “will be given a shot,” adding, “Our focus is going to be on people who share a commitment to the mission.”

He nodded to the long history of patronage hiring in Philly’s municipal government, saying it has often seemed as if applicants have to know someone in City Hall to get a job with the city.

“Those days are over,” he vowed.

» READ MORE: 5 ways Philadelphia can address its short-staffing problem

Parker’s transition committee sent an email Wednesday to more than 3,000 city employees who are not represented by unions and asked them to fill out what appeared to be a job application.

Platt, co-director of the transition committee, said city employees do not need to re-apply in order to be retained under the new administration. He said filling out the form is optional, but that the administration is hoping to gather updated information and feedback, and offer employees new opportunities.

“Instead of fear, what I felt was something different on the ground,” Parker said. “What I’ve been feeling is hope and excitement about joining the administration or maintaining their position, and potentially doing something else.”

Parker emphasized that when she takes office in January, she will not work to undo Kenney’s accomplishments.

“We are used to seeing a new administration come in and work extremely hard to erase the legacy of the previous administration as if they didn’t exist,” Parker said. “I want to be very clear … in no way, shape, or form is that a goal or an objective.”

During the last two mayoral transitions, the outgoing and incoming mayors had bitter relationships.

As a City Council member, Kenney was one of the chief antagonists of his predecessor, Michael A. Nutter, during Nutter’s second term. Kenney and Parker, however, are allies.

And during Kenney’s rocky second term, Parker largely avoided heavily criticizing the administration when many of her Council colleagues were teeing off on Kenney. Shortly before the Democratic primary this year, Kenney announced that he was voting for Parker.

That makes this the first mayoral transition since John F. Street succeeded former Mayor Ed Rendell in 2000 in which the old and new administrations are on good terms.

At one point when Parker was praising Kenney, he was watching from the side of the room. She said, “Will you please walk over here?”

He joined her at the podium and joked, “I was trying to slide away.”