Philly Councilmember Curtis Jones Jr. is positioning to be the next majority leader

A shake-up in Philadelphia City Council leadership is beginning to take shape, with Councilmember Curtis Jones Jr. positioning himself to be the next Democratic majority leader, Council’s No. 2 role.

Jones, the majority whip who represents the city’s 4th District, said Monday that he’s whipping votes to win the role, which was vacated last week by Cherelle L. Parker, who resigned to run for mayor. Jones said he’s confident he has “enough votes to be successful.”

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“I have not asked someone who didn’t say ‘yes’ so far,” Jones said. He appears to have the support of Council President Darrell L. Clarke, who on Saturday hosted a community event in the city’s Strawberry Mansion section and introduced Jones as “soon-to-be majority leader.”

Clarke’s office declined to comment.

Jones, a four-term Council member, previously served as majority leader from 2012 to 2016. Under existing rules, he would need to win the support of a majority of the 10 Democrats who currently sit on Council. Four Democrats, including Parker, have resigned in the past month to launch or consider campaigns for mayor.

A vote is expected to take place Thursday during Council’s first meeting of the fall session, which will be held virtually.

Clarke last week called for special elections to take place in November to replace Parker and Maria D. Quiñones Sánchez, who also resigned to start her mayoral bid. Parker represented the city’s 9th District, which includes parts of North and Northwest Philadelphia. Quiñones Sánchez’ 7th District is based in Kensington.

The wave of resignations could continue, as two other at-large Council members — Democrat Helen Gym and Republican David Oh — are said to also be considering mayoral runs. The city charter requires that elected officials resign to run for higher office.

The turnover spells a serious shake-up in Council that Clarke and his leadership team will need to navigate. Each of the members who resigned led and sat on committees that will need to be reassigned. And despite the body now being just 13 members, Jones said legislation will still require a majority of 17 seats — or nine votes — to pass, making every vote tight.

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The majority leader will play a role in helping Clarke shape assignments and legislative priorities, but has little direct power.

Parker took on the job in early 2020, when she unseated then-Councilmember Bobby Henon, who was fighting a slew of federal corruption charges. Henon was convicted late last year and resigned from Council.