A majority of Philly City Council plans to support Kenyatta Johnson for Council president, sources say

Philadelphia City Councilmember Kenyatta Johnson appears increasingly likely to become the next Council president after securing commitments from a majority of members who say they intend to vote for him, according to sources familiar with the internal deliberations.

But Johnson’s chief rival in the race cast doubt on Thursday that it has wrapped up, saying that even if Johnson has gained enough support now, members can change their minds before a vote ultimately takes place in January.

Johnson, a Democrat who represents parts of South and Southwest Philadelphia, has for months been locked in a battle with Democratic Majority Leader Curtis Jones Jr. for the top legislative position in the city. Three other Council members also expressed interest in the post, which will be vacated in January by current Council President Darrell L. Clarke, who did not seek reelection.

Councilmember Mark Squilla, who was seen by many as a potential consensus candidate if neither Johnson nor Jones could secure a majority, said Thursday that he is no longer running, an indication that the path to beating Johnson had become untenable.

The City Council president wields enormous power over policy in the city and how the legislative body operates. They are typically considered the most powerful person in City Hall, aside from the mayor.

Three sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the internal deliberations, said Johnson has obtained signatures from at least nine members — enough to represent a majority of the 17-member body — on a nomination form he’s circulated to colleagues.

In a brief interview after Council’s public session Thursday, Johnson would not confirm the number of members who have said they are supporting him, saying he is “still in the process of lobbying colleagues.” Most members have been publicly mum about whom they are backing.

» READ MORE: Kenyatta Johnson and Curtis Jones Jr. are front-runners in the Philly Council president race

Jones said the race is far from over and cast reports that Johnson had secured enough votes as “a rumor.”

“And it’s a smart rumor, because that’s how you convince people that a race is over,” Jones said. “People, even if they commit, can change their mind.”

Reneging on such a commitment is uncommon, and rumors have circulated for weeks that Johnson appeared close to garnering enough support to secure the presidency, even though the makeup of Council will change come January. There are competitive races for three seats in the November general election.

Councilmember Mike Driscoll, a freshman lawmaker, said he is also still seeking the Council presidency.

Squilla said he decided to end his bid this week after hearing from members that Johnson had enough votes. He said he hasn’t verified that’s the case, but has no reason to doubt it. He said he hasn’t pledged his support to anyone, but expects Council to vote unanimously for Johnson in January.

“You can’t be undecided if somebody has the votes,” he said. “Whoever the leadership is, Council will be solidified.”

He plans to meet with Johnson next week.

A three-term Council member and former state representative, Johnson hails from Point Breeze and has spent much of his career as a Council member focused on anti-violence efforts and controlling development in his district.

Winning the Council presidency would represent a significant turnaround for Johnson, who was just last year acquitted by a jury of federal corruption charges. Federal prosecutors in 2020 filed fraud and bribery charges against Johnson and his wife, Dawn Chavous, alleging they accepted bribes and used his position on Council to help a nonprofit maintain real estate in his district.

While some members said they were quietly uncomfortable with Johnson’s legal troubles, the charges did not appear to play a major role in his campaign for the presidency.

Members have generally said that they have been more concerned with how the candidates would govern Council itself. Others used their Council presidency vote as leverage to jockey for leadership positions or favorable committee assignments. Some members were also lobbied by politically powerful labor unions that privately lined up behind Johnson.

Johnson has said that he’d govern Council in his own style, but he would seek to continue some of the ways that Clarke has led, including his insistence that members build consensus on major policy initiatives. Clarke, who has led the body for 12 years, has worked to move Council away from factions and instead build a culture of independence for individual Council members.

“It’s about empowering and supporting my members that they advocate for their own policy ideas,” Johnson said in July, “but also it’s working collectively as a body to move the city of Philadelphia forward.”