Digging into the top issues of Mayor Cherelle Parker’s first 100 days, from Kensington to public safety
Here are the five issues that defined Philly Mayor Cherelle Parker’s first 100 days in office, and how she dealt with them.
Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle L. Parker spent much of her first 100 days in office building her administration, making public appearances, and responding to the unexpected, from high-profile shootings to a middle-of-the-day earthquake.
She says her administration has also made progress on fulfilling her campaign promises related to public safety and quality-of-life issues since she took office in January, despite her initial policy plans being largely about creating more plans.
We took a look at five issues that defined the campaign for mayor and have been core to Parker’s first weeks in office.
A new tone on public safety
The issue: Crime and public safety defined the race for Philadelphia’s 100th mayor, and out of all the candidates who sought the Democratic nomination, Parker took some of the toughest stances on crime. She vowed to end a sense of “lawlessness” and, perhaps most controversially, embraced the police strategy known as stop-and-frisk.
Since Parker took office in January, she’s been notably focused on safety. Police Commissioner Kevin J. Bethel was the first major hire she announced, and his selection was widely praised. Public safety has factored heavily into every major speech she has delivered. And she has been front and center following major crime events, including during one especially violent week in March, when 11 children were shot at bus stops while on their way to or from school.
What Parker and her administration have said and done:
Declared a citywide public safety emergency on her first day in office, fulfilling a key campaign promise. The executive order charged department heads with develop a proposal including police deployment strategies and plans to hire more officers trained in “community policing.” Parker has described the model as officers patrolling commercial corridors and residential areas on foot or bike as a way to connect with community members and business owners.
Ramped up enforcement of illegal ATVs and created a new police “mobile surge team” that responds to unexpected or large-scale disturbances anywhere in the city.
Proposed increasing the police department’s budget for personnel by about $43 million, hiring additional emergency call dispatchers, and adding a new unit of victim advocates. Parker’s budget would also upgrade the department’s technology, forensics lab, car fleet, and investigative equipment.
Vowed to hire 400 officers a year to fill hundreds of vacancies in the department. This is not the same as adding new officers to the force by increasing the number of budgeted positions — she has proposed only filling empty jobs.
What’s to come: So far, much of the change on public safety has been rhetorical. Parker’s tone is more law enforcement-focused than that of her predecessor, and Parker hasn’t explicitly directed police to engage in higher rates of stop-and-frisk — she’s said only that pedestrian stops are a “tool in the toolbox.”
We should know more soon on her administration’s specific plans. Bethel and Managing Director Adam Thiel are required under her executive order to submit their much-anticipated public safety plan this week.
A (still-to-come) plan to stabilize Kensington
The issue: During the Democratic primary campaign last year, Parker didn’t talk all that much about Kensington and the constellation of social issues that have converged to make it one of the city’s most challenged neighborhoods and an international spectacle. She did speak frequently about public safety in general, and said often that she would not support establishing supervised drug consumption sites, where people can use drugs under the supervision of medical professionals and be revived if they overdose.
But she started to speak more specifically about the neighborhood ahead of the general election and then once she took office. During a television interview in October, she suggested she’d seek assistance from the National Guard. And in her first week in office, she directed Bethel to develop a plan to “permanently shut down open-air drug markets, including in Kensington” — a promise she had not previously made so explicitly.
What Parker and her administration have said and done:
Named a deputy police commissioner whose sole job will be to head the department’s strategy in Kensington.
Vowed “not one city dollar” would be spent on syringe exchange programs, threatening efforts by nonprofits in Kensington to cut down on the spread of infectious disease. She said her plan would instead focus on longterm care, treatment, and housing.
Proposed spending $100 million on “triage centers” for people in addiction, though the administration has not said where they would be located and they could be placed in other neighborhoods.
Signed legislation imposing an 11 p.m. curfew on some businesses along the Kensington Avenue corridor.
Boosted outreach in the neighborhood ahead of a planned encampment clearing.
What’s to come: As with the broader public safety plan, we’re still waiting to see a more comprehensive plan for Kensington that lays out strategies to treat people in addiction and crack down on the drug trade. Change could come soon: in February, Bethel said stronger enforcement of drug crimes in Kensington could begin as early as this spring.
We also expect City Council to negotiate over the triage center proposal and other plans for Kensington as part of its annual budget process. That means things could change come June, when the city budget must be approved.
A promise to tackle trash, litter, and other eyesores
The issue: Parker spoke often while campaigning about her desire to end the city’s unwanted “Filthadelphia” moniker, saying she is particularly interested in cleaning commercial corridors as a way to encourage small business growth. She also said often that she saw cleanliness as a matter of public safety, saying in a 2022 plan that ”simply cleaning up a commercial area makes it feel safer.”
What Parker and her administration have said and done:
Said she would break up both the Streets Department and the Department of Licenses and Inspections, moves she said would improve efficiencies.
Proposed spending nearly $100 million over five years to support a program called Philadelphia Taking Care of Business, which she created when she was a Council member. The initiative funds community groups to sweep sidewalks and remove litter along commercial corridors.
Budgeted $250 million more for the Streets Department over five years to increase its rate of repaving streets and replacing ADA-compliant sidewalk curb ramps.
Said the city would tow 10,000 abandoned cars and install another 1,500 Big Belly trash cans this year.
Outlined plans to establish new crews responsible for tackling illegal dumping, expand street cleaning, and pilot twice-weekly trash collection.
What’s to come: Parker’s spending proposals will be negotiated with Council over the next two months and could change.
High hopes for housing
The issue: On the campaign trail, Parker promised to create 30,000 new units of affordable housing as mayor. In her budget address to Council in March, she doubled down, and said, “I want you to hold me to it.”
What Parker and her administration have said and done:
Proposed maintaining funding for the Turn the Key program, which helps low-income Philadelphians afford down payments. Parker supported the creation of the program when she was a member of Council.
Began working on creating a portal aimed at making it easier for Philadelphians to learn about and apply for the myriad home improvement and affordable housing programs already in existence. Parker has said the city must do a better job of making residents aware of those opportunities.
Ordered a review of the city Land Bank — which manages and sells city-owned vacant property — to make it easier for buyers to acquire and develop the thousands of vacant properties owned by the city. The goal is in part to help “non-profit developers to enable development of a full range of affordable housing on Land Bank-owned property,” according to her five-year plan for the city budget.
Parker articulated her vision for housing as increasing opportunities for “affordable luxury.” That means she wants to encourage homeownership and to ensure any subsidized housing for renters or buyers is high-quality. Her administration has consequently pulled out of an agreement former Mayor Jim Kenney’s struck with organizers of the 2020 encampment on the Ben Franklin Parkway in which the city promised to produce “tiny house” villages for people experiencing homelessness.
What’s to come: To reach her goal of creating 30,000 new affordable housing units in her first term, Parker will likely have to increase funding for existing programs or secure state or federal money.
Education policy shakeup?
The issue: The Parker era is likely to result in a significant change in City Hall’s approach to education policy. In his two terms, Kenney was in lock step with the teachers union, and he appointed school board members who were skeptical of charter school expansion. Parker has repeatedly said she won’t pit charters against traditional public schools.
What Parker and her administration have said and done:
Unveiled her appointments to the nine-member school board, which oversees the district. She picked four incumbents, and five new members, including two with strong ties to charter schools.
Called for increasing the share of property tax revenue that is allocated to the school district, from 55% to 56%. That will result in $119 million in additional funding over five years, according to the administration.
During the mayor’s race, Parker said she would work to establish “year-round schooling” as mayor, with schools open throughout the year from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. She has since modified the proposal and reframed it as “year-round access to educational opportunities during non-traditional times.” But she has an ally in Superintendent Tony B. Watlington Sr., who plans to launch a pilot program for year-round schooling next year.
What’s to come: In the short term, Council will hold a hearing and vote on Parker’s school board picks, and lawmakers will consider her property tax proposal during budget negotiations this spring. In the long run, all eyes will be on how the school board evolves during Parker’s administration and whether charter schools will see a resurgence.