Mayor Cherelle Parker starts series of 8 town hall meetings to tout her proposed budget

Mayor Cherelle L. Parker took her first budget proposal on the road Saturday, opening a series of town hall events to tout her spending plan and introduce her administration to the city.

More than 250 people attended the event at the Masjidullah Center for Human Excellence in West Oak Lane, where Parker hosted the first of eight public events. Saturday’s gathering was in the city’s 9th Council district, which Parker represented before launching her run for mayor in 2022.

Parker acknowledged that her briefings would get into the weeds of how city departments operate, but said that it’s important taxpayers know how their dollars are being allocated.

”This is informational,” she said. “It’s intense, because I don’t want you operating in the dark.”

Alongside her cabinet, Parker talked to the crowd about everything from public safety to potholes to the pension fund and detailed her $6.29 billion budget proposal, the first she’ has introduced since taking office in January. Parker’s administration is in the midst of negotiations with City Council over the spending plan, which must be finalized by the end of June, when the current budget expires.

Parker will host seven more town halls at the following locations:

May 2 at 6 p.m.

XYE Community Center, 1614 S. 26th St.

May 7 at 6 p.m.

Rock Ministries, 2755 Kensington Ave.

May 9 at 6 p.m.

Pinn Memorial Baptist Church, 2251 N. 54th St.

May 21 at 6 p.m.

Christy Recreation Center, 728 S. 55th St.

May 29 at 6 p.m.

Belfield Recreation Center, 2109 W. Chew Ave.

June 1 at 6 p.m.

City Life Philly Church, 3301 S. 20th St.

June 4 at 6 p.m.

Lincoln High School, 3201 Ryan Ave.