Party Time!

Every four years, Philadelphia’s City Council members celebrate getting elected or re-elected to Council. This year was not different.

By Denise Clay-Murray

Sure, Tuesday’s inauguration was a celebration of an historic new mayor, complete with a ball at The Fillmore-Philadelphia on the Waterfront that featured a pledge of support from President Joe Biden.

But it was also the celebration of a new Council that features two members of the Working Families Party, the body’s first openly LGBTQ member, the body’s first South Asian member and a new Council president now that former president Darrell Clarke has stepped down.

So, as it has every year since I’ve been covering Council, City Hall became an open house as citizens and powerbrokers gathered to eat, drink, talk with and celebrate the new Council.

And before anyone asks, these parties aren’t financed by your tax dollars. The photo booth, DJ, cocktails and bites at the third floor party thrown by Councilmembers Isaiah Thomas, Jamie Gauthier, Kendra Brooks, and Nicolas O’Rourke were self-financed, said Max Weisman, communications director for Councilmember Thomas.

‘We use campaign or personal funds,” he said. “Certainly not city office funds.” 

The tradition began when former Councilmember Marian Tasco became the body’s majority leader in 2007, said Derek Green, a former member of her staff that went on to become a Councilmember himself. While it was only done on the fifth floor at one time, it expanded to include all of the council members, he said.

Because the inauguration itself is a ticketed event, and the entire city can’t get a ticket, the parties are a way for those who can’t make it to a venue like the Met to be a part of the moment, Green said.  

“I think it’s a great way to bring everybody together,” Green said. “It’s an event where the entire city can come together and enjoy the inauguration. It took some planning and coordinating, but it was always a great time.” 

Tuesday’s celebrations ranged from low-key parties with pizza and wings to Spanish and Indian food to elaborate affairs with bands, DJ’s, and photo booths. It’s also a chance for the Councilmembers to patronize local merchants. For example, Katherine Gilmore Richardson, Council’s new majority leader, used merchants from around the city for her blue and white themed bash.

It was also a chance for people in new positions to celebrate before getting to work.

A big sign reading “President” in tall, white letters with lights in them let you know that you had arrived at new Council President Kenyatta Johnson’s office. People took pictures in front of the sign as they waited their turn to feast on the wide range of foods supplied by South Philly’s Ashanti’s Kitchen and Caterers.

Because this was a big moment for the office and for a staff that had endured a lot of things, including two federal trials, it was a time to go all out, said Tiphanie White, chief of staff for Johnson’s district office. 

“This was like, the next level for us, for both the staff and Kenyatta,” she said. “We had to do it big. We wanted people to know that this was a big deal. Something we had been waiting and hoping for. Now, we’re here.”

Council meets again on Jan. 25. Hope there’s snacks…

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