ABOVE PHOTO: Outgoing Philadelphia City Council president Darrell Clarke with Mayor Jim Kenney presiding over his last Council meeting. (Photo: Denise Clay-Murray)
By Denise Clay-Murray
I got a better understanding of just how good Philadelphia City Council President Darrell L. Clarke was at his job when I was covering the 2023 mayoral primary.
As I watched former City Council members Allan Domb, Derek Green, Helen Gym, David Oh and Cherelle Parker go at each other on policy issues, I saw a group of people who didn’t agree on a whole lot. And, if we’re honest, I’m not sure that they liked each other very much.
And yet, Clarke managed to get such controversial legislation as the Sweetened Beverage Tax passed, handle the COVID pandemic that threw the city’s budget into disarray and secure a $22 million chunk of money for grass roots community groups working on the city’s gun violence issues, despite their differences.
You have to wonder how he did it — especially for 12 years. Between that and some of the characters he had to deal with during the meeting’s public comment section, Clarke earned his reputation as the Sphinx of City Hall.
(Although the “Writ of Mandamus” guy was pretty funny…)
But after Thursday, Clarke won’t have to juggle the needs, wants and desires of 16 other distinct personalities and people who can’t seem to stick to a three-minute public comment limit anymore. After 16 years — 12 of them as Council president — and a whole lot of legislation, Clarke presided over his last Council meeting.
Clarke had thought about retiring earlier, but there were more than a few issues that he felt he needed to guide the city through, he said in an interview broadcast on WPPM’s Philadelphia Hall Monitor program Wednesday night.
He had a good team to work with, and he didn’t want to leave them high and dry, he said.
“I had given it some thought last term,” he said. “But I wanted to make that decision based not on my gut, but on the needs of the city. I had a good team, and I can’t emphasize the need for a good team. Council is about building consensus and we were able to get through the city’s challenges with a good team.”
Clarke came to Council as an aide to former mayor — and City Council president — John Street and won the office in a special election when Street resigned to run for the city’s highest office. He won by a 140-vote margin over Julie Welker and Dorothy Carn in the election, but Welker filed a voter fraud lawsuit and the race had to be decided in court.
Clarke ultimately became the district councilman when the court ruled there was no fraud.
When the late Council President Anna Verna decided to retire from Council, Clarke became the new president.
Many thought that if Clarke stepped down, it would be to run for mayor.
He admits that he considered it as Mayor Michael Nutter’s term came to an end. He even believes he would have won because he had the backing of the city’s unions, influential politicos, and believed he could be successful citywide.
But in the end, he decided not to take the leap because while he had the support, and probably would have had the funding, what he didn’t have was just as important, Clarke said.
“The fire didn’t burn in my belly,” he said. “If you’re going to run for mayor, you should be all in, and I wasn’t all in emotionally. Besides, I enjoyed the heck out of being Council president, being a part of that process, and being in the position to do the things that we’ve been able to do.”
He leaves Council feeling pretty confident in the leadership that will succeed him, Clarke said.
Mayor-elect Cherelle Parker and presumptive Council president Kenyatta Johnson were part of the team that made his Council tenure so successful, so while he’s only a phone call away for them — Clarke is a senior adviser to Parker’s intergovernmental roundtable — he’s ready for what’s next.
“Both of them will be able to move forward on the positive things that have happened over four years,” he said. “I just felt it was time to do something else with my life.” Congratulations, Council President Clarke. Enjoy your retirement.
Leave a Comment