In the second part of the SUN interview with Democratic mayoral candidate Cherelle Parker, she talks about the possibility of working with a new City Council, the Philadelphia 76ers desire for a new downtown stadium, and the importance of not making assumptions.
By Denise Clay-Murray
SUN: This question centers on Council itself. If you become mayor, you’re probably not going to recognize much of the body, because it’s going to be completely new. And if the Working Families Party has its way, the only thing that will keep them from becoming the minority party is Councilmember Brian O’Neill. How do you think you’ll navigate that so that you can get things done?
CP: I am a proud Democrat, and I’m unapologetic about that. With that being said, I raised the importance of intergovernmental cooperation on the campaign trail. I’ve been in the majority and the minority in the State House. I’ve also worked in Council and I’ve served in Council. I respect the legislative branch of government and I know how hard those men and women work. I’m going to work with anyone who the people choose.
SUN: City Council President Darrell Clarke has decided to retire from Council at the end of this term. There are currently five people — Councilmembers Cindy Bass, Mike Driscoll, Kenyatta Johnson, Curtis Jones and Mark Squilla — vying for the seat. Since the Council president and the mayor often work in tandem, what are you looking for in terms of a Council president?
CP: We’ve got to find a way to bring some hope and pride back to our city. People want results. They want to see us make good on the things that we’re talking about and they need to feel it in their own lives. Everybody wants to see us move the needle on things that seem impossible to address. And I intend on doing that no matter who is elected council president.
SUN: Earlier in this conversation, you alluded to the primary. What did you learn about yourself on the campaign trail?
CP: I hate soundbites. I learned that on the trail. I hate when people aren’t given an opportunity to fully answer a question.
But I also learned this. I do have to learn how to be more concise when I’m communicating. That’s a work in progress. But I don’t do well in sound bites. Some people do extremely well with the soundbite, and they can come up with them really quickly. My mind doesn’t work that way.
SUN: Do you think that people make a lot of assumptions about you? Like for example, many people assume that because you got the endorsement of the Building Trades Council, you’ll automatically be on board with the Philadelphia 76ers and their plans for a new stadium in Chinatown.
CP: That’s an assumption I’ve heard. I’ve noticed that people make a whole lot of assumptions about who and what they think I am. And I can’t do anything about assumptions that people have about me. The only thing that I can tell you is that I’m going to use every bit of information that I have access to in my decision making [about the stadium].
I told people that if they gave me a chance, I would do everything in my power to make Philadelphia the safest, cleanest, greenest, big city in the nation that provides access to economic opportunity for all, and I’m going do my best with every opportunity that may come before me.
SUN: When you have 11 people running in a primary, a lot of ideas get thrown around. Were there any ideas you heard during the primary that made you say, “Maybe I can use this if I become mayor”?
CP: It’s no secret that Councilmember Derek Green and I worked very, very closely together for many, many years. He and I were, you know, from the same region, we have been colleagues, both of us worked for Councilwoman Marian Tasco. When you heard him address the issue of gun violence, you would hear him say, “I want Philadelphians to put down their guns and pick up jobs.” I got what his perspective was, and that it was the importance to access to economic opportunity. You constantly heard Allan Domb mention of the Cristo Rey model, right? One day a week, those students go to work. You heard Maria Quinonez Sanchez say, a lot about the business being done in mental and behavioral health in the City of Philadelphia. I look at that. And then, I’m looking at legacy costs, legacy contracts and who’s benefitted from the opportunity of building wealth by doing business with the City of Philadelphia. There may have been others that said some things we should consider. But I think all of the candidates, no matter who they were, added value.
SUN: There’s been a bit of a discussion about forums and debates in the general election. Have you been approached about doing any, you know, debates with your Republican opponent, former Councilmember David Oh?
CP: Let me say this one for anyone whose paid attention through the primary election. You know, we participated in a record number of debates and public forums and all candidates participated. I just want to be real clear about that. Number two, we are, and when I say we, I mean our team, are working on a plethora of community engagement activities and forums. And I’m really, and I look forward to it.
We’re in the midst of an election, a mayoral election in the sixth largest city in the nation, and one that was the most competitive, the most expensive, and the most intense, in my lifetime. I can’t act surprised, or frustrated by the fact that there are some people who are trying to make a thing out of something that’s not a thing. They’ve got to use every tool that they feel that is available to get, you know, whatever they need, and I get it. But I can only speak for what my team is doing and what I’m responsible for. And that’s what we’re doing.
SUN: While you may not agree with this, a narrative that’s been gaining traction is that you took the summer off. There were a lot of community events, most notably Juneteenth and the Odunde Festival, that you didn’t attend while your opponent did. Can you speak to that?
CP: It is not true. Now you have a right to say, ‘Cherelle, I didn’t see you at a Odunde,’ although members of my team were there. You have a right to say, sure, ‘I didn’t see you at this event,’ although members of my team were there. And guess what — there may have been an event or two when you didn’t see a member of my team. Do you remember the question you asked me earlier about assumptions? There are a lot of assumptions about what I’ve done. But what I want to state for the record is I may not communicate the way people want me to. Some people expect to see every meeting every communication, every conversation, and every bit of work that I’m doing. They would prefer to see things posted on social media. And I know that I’m going to disappoint some people when I tell them that unfortunately, that’s not how I work. It’s not how I’ve achieved the most success in my life, particularly my legislative career. And if I would be quite frank, in the most intense and in the most productive and rewarding and challenging issues that I’ve been able to deliver on, no one in the public saw me getting it done. Some people are gonna say, “You don’t have a right to feel like you’re getting things done.’ There are people out there who think that you should take pictures of you and the person you’re meeting with to show that you’ve had a meeting. I would disagree with that. I don’t do that. I won’t do that. It’s not how I function.
SUN: While you’re on the campaign trail, you’re also raising a son. If you win, you’ll be the first Black woman in the mayor’s office. What does your son think about this? Has he talked to you about it at all?
CP: [My son] Langston is not impressed by politics and government or campaigns. Do I think he’s proud of me? Yeah, I think he’s super proud. And he’s super happy.
I was a late bloomer. I did everything personal late in life. I got married late. I had a child late, because I was focused so much on education and career, and all of that stuff early on in my life, You’ve got to remember when Langston came into this world, I was a member of the Pennsylvania General Assembly. I remember being afraid. But there was a young lady named Chelsea Wagner, who was a state rep from Allegheny County. And I saw Chelsea be pregnant as a member. And then she had her child while she was still a member. But I even seeing Chelsea I was still terrified. ‘How am I going to be? How am I going to do? How am I going to have a baby, I’m gonna have a baby and be a state representative?’ It’s not supposed to happen like that. So, I do the best I can with a strong village.
SUN: Well, thank you so much for you time and for this interview. I really appreciate it.
CP: Thank you.
Pennsylvania voters will decide who Philadelphia’s 100th mayor when the go to the polls on Nov. 7, 2023. The final day to register for the November general election is Oct. 23, 2023.
Leave a Comment