City councilmember Cherelle Parker resigns ahead of expected run for mayor of Philadelphia
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- City councilmember Cherelle Parker resigned on Wednesday. She's expected to make a run to replace Jim Kenney in the mayor's office.
Parker is the third city councilmember this week to resign and the fourth in total.
Parker represents Philadelphia's ninth district, which stretches through the northwest and northeast communities in the city, including East Mt. Airy, West Oak Lane, East Oak Lane, Olney, Lawncrest, Lawndale, Burholme and Oxford Circle.
City Council President Darrell Clarke released a statement regarding Parker's resignation Wednesday.
Councilmember Parker, Council's Majority Leader, and I have worked together for a long time, first as a Council staffer, then as a State Representative from Northwest Philadelphia and Philadelphia delegation leader, and in recent years, as a Councilmember representing the 9th District. Councilmember Parker is a hard worker and strong advocate for her constituents and the city at large."
Whether the issue was supporting small businesses along neighborhood commercial corridors, or exposing discrimination in home appraisals, Councilmember Parker always stands up for doing what's right, and getting results. Her focus on community policing and neighborhood public safety is an important part of Council's work on reducing gun violence.
On Tuesday, city councilmembers Maria Quiñones Sánchez and Derek Green resigned from office Tuesday to run for the top job.
Three weeks ago, city councilmember, Allan Domb, resigned from his seat. He's still considering whether to run to replace Kenney, whose term expires in 2024.
Al Schmidt, president of the Committee of Seventy, told CBS3 he expects more resignations in the coming days.
Councilmembers Helen Gym and David Oh, along with City Controller Rebecca Rhynhart, are rumored to also be considering a run for mayor.
"We only have 17 members of city council," Schmidt said. "So if you end up with a lot of vacancies, and it's too late to fill those vacancies in November, you will have a lot less representation on city council."
The Philadelphia City Council president is considering whether to call a special election to fill the vacant city council seats, but time is running out. If the special election does not coincide with the midterm election, it could cost up to a million dollars for the city to hold it at another time.
