Election 2023: What 2 activists want to see from Philadelphia's next mayor
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- It's finally Election Day and the 2023 mayoral election in Philadelphia is coming to a close.
Republican David Oh is running against Democrat Cherelle Parker. Both are former City Council members and Parker served 10 years as a state representative for Northwest Philadelphia.
READ MORE: Election 2023 guide: What to know for Pennsylvania, New Jersey general elections
Activists we spoke to on CBS News Philadelphia Tuesday morning discussed some of the pressing issues and what the community is looking for in the next mayor.
Chantay Love, the co-founder and president of EMIR Healing Center, lost her brother to gun violence. Now it's her mission to be part of changing the community.
"What we see is the tragedy that's happening in the community from gun violence," Love said. "It reminds us of a war."
'We're looking for change. We've been in a place of despair, so you have a whole city that's looking to be in a place of recovery," Love added.
Rickey Duncan is the executive director of the NOMO Foundation. He has a passion for liberating people struggling with poverty, and working with inner-city youth.
"They're looking for better school systems, more safer and cleaner places to be able to go to within the community, they're looking for rec centers to be opened, they're looking for more libraries and just places to feel safe."
Parker promised to put a stop to a sense of lawlessness on the streets by placing more officers out there. She also supports stronger gun laws and more programs to foster homeownership. She recently got endorsements from President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris.
Oh has said he's feeling confident since Parker has been absent on the campaign trail.
Oh has openly discussed crime rates in his run for mayor. He says he hopes to hire 1,400 new police officers if elected.
He also says he spent months on the ground talking with voters, helping to understand the communities' needs.
