City Council Majority Leader Cherelle L. Parker proudly serves the Ninth Council District in Philadelphia. This region stretches through several northwest and northeast communities, including Mt. Airy, West Oak Lane, East Oak Lane, Olney, Lawncrest, Lawndale, Burholme, and Oxford Circle.

However, many of the initiatives she has championed and implemented are citywide. A good example of this is the Philly First Home program helping financially challenged first-time homebuyers as Philadelphia's homeownership rates have been declining, especially in Black and Brown communities. She has also championed the expansion of the Taking Care of Business commercial corridor cleaning program; the Basic Systems Repair Program; the creation of a free small-business training and technical assistance program run by Community College of Philadelphia; increasing the prevailing wage paid to service employees at large establishments that receive city money or tax breaks; and creating a Police force more reflective of the communities it serves.

Most recently, in response to Philadelphia's murder rate at historically high levels, the epidemic of most concern these days for Cherelle is gun violence. At PCCP's May 20 event, Parker will have the floor to talk about her Neighborhood Safety & Community Policing Plan and other efforts to stop the violence along with her years of work to improve our quality of life and competitiveness as a city.

Cherelle serves as Chair of Council's Labor & Civil Service Committee and Law & Government Committee. She is also Vice Chair of the Committee of the Whole and serves as a de facto member of all Council Committees in her role as Majority Leader. In addition to her work on Council, Cherelle serves as the Chairwoman of the Delaware River Port Authority, the first woman elected to lead DRPA's 16-member board, which oversees the Authority's $305.1M annual operating budget, an $846M five-year capital budget, and an 874-member workforce.

Prior to her election to City Council in November 2015, Cherelle served for 10 years as the State Representative for the 200th Legislative District in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, where she made history in September 2005 by becoming the youngest African American woman ever elected. As State Representative, she earned a reputation for being one of the most effective, politically savvy, and proactive legislators in the region. She was twice elected by her Philadelphia colleagues to serve as Chair of the Philadelphia Delegation to the House, and in 2013, she was also appointed Vice Chair/Democratic Chair of the House Select Committee on School Safety.

Raised by her grandparents, Cherelle's mission to close the gap between the "haves" and the "have nots," continues to be her driving force for change. She is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania and Lincoln University (PA), where she earned Master of Public Administration and Bachelor of Science in English Education, respectively. She is also a mother residing in Mt. Airy, who enjoys reading, traveling, cooking, and spending time with family and friends during her leisure.

Friday, May 20 2022 12:00 PM

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