Grading Mayor Parker’s First 100 Days: Breaking Down Her Action Plan And Progress
Philadelphia’s historic 100th Mayor, Cherelle L. Parker talked a big game… as they all do. She promised to be tough on crime, put a kibosh on the K&A heroin drug encampment, clean up the city, reimagine and increase affordable housing, review a number of city improvement programs, including the school board and City Hall itself, and much more. In a four-year term I think it’s safe to say it’s a respectably aggressive campaign to run on. Her action items are sound and in-touch with the city we live in. Public safety and cleanliness being one and two.
Her 100-day action plan may have been a tad aggressive. Overall, Mayor Parker is doing a solid job in the early days of her tenure. But if you’re judging by her own proposed agenda, she’s underperforming. Even if some of the claims were valiant, to say the least.
The biggest green flag goes to the decrease in crime which can be attributed almost strictly to her presence and increased police spending — down roughly 35%.
The biggest red flag by far being her reversal on tax breaks by keeping the wage tax at the hefty 3.75% for Philadelphians and 3.44% for those who work in the city and live elsewhere. It’s the highest tax of its kind in the nation. Surprisingly, I’m also giving my highest grade to her action on economic opportunity.
The primary catalysts of the 100-day plan, what action has been taken to date, and some editorial on what needs to change in order for real progress to occur:
PUBLIC SAFETY
(B+)
Far and away the number one issue in Philadelphia.
Safety has become more of a suggestion than a certainty in some parts of the city.
Drastically decrease crime and shootings
After years of record gun violence and lawlessness, Parker made tackling crime her top priority. So far, the city is off to a strong start. Homicides are down roughly 35%. ( Philadelphia Inquirer )
Declare a public safety emergency
Police Commissioner Kevin Bethel has not released his crime fighting plan. Krasner, on the other hand, has created a task force dedicated to thefts. Unsure if that’s made a difference but doubtful.
This plan called for new Police Commissioner Kevin J. Bethel — along with Managing Director Adam Thiel and Public Safety Director Adam Geer — to develop a comprehensive plan to reduce violent crime within the first 100 days of the administration. The state of emergency is in effect for 100 days and will be extended if necessary. The state of emergency and executive order aim to combat thefts, shootings and the proliferation of open-air drug markets in Philadelphia. In 2023, more than 3,000 shooting incidents were reported in the city, alongside a 28% increase in retail theft and a 72.4% increase in vehicle theft. ( Daily Pennsylvanian )
Put an end the K&A open-air drug market
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
Mayor Parker has suggested calling in the National Guard, which feels like a temporary solution unless they’re spending the entire year in town.
Increased police presence and outreach services have been deployed to the area. ( Inqurier )
Mandatory business curferw placed on businesses local to the area with hopes of curbing activity in the open-air drug market at night. ( WHYY )
This is probably more damaging to the businesses than anything, unfortunately.
Increase police presence
As evidenced by the news reports below, police presence has increased, mostly spurred by an uptick in violence. As the temperature increases, so does crime, so having more boots on the ground in spring and summer will certainly be a good thing.
Surge Team — 6ABC report
Bus stops / school increase (after students were shot) — CBS Philadelphia report
Weekend increase — CBS Philadelphia report
Editorial: Crime/shootings have decreased, but the summer will tell much more about public safety. Ultimately violence is still frighteningly high no matter how you look at it. We need a drastic improvement.
CLEAN & GREEN
(B+)
The Clean and Green initiative was announced to the press on February 23rd in Strawberry Mansion and then on March 14th the plan was outlined as part of her budget.
Parker outlined a complex patchwork of initiatives. These include an $11 million pilot for twice weekly trash pickup in certain neighborhoods, 1,500 more “Big Belly” style trash cans, new crews for each Council district to tackle illegal dumping, a plan to seal 900 vacant buildings, and a promise to haul away 10,000 abandoned cars.
But nearly half of the overall investment would dramatically expand an existing initiative — $130 million over five years to supercharge Parker’s own “Taking Care of Business” program, or TCB, which previously focused on cleaning commercial corridors.
The $10 million a year program was created by then-council member Parker in 2019, and is funded through the city’s Commerce Department. That department issues grants to local nonprofits, which in turn contract with private cleaning providers to manually clean streets and sidewalks along 85 different areas scattered across the city.
Parker has also pitched these grants as a workforce tool, with some private contractors drawing cleanup crew workers from formerly homeless or incarcerated men and women, who earn at least $15 an hour. She likened her expansion plan to the added cleaning services provided in downtown areas by groups like the Center City District, an economic development agency funded by businesses.
via The Inquirer
The lesser prioritized parts of the city are still representatives for the moniker “Filthadelphia,” Center City is still relatively clean, and Philly citizens still don’t care enough about their city’s cleanliness. Overall it will be the toughest part of her action plan to “prove” has been executed. Trash statistics and metrics are limited to employed sanitation workers/routes and public opinion is the jury.
Address illegal dumping, clean up litter and graffiti
The city reports it costs nearly $2 million yearly to clear illegal dump sites and the mayor wants to drop the hammer suggesting the city will aggressively fine illegal dumpers and promising to "enforce the law." via Fox29
Pamela Woods, 54, said her neighborhood — West Philadelphia near 52nd Street — desperately needed to be cleaned up.
“It’s horrible,” she said. “People just don’t care where they throw trash at. You got the kids walking around and they finding needles everywhere.” via The Inquirer
Remove abandoned vehicles
The 39th police district received one of the first clear treatments of this proclamation. The initiative only began a few days ago.
Editorial: For the decade plus that I’ve been here, Philly has had a trash problem. I think it’s fair to say that it’s become a stain on the culture here and a big part of the problem is US, the citizens. I’ve seen people get out of an uber in center city and throw their trash on the street immediately — even with trash cans in sight. A public campaign needs to be established to clean up Philly, change the narrative, and change the attitude on the issue. We shouldn’t be content with this level of crap.
HOUSING
(C)
courtesy WHYY
Housing / Homelessness is likely a top 3 issue for the majority of Philadelphians (and evidenced in our Faces piece).
“One Front Door” center for city-run home improvement programs in one location
No direct news on this initiative.
30,000 “Affordable Luxury” Units
Beyond the 30,000 plus units of affordable luxury statement, there is no new news here.
Top-to-Bottom review of the City’s Land Bank
The mayor has scheduled five different appointments with the Philadelphia Land Bank.
“The Philadelphia Land Bank is a critical entity when it comes to revitalizing neighborhoods, creating more housing and economic opportunity, and strengthening the City’s tax base,” said Mayor Cherelle L. Parker. “Today’s announcement marks an important step in my commitment to economic development and increased access to housing for renters and homeowners to ensure vibrant and equitable communities and help build intergenerational wealth in Philadelphia.”
“With their diverse expertise and unwavering dedication, these new board members will guide the Land Bank towards a future where every vacant lot becomes a catalyst for positive change, fostering inclusive growth and opportunity for all Philadelphians,” Mayor Parker said.
Editorial: Homelessness is covered in both public safety and here in housing and there doesn’t seem to be a direct solution to housing and helping the homeless in Philly or any other city in America. It’s a bit of an epidemic that needs a solution and I wish I had one, but it’s tough seeing massive stimulus packages go to Ukraine and Israel while we continue to let the homeless population increase.
economic opportunity
(A-)
Philly hit a record low unemployment rate of 3.7% in Dec. 2023 according to Philadelphia Works. This is carryover from the end of Mayor Kenney’s tenure but could also be affected by Mayor Parker winning the election. Either way, it’s a good early sign. However, as mentioned earlier, the biggest deduction comes from the city wage tax not being cut.
Cafe Olé in Old City
“PHL Open for Business” initiative to reduce red tape for new businesses
Mayor Parker signed an executive order to move this initiative forward. The focus of which is to make it easier for businesses of all shapes and sizes, in every part of the city, to access resources available to them. As well as making it easier to do business in the city for new businesses.
Remove college degree requirements from C.O.P. jobs where necessary
Executive order signed on Jan. 2nd along with a stronger promise to push this initiative forward and continue to make it easier for the best person to get the job, regardless of their educational background.
Minority Business Success
Mayor Parker created a new office specific to minority business success
“Rachel Branson will serve as Director of the city’s newly created office of Minority Business Success. Branson has worked in various legal roles over the past 17 years, including, most recently, as the inaugural General Counsel & Corporate Secretary for Nymbus, Inc. and Nymbus CUSO, LLC. In this newly created office, Branson will help minority businesses launch and thrive in Philadelphia. In collaboration with the Office of Economic Opportunity and the Department of Commerce, this office will work with diverse business owners to fulfill their need for goods and services. The focus will be on measurable goals for small, medium, and large business growth and advancement across the city.”
From The Philadelphia Inquirer:
For three decades, successive Philadelphia mayors have begun their administrations with a push to lower the wage tax, the business tax, or both. That streak ended last week. Mayor Cherelle L. Parker’s $6.29 billion budget proposal would leave all city tax rates unchanged. That includes the wage tax, which is the highest of its kind in the nation at 3.75% for Philadelphians and 3.44% for people who work in the city but live elsewhere. The omission of a tax rate change in Parker’s proposal marks a notable change in the long-stagnant debate over taxes in Philly.
…
Commerce Director Alba Martinez said the lack of cuts in the plan Parker unveiled last week does not mean the administration opposes tax relief.
“I would not take this particular budget as our long-term sentiment on tax reduction,” Martinez said. “She has a budget that really focuses on what the city needs right now, and I think it’s a very business-friendly budget.”
But given the city’s strong financial position — with a projected $486 million surplus next year and another $449 million in federal aid to be spent by the end of 2024 — there will likely be a debate over tax cuts this spring whether the administration invites it or not. And it may be one of the few areas where Council goes in a different direction than Parker during budget negotiations. Several lawmakers have already indicated they are interested in wage or business cuts this year, and Council President Kenyatta Johnson last week ruled out the possibility of raising taxes — while declining to say the same about cuts.
Editorial: Love to see action taken this swiftly! Things are moving forward. Mayor Parker holds to her word on this part of her platform. Hopefully the wage tax cuts come through sooner rather than later. This becomes an A+ rather than a A- if it does happen in the near future.
EDUCATION
(B-)
The question remains: how do you reach the students and their parents and guardians to ensure they show up on time, do their work, and value their education?
Strong focus on education
The budget would allocate $140 million for public education over five years, including $129 million for the school district.
Parker said she plans to work with Superintendent Tony B. Watlington, Sr., to roll out full-day, year-round schooling, offering educational enrichment as part of a pilot program in 20 schools this fall. She said it would provide educational enrichment by focusing on the city’s fast-growing industries, such as life sciences, biotechnology, and building trades.
Out-of-School Programs
Tying the initiative to curbing crime in the city, Mayor Parker launched “#ItsASummerThing” :
The initiative promises to deliver "an exciting line-up of fun, enriching, and adult-supervised, free or low-cost activities and programs for children, teens, and families all season long."
Mayor Parker explained, "We know that keeping young people engaged and active can improve not only their physical health and well-being but prevent learning loss and reduce violence."
8,000 paid summer jobs are available, say city officials, in an effort to hook kids to career interests. "Our older youth and teens will be able to benefit from paid work-based learning experiences that will help them shape their futures," Mayor Parker stated. "Idle minds can lead to things that we don’t want our young people engaged in."
The school district will open 123 of its buildings across the city for 23,000 students to combat what it calls the "summer slide" of learning loss. But, with recent shootings of young people often by attackers their own age, the fear of violence is ever-present. Philadelphia's police commissioner will apply shoe leather.
"We're adding foot beats back to our deployment. As we get to June, we'll have 128 men and women on foot," Commissioner Kevin Bethel said.
School Building Modernization
According to Parker, the Philadelphia Building Trades, led by Ryan Boyer, would be a part of rebuilding the school’s infrastructure. via WHYY
On the district’s aging facilities, Parker said “we need to modernize our existing schools and build new ones,” saying she would be “working with our allies on City Council” including Education Committee Chair Isaiah Thomas. Thomas has proposed creating an independent authority to handle school construction and renovation, but Parker did not comment on that proposal Thursday.
Faculty Support / New School Board
New school board nominees were chosen by Mayor Parker in early April and were approved by City Council on the 25th: via Chalkbeat article 1 & Chalkbeat article 2
Councilmembers approved the nominations of current Board President Reginald Streater, Crystal Cubbage, Cheryl Harper, Whitney Jones, Wanda Novales, Joan Stern, Sarah-Ashley Andrews, and ChauWing Lam by voice vote on Thursday. All are expected to take their seats on the board starting May 1, as the city’s Home Rule Charter requires, and their first action meeting is scheduled for May 30. via Chalkbeat
Editorial: I didn’t see every Cherelle Parker press conference but what needs to be creatively addressed in every media opportunity as well as in writing is culture. We can pour billions into the schools and I’m sure things will improve, but until the students, their parents, teachers, and administrators commit to improving their educational experience, things won’t go very far. I saw it first-hand in beautiful new schools like School of the Future and the new West Philadelphia High School and just the same in the ancient clunkers like Overbrook and Sayre High School — I’d go as far as to say that close to 50% of the enrolled kids will spend more time skipping class, ignoring lessons, running the halls, on their electronic devices, and disrespecting their own education then they do completing their work, studying, or paying attention to lectures. With that kind of culture, it doesn’t matter if you have the most resources, the best teachers, and the most beautiful classrooms. Sure things will improve with all of that, but it needs to start at home and the students need to take accountability of their own education.
roundtables
(C)
Operationalize Roundtables focused on business, faith, and intergovernmental efforts to source ideas and improve the functionality of City Hall and address some of Philadelphia’s biggest challenges.
Intergovernmental Roundtable
The Mayor’s “kitchen cabinet” will take the first look at restructuring the future of Philadelphia’s government.
The group includes 36 people including:
3 Leadership members:
Marian Tasco, Vincent Hughes, Darrell Clarke
2 US Senators
3 Congress Representatives
4 State Senators
13 State Representatives
10 City Councilmembers
Business Roundtable
Nothing to report
Faith-Based Roundtable
Nothing to report
Editorial: Mayor Parker openly asking for help from the other candidates, her creation of this roundtable, and her call to the people of Philadelphia to aid in the overall effort to improve this city shows that she is willing to place progress over ego. A great sign for any leader, for anyone in power who cares about the right things. Hopefully these roundtables come to fruition and make a difference in the city. For now, it’s a good look. I’d love to be a fly on the wall at one of these.
Overall Grade
( B )
All the necessary initiatives are in place and have focus placed upon them. In some areas there’s progress, in others there’s purposeful declarations. We’ll have to look again a year from now to see how far we’ve come, but until then we can only hope that action continues to be taken to improve the safety, cleanliness, and overall quality of life in Philadelphia.
Where I’m concerned there isn’t enough focus is in the rhetoric and communication throughout the community.
How are we reaching the young people to steer them in the right direction if they aren’t showing up for school and their parents aren’t the best influence?
What steps are needed to actually tackle K&A?
How are we making education a privilege in this city?
How do we develop a true camaraderie amongst citizens to properly dispose of their waste, to report crimes, to show a different level of respect for Philadelphia and for our peers?