Cherelle Parker

Cherelle L. Parker (born September 9, 1972) is an American politician from Philadelphia. A member of the Democratic Party, she served in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, representing the 200th district from 2005 until 2015. That year, she was elected to the Philadelphia City Council for the ninth district. She is the Democratic nominee for the 2023 Philadelphia mayoral election.

Early life

Parker grew up in a neighborhood in Northwest Philadelphia, raised by her mother; she never knew her father. When she was 11, her mother died and she was raised by her grandparents, who were both from the rural south. Her grandmother died when she was 16, which left only her grandfather, a disabled Navy veteran, to raise her. In 1990 Parker won a high school speaking contest put on by council member Augusta Clark, which earned her the chance to give her speech in front of City Council, as well as a cash prize and a trip to Africa. While still in high school, she interned for Marian Tasco, a member of the Philadelphia City Council.

Parker earned her bachelor's degree at Lincoln University and a master's degree from the University of Pennsylvania. Her first job was as a high school English teacher. Tasco hired Parker to work in her city hall office in 1995. Parker worked there for ten years, filling a variety of roles.

Political career

In 2005, Parker ran in a special election to the Pennsylvania House of Representatives to fill the seat left open by LeAnna Washington after Washington was elected to the Pennsylvania State Senate. Parker won the election. She remained in that office for ten years, five of which she was chair of the Philadelphia delegation. Her accomplishments in the House of Representatives include the "Philadelphia Tax Fairness Package", a special cigarette tax, and the 2012 Act 75, which amended state law to allow expert testimony in sexual assault cases.

When Tasco retired from city council in 2015, Parker sought to succeed her. The Democratic Party chose Parker to run as her replacement, and she won. During her time on the city council, she has led the passage of the "Philly First Home" program.

In January 2020, Parker defeated Bobby Henon to become majority leader for Democrats on the city council. In February 2021, Parker was elected to the chair of the board for the Delaware River Port Authority.

On September 7, 2022, Parker announced her candidacy in for mayor of Philadelphia in the 2023 election and her resignation from the city council to focus on the campaign. Parker won the Democratic Party nomination on May 16.

Political positions

Education

In 2023, Parker supported opening schools for a longer duration of the day and mandatory year-round schooling, arguing that "children are no longer working the farms in summertime." She proposed launching a pilot program, as well as increasing allocation of real estate taxes that go toward the Philadelphia School District from 55% to 58% to accommodate for the increased air conditioning costs associated with longer operating hours in the school year.

Public safety

Parker's platform has been described as "tough on crime". Parker opposes supervised injection sites. She supports Terry stops, also known as "constitutional stop-and-frisk", after having previously fought to end its unconstitutional and discriminatory use. In a 2022 op-ed written on The Philadelphia Inquirer, Parker pledged to hire 300 additional police officers.

Personal life

Parker married Ben Mullins, a leader in the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, in 2010. They live in the Mount Airy section of Philadelphia.

In 2011, Parker was arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol and driving the wrong way on a one-way street. She was convicted and lost her appeal in 2015. She began serving her sentence of three days in jail, a $1,000 fine, and a one-year license suspension.