Cherelle Parker easily wins hotly contested mayoral primary
Despite polls showing an extremely close race, Cherelle Parker walked away with a decisive win in Philly’s Democratic mayoral primary.
- Parker will be the first woman mayor of Philadelphia if she wins as expected in November, where she’ll face Republican David Oh. She garnered 33% of the vote, around 70k residents in a city of 1.6 million.
Parker wasn’t able to appear at her victory party because of a “dental emergency,” according to her campaign. Jordan Levy has a recap of the race, including how the rest of the field shook out.
RECAP: What else happened?
$ = paywalled
• Democrats maintained their majority in the Pa. House as Heather Boyd defeated Katie Ford in the special election for the pivotal vacant Delaware County seat. [WHYY]
• Primary results for at-large City Council seats make it likely Philadelphia will get its first openly LGBTQ lawmaker in Rue Landau, and first South Asian American lawmaker in Nina Ahmad. Councilmember Isaiah Thomas was the top vote-getter overall. [Billy Penn]
• In two of Philadelphia’s contested City Council district races, incumbents easily won, but a third — between three-term Councilmember Cindy Bass and challenger Seth Anderson-Oberman — was still locked in a tight battle on Wednesday morning. [Billy Penn]
• An incumbent appeared to be ousted in one of the primary contests for Philadelphia’s so-called row offices, with Democratic Party-endorsed challenger John Sabatina beating Register of Wills Tracey Gordon. [Billy Penj]
• Taylor Swift doubled down on claiming Philly as her hometown, saying the chance to perform at the “stadium I used to see on TV when my dad watched Eagles games” was magical. [@taylorswift13]
• The Sixers fired head coach Doc Rivers, who led the team to three straight NBA Playoffs — and three straight Round 2 exits. Rivers’ released a heartfelt statement saying, “I wanted, just as badly as you, to bring another championship to Philadelphia.” [ESPN/NBCS Philly/Instagram]
• A tidbit buried at the end of national coverage: Zahav chef Michael Solomonov was recruited to prepare the menu for Biden’s event marking Jewish American Heritage Month, where the president spoke out against antisemitism. [AP/Newshour]
• Spring Garden bakery Darnel’s Cakes, which opened during the pandemic, was was tapped to create a birthday cake for Janet Jackson, who celebrated her 57th birthday at the Divine Lorraine on North Broad. [6ABC/Inquirer$]
Weekly brief on gun violence prevention (with PCGVR)
We publish this report each week in partnership with the Philadelphia Center for Gun Violence Reporting. • Distress over Philly’s shooting epidemic has spurred some calls for the next mayor to replace Danielle Outlaw. Here’s how the gun violence crisis fluctuated across 30 years of police commissioners. [Billy Penn]
• Portraits remembering 55 homicide victims were displayed in advance of Mother’s Day in the Philadelphia City hall courtyard. [WHYY]
• How does Inquirer gun violence reporter Ellie Rushing handle approaching victim’s families? She brings a letter expressing condolences, and is always prepared to wait months for an interview. [@rw_briggs]
• What is it like for a mother whose daughter’s murder continues to go unsolved? As part of the Credible Messenger Reporting Project, Ikey Raw talks to Tiffaney Flynn. [Soundcloud]
By the numbers in Philadelphia
- 37: Shooting victims recorded last week, vs. 32 the week prior. [City Controller via @PCGVR]
- 642: Shooting victims this year so far, down 18% vs. this time last year. [PCGVR]
- 154: Year-to-date homicides, down 13% vs. last year’s pace; up 44% vs. five years ago [Philly Police]
MAYOR WATCH
Nothing public for Mayor Kenney, who has long been an ally of Cherelle Parker, and said he voted for her in the primary.
ON THE CALENDAR
🍷 The Made on American Street festival returns with an afternoon of beer, wine, cider, live music, local art, and more in West Kensington. Tickets start at $40. (2 to 6 p.m. Saturday, May 20)
🎭 The Philadelphia Artists Collective reimagines “Jane Eyre” with a chorus of Janes in a new production at Old City’s Christ Church Neighborhood House. Tickets start at $10. (Now through Sunday, May 28)
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