Following Tuesday’s special elections, Philadelphia voters have elected four new City Council members to fill the seats vacated by former members who resigned to run for mayor.
The new members include two who will fill at-large seats and two who will fill district seats. Jim Harrity and Sharon Vaughn will fill Derek Green and Allan Domb’s former at-large seats, while Quetcy Lozada will fill the former 7th District seat of Maria Quiñones Sanchez and Anthony Phillips will fill the former 9th District seat of Cherelle Parker.
All new members are replacing fellow Democrats, meaning there will be no shift in the balance of power in City Hall. The four former members resigned their seats earlier this year to run for mayor, in accordance with Philadelphia’s Home Rule Charter.
Speaking with NBC10 sister station Telemundo62, Lozada said she will focus on building “alliances” between the community and police, especially in the Kensington neighborhood she will represent, which has been wracked for years by high crime and opioid addiction.
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“Part of the job I want to do is continue the conversations with the (police) captains of that district and come to an agreement in which we don’t have to imprison (people addicted to opioids) but instead connect them to necessary resources,” she said.
Phillips, for his part, has touted his experience in youth development. He promises to provide better resources for the city’s schools and wants to increase public safety by focusing on community policing.
Harrity is the political director of the state Democratic Party. “I’m gonna go in there and fight for new schools,” Harrity told NBC10 partner KYW Newsradio.
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Vaughn is Green’s former chief of staff and the leader of Philadelphia’s 42nd ward.
The four new members will be sworn in once the Philadelphia City Commissioners officially certify the election, likely by the end of November, said City Council President Darrell Clarke spokesman Joe Grace.
