Sánchez, Sanitation and Transportation Workers Endorse Cherelle Parker for Philly Mayor

Former mayoral candidate and City Councilmember Maria Quiñones Sánchez, along with the city's sanitation and transportation workers, announced their endorsements of Cherelle Parker for Philadelphia's 100th mayor on Tuesday.

“I have said for years that the 100th Mayor of Philadelphia will be a woman. Today, I go one step further and say that the 100th Mayor of Philadelphia should be Cherelle Parker. Cherelle has the lived experience that is essential to leading our city at this time. Philadelphians can see themselves in her," Sanchez wrote in a statement. “As a State Rep. and a District Councilmember, Cherelle didn’t get to pick and choose what to care about. She had to serve her constituents and solve problems. The Mayor doesn’t get to pick and choose. The Mayor has to solve problems and make sure our government provides services in every neighborhood."

Parker, a former City Council Majority Leader, has been involved in Democratic Party politics in Philadelphia for more than two decades. She previously served in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives for 10 years before being elected to City Council. 

Parker represented the 9th district, which makes up neighborhoods in Northwest Philadelphia. She resigned from City Council in order to enter the mayoral race.

Along with Sanchez, AFSCME Local 427 -- which represents sanitation workers -- and Local 403 -- which represents transportation workers -- also announced Tuesday they were endorsing Parker for mayor, splitting from the larger District Council 33 Union that endorsed fellow mayoral candidate Jeff Brown.

Local 427 President Charles Carrington said he took offense to a campaign ad from Brown.

"I'm saying this from the Local 427 level. It's no way that I can endorse someone that takes a shot at the hard work the men and women of this department does," Carrington said. "Jeff Brown put out a commercial saying, 'Pick up the damn trash.' If he would have did his homework he would have understood before, during and after the pandemic, we have been picking up the damn trash."

Local 427 and Local 403 represent more than 2,000 workers of the 10,000 member District Council 33. District Council 33 President Ernest Garrett said they continue to endorse Brown and that the decision from Local 427 and 403 threw a wrinkle in a tight mayoral race and aired out an internal issue.

"When I was called yesterday, I was like, wow. Why couldn't we work this out?" Garrett asked.

Garrett said District Council 33's vote in January had 21 votes for Brown, five for Helen Gym, one abstention, and no votes for Parker.

"At the end of the day we took a vote as a board. We should have settled our differences in house," Garrett said.

Garrett said Parker's record on hiring-related legislation was a reason for why his union wasn't endorsing her.

"With every elected official I keep records of communications, what we asked of them, legislation they put forward," he said.

Garrett called Brown a "breath of fresh air."

"It was somebody that spoke differently," he said.

Since District Council 33's endorsement in the winter, Brown has been the target of other campaigns and has dealt with an ethics lawsuit against a PAC supporting him. Brown has also been critical of unions backing other mayoral candidates.

Despite this, Garrett still believes Brown is the right candidate.

"Jeff Brown's not a politician," Garrett said. "Everybody makes mistakes. I don't think he truly meant what he said about those unions. I was in the audience when he said it."

Brown released a statement on District Council 33's endorsement.

"I value and appreciate the union endorsement by District Council 33. I met with the union leaders of sanitation to address all of their concerns and to reinforce my commitment to them and all city workers," Brown wrote. "My priority is to make sure our city workers have everything they need to perform their jobs safely, with the respect they deserve. They should be paid wages that allow them to take care of their families and have a better life. I look forward to working with everyone, whether or not they share my priorities."

Aside from Sanchez, Local 427, and Local 403, Parker also gained endorsements from former mayoral candidate and City Council member Derek Green, Philadelphia’s two U.S. congressmen Dwight Evans and Brendan Boyle along with City Council President Darrell Clarke.

Currently, there are nine Democratic candidates in the Philadelphia mayoral race and one Republican candidate. The Philadelphia primary election will take place on Tuesday, May 16.