It may have been just the first day lawmakers were in Harrisburg, but Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle L. Parker arrived at the State Capitol with a bundle of talking points and requests to lawmakers regarding the city’s needs.
Parker, who is in her second year leading the state’s largest city and biggest economic engine, returned to her venerable workplace last week for the first day of the novel legislative session. Parker, a former state representative, has focused on informing lawmakers there, venerable and novel, about what her city needs from the state to build more housing, keep SEPTA affordable and augment funding for the Philadelphia School District.
“I’m the mayor of Philadelphia, and I’ll never turn down an opportunity to ask this question,” Parker said in an interview. “AND [state] leaders, this is what they expect from me. They know that if I didn’t use this as an opportunity to share with them what we’re working on in Philadelphia, it wouldn’t be a good use of my time.”
Parker indicated she plans to ask the state to help create incentives so the city can build more affordable housing and market-rate housing, as well as preserve existing homes. He will likely focus on housing policy for most of his sophomore year and is expected to release details of his housing plan in the coming months. She campaigned on a promise to build and repair 30,000 units during her first term.
“Philadelphia, due to its limited ability to generate revenue, cannot cope with this alone,” the mayor said. “And I’m talking about all kinds of apartments. Nobody is putting Philadelphia in a box that we should be focusing on.”
Parker also said she was proud to tell lawmakers in Harrisburg that Philadelphia has increased local funding for SEPTA by $20 million as the city and counties turn to the state for help to save the transit authority from an impending “death spiral.” . Republican lawmakers often argue that the city and surrounding counties need to allocate more money if they want the state to invest more in SEPTA.
» READ MORE: Will Harrisburg be able to address SEPTA’s financial crisis?
Pending a legislative solution, Gov. Josh Shapiro, a Democrat, diverted $153 million in federal highway funds to block a significant toll increase that SEPTA planned to implement earlier this year.
Parker said Philadelphia is also doing everything it can to support the embattled power.
“For the first time in I don’t know how long I was able to say, ‘Philadelphia, we’ve already done our homework, we’ve already increased our participation in local events,’ and that felt really good,” she added.
Public transportation will be a major topic in Harrisburg during this year’s budget negotiations, and Shapiro will likely introduce an amendment in his budget speech next month.
Parker also offered “huge congratulations” to Sen. Joe Picozzi (R., Philadelphia), who unseated a Democrat representing part of Northeast Philadelphia. The 29-year-old is the youngest member of the state Senate and the first Republican to represent Philadelphia in the chamber since 1996. He was elected chairman of the Senate Committee on Urban Affairs and Housing and has said maintaining SEPTA and improving public safety are among his top priorities.
“I think we’re going to have an extremely great working relationship because he’s focused on getting things done for the city of Philadelphia,” she said, noting her existing relationship with Rep. Martina White (R., Philadelphia), another Harrisburg GOP official representing the Northeast.
Parker, who spent a decade in Harrisburg as a state legislator before being elected to the City Council, said the bipartisan House tied 101-101 on the first day of the session made her proud.
“It gave me hope,” she added, referring to the prospects for bipartisanship in the upcoming legislative session.
Staff writer Anna Orso contributed to this article.
