Having less than a week before cutting out the drastic services of Septa, the mayor of Philadelphia Cherlle L. Parker said that he was in “continuous communication” with republicans and democrats in Harrisburg and remains optimist that they will achieve a state budget agreement that will provide a life line for the transit system.
“I have confidence in our governor, our legislative leaders, and even in republican management that we will find a way to do it,” said Parker in an interview with Inquirer on Monday. “I was a supporter and a lawyer in a significant way for mass transit in the city of Philadelphia and the community of Pennsylvania long before it was popular.”
This summer, Parker was not very observable in the fight to prevent the cuts of services planned on Sunday, and then the tariff increases on September 1. She gave her the most solid comments about the crisis standing in front of the mass transport agency on Friday after asking o septa At a press conference on an unrelated topicA novel contract for Philadelphia Police Union.
»Read more: The mayor of Cherlle Parker calls the proposal of the GOP Senate “Fuzzy Math” and calls on the legislators to finance SEPTA
On Monday, Parker advertised her years of work promoting Septa as a legislator and said that she focused on the detailed tasks needed to provide the contract. She said that the city did “homework”, increasing the local subsidy to the sept in the city budgetHe passed in Juneand work behind the scenes with legislators who have strings of handbags for state financing.
“For people who want me to be performance – when I have something to say and then call a press conference, I will say it,” said Parker. “But you won’t always see my work in social media and it has never been me and it will never be.”
Several transit supporters said on Tuesday that they are not sure what Parker did recently to develop negotiations in Harrisburg, but he hopes that he will be able to facilitate in doing something.
“It is not clear to us what the mayor of Parker is trying to help to solve the situation, but we trust that he cooperates with our delegation to protect the riders of SEPTA,” said Alex Millone, coke of the Transit Committee for the Urban Organization Non -Profit Organization 5.
»Read more: Everything we know about how septa can change on August 24
Stephen Bronskill, a transit coalition manager Philadelphia, applauded Parker’s comments on Friday, when the mayor called for a balanced income stream for Sept and suggested that the proposal of the GOP Senate from the Senate about the realocation of mass capital transit funds to connect the agency’s operational deficit.
“I was really encouraged to see the mayor speaking one day,” said Bronskill. “We are very happy to accept the city’s involvement. Welcome to business leaders, the Labor Party.
»Read more: Is there actually $ 1 billion in the septa fund? Explanation of the Public Transport Fund.
Parker visited Harrisburg three times this year, in January, February and June. She refused to comment with which the Republicans were in contact, when a septa attempt appeared.
Former representative of the state John Taylor, a Republican who represented a part of the north -eastern Philadelphia until 2018, said he was aware that Parker was talking to the two best GOP leaders in the Senate.
“Długa talked on the phone [President Pro Tempore] Kim Ward, I know she was on the phone [Majority Leader] Joe Pittman and I know that her role is, No. 1, the need for “sept financing, said Taylor.
“ Get up ‘
In the mayor’s election in 2023, Parker often advertised her ability to work in the transition, pointing to the main legal acts that she helped when she was a democratic legislator of the state during the time of uniform GOP control in Harrisburg.
For example, as the chairman of the Philadelphia delegation at home, Parker helped pass ACT 89 from 2013, $ 2.3 billion for transport bill, which increased the financing of roads and bridges – and covered $ 450 million into mass transit.
Parker learned to success when she was in Capitol.
First of all, she said, Philadelphia must make up for “home work” before she could ask for more money, preventing GOP legislators from listening to why they should cough funds for Philly, if the city does not take their role. As for the septa financing crisis, Philadelphia has increased the annual subsidy for the transit agency in both city budgets since the office covered by Parker and plans to spend 792 million dollars on sept in five years.
The second step in the textbook is to provide selected officials from the united city to prevent the use of division and economic strategy.
»Read more: The debate for financing SEPTA digs out a rural division for many years
To this end, it seems that Parker has swallowed his reservations about the spread of so -called skill games, unspecified and unregulated machine -style consoles that appeared in gas stations and multi -branch stores. Parker is one of the many officials from Philadelphia who perceive them as magnets for a crime, and previously supported them in the city.
But to present the united front, she said that Philadelphia must be “agnostic”, where new transit money came from, and strongly supported the Governor Josh Shapiro’s proposal to partially deliver sept, and not prohibiting games.
»Read more: The so -called “skill games” are focused on the poor Philly districts. Local leaders do not want it to be the only stream of mass transit financing.
And finally, Parker’s formula is to focus on “getting to yes”, not on choosing fights – which in this case means a decrease in connections from some progressors and transit activists to condemn GOP legislators more strongly, who are on the border of the destructive partition.
“If someone thinks that the mayor of the city of Philadelphia is in a state of republicans, how bad they are and that they are morally bankrupt,” said Parker – “If you think that in this way you get to the General Congregation of Pennsylvania, you know nothing about how to reach” yes “.
But despite her speech on the mayor’s campaign trail about increasing Philly through intermediation within the Republicans of Harrisburg, Parker said that this is not her role to mention the final agreement of Selt, which is related to negotiations on the state budget, currently eight weeks.
“I am not at the budget table in the end,” said Parker.
“Don’t worry about the political influence”
The political climate has changed since leaving Harrisburg in 2015.
Republican reluctance to huge, diverse cities developed only during the height of President Donald Trump, and the center such as Parker lost their activity in both parts.
Asked if she is worried that a state -controlled senate controlled by GOP can hurt Septa so that Shapiro, who is perceived as a potential main democratic pretender in the presidential race 2028, Parker was talking about talking about another group: progressed.
Parker noticed that the polls regarding her performance were sent to voters from Philadelphia during two crises this summer – the city trade union strike in July and the septa financing date – and suspects that it is because the groups on the left testing weaknesses to potentially challenge its re -election in 2027.
“Something is happening here politically,” she said. “It is clear to me that there is a constituency for which politics is more important than politics and budget. I will allow them to focus on conducting polls and politics. I am the mayor of this city.”
Parker said she wasn’t sure if the Republicans were playing games with Septa to hurt Shapiro – and said that she hoped it wasn’t. But for her, the idea that conservatives would threaten mass transit because of this was tantamount to its potential political opponents on the left, trying to employ the crises in front of which the city faces.
A party of progressive working families actually stands behind the first survey on the results of Parker, which surveyed Philly Democrats during a few days after the disputed eight -day strike of the American Federation of State, Federation and Municipal Workshop 33.
»Read more: “They are my peoples”: the mayor of Cherielle Parker about why she stood strongly in DC 33 City Worker Strike
“Like all organizations, a part of working families often conducts a survey to measure the electorate opinion about important events throughout the city,” said Nick Gavio, spokesman for the part of working families. “We were proud of strongly supporting the hitting employees of AFSCME DC 33 and we are fighting to ensure that Harrisburg will provide a budget that finances that he finances a minimum wage and improves the conditions for people working in Pennsylvania.”
It was unlucky at once who paid for the second survey, which surveyed residents regarding the opinion of Parker, Septa and senator of state Joe Picozzi (R., Philadelphia), who was heavily involved in the conversation with transit financing. Gavio said WFP was not involved.
The first 501 survey probably the main voters 2027, the results of which were obtained by Inquirer, had mixed results for Parker. Despite the fact that it takes place during the crisis, in which the “piles of Parker” of the garbage lining the streets of the city, the survey showed the mayor with a net positive assessment, with 50% approving its results and 47% disapproval.
»Read more: “If this means that I am a one -time mayor, let it be so.” The mayor of Cherlle Parker puts it all on the line in the strike of city employees.
However, this was much lower than 63% of the approval assessment, which was secured by Pew Charitable Trust at the beginning of the year in which a completely different methodology was used.
However, 52% most said that they prefer to vote for someone else for the mayor in 2027 than Parker, and only 32% approved the way they deal with the strike.
Parker said that she would not let the surveys distract her.
“I would claim that there are people who hope for the worst, who hope it has a negative political influence,” said Parker, “but I’m not worried about the political influence. I am worried about what to do as a mayor.”
Staff writer Gillian McGoldrick contributed to this article.
