Aye. The ayes are 17. The nays are 0. Mr. Decker, having received a unanimous vote of the members of City Council, I now declare Mr. Michael Inauguration -- Stated Meeting 76 01/02/2024 Decker duly-elected Chief Clerk of this City Council. (Applause.)
Councilmember Gauthier and Councilmember O'Neill will escort Mr. Decker to the rostrum. The oath of office will be administered by the Honorable Timika Lane, Judge of the Pennsylvania Superior Court. Let's give Mr. Decker another round of applause, y'all. Mike keeps the oil moving in City Council. (Applause.) JUDGE LANE: All right. Place your left hand on the Bible. Raise your right hand and repeat after me. (Oath of office administered.) JUDGE LANE: Congratulations. (Applause.)
At this time, I want to ask for the Leadership team to please stand when Inauguration -- Stated Meeting 77 01/02/2024 your name is called. I will name the officers of City Council. For the major -- please be advised that by a vote of the democratic members of City Council, the Honorable Katherine Gilmore Richardson was elected Majority Leader, the Honorable Isaiah Thomas was elected Majority Whip, and the Honorable Cindy Bass was elected Majority Deputy Whip of the City Council of Philadelphia. (Applause.)
Also, be advised that by a vote of the members of the Council from the Working Families party, the Honorable Kendra Brooks was elected Minority Leader and the Honorable Nicholas O'Rourke was elected Minority Whip of the City Council of Philadelphia. (Applause.)
Let's please give them a real big round of applause. Inauguration -- Stated Meeting 78 01/02/2024 (Applause.)
The next order of business is the introduction of the resolution concerning the rules of government of the Council of the City of Philadelphia. And the Chair recognizes Councilmember Gauthier.
Thank you, Mr. President. I offer the following resolution.
And the Chief Clerk will read the title of the resolution.
A resolution to provide rules for the government of the Council of the City of Philadelphia.
Thank you, Mr. President. I move that the rules, as set forth in this resolution, be adopted as the Inauguration -- Stated Meeting 79 01/02/2024 temporary rules of the Council until the permanent rules are adopted.
The Chair thanks the Councilmember. The Chair recognizes Councilmember Thomas.
All in favor of the motion will signify by saying aye. (Aye.)
The ayes have it and the motion is carried. The rules contained in this resolution have been adopted temporarily. The resolution will be placed on the Final Passage Calendar for consideration at our next session of Council. The organization of the Inauguration -- Stated Meeting 80 01/02/2024 Council of the City of Philadelphia and investiture of the City Councilmembers are complete, in accordance with the provisions of the Home Rule Charter. The Council is honored by the presence -- and most of y'all may or may not know, I'm Baptist Catholic by way of St. Monica's Parish in South Philadelphia -- so I am honored to ask for Father Joseph Kelley of St. Monica Roman Catholic Church to please come up and offer us and lead us in prayer.
In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Almighty God, we ask your blessing upon our good friend, my good friend, Council President Kenyatta Johnson. We call your blessing down upon his wonderful wife Dawn and his children. As he takes on this great ministry for the City of Inauguration -- Stated Meeting 81 01/02/2024 Philadelphia, a city that which bears the name of love, a city that we love, we ask that you continue to endow him with a spirit of wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge and fear of the Lord. We ask that he serve our entire city as well as he served us, his constituents, in the 2nd Councilmanic District. As a man of great faith, we know that he will embrace and love all the people of our great city, people of diverse religions, people who profess no religion, people of all races, creeds and backgrounds. For we are all united in one common goal. As Christians, we believe as the Bible says that if we were to describe God in any way, shape or form, we would say simply that God is love. As Council President Kenyatta Johnson leads us to work together through our differences and come together in the love that we know we Inauguration -- Stated Meeting 82 01/02/2024 have for each other, we will come to know love more deeply and in that, come to know God. We ask this in Jesus's name. Amen. (Amen.) (Applause.)
Thank you, Father Kelley. At this time, I invite the Monumental Baptist Church Choir to perform "For Every Mountain." The choir is directed by Minister Gary Taylor. Can we give them a round of applause please. (Applause.) (Monumental Baptist Church Choir performs.) (Applause.)
We thank Monumental Baptist Church Choir for that beautiful and inspiring performance. Now, at this time I would like to introduce another one of my Inauguration -- Stated Meeting 83 01/02/2024 spiritual big brothers who calls and checks on me from time to time without a lot of fanfare, just an all-around great gentleman. So I'm going to call up Mr. Alyn E. Waller, Senior Pastor of Enon Baptist Church before we proceed with the induction of the Mayor of the City of Philadelphia. Pastor Waller, come on up, Big Bro.
Let's bow our heads. Eternal God our Father, God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, God of Harriet, God of Simone, the God of Cherelle, God of Martin, Malcolm and Medgar, God, we thank you for this day. We thank you for allowing us to gather as we celebrate history. We thank you for allowing us to gather to exercise our franchise in democracy. We thank you for the gift of your daughter to give leadership to this great city. Inauguration -- Stated Meeting 84 01/02/2024 Lord, I begin praying first for Langston. I pray, oh God, that Langston not lose a mother while we gain a Mayor. I pray that you cover him, that you make his way easy and that you develop him, oh God. Give him friends that will understand the uniqueness of his position and help him more to grow into the man you designed him to be. And then, God, I pray for our new Mayor. I pray, God, that you would surround her with people that love her, people that respect her, people that will evidence those truths by telling her the truth, by bringing the best of themselves to her service. That I pray, oh God, for those who dawned this stage, that they will engage in political discourse that will lead to the edification of our community, that we would be the City of Brotherly Love and Sisterly Affection. And then, God, I thank you Inauguration -- Stated Meeting 85 01/02/2024 for this woman of God, this woman that you've raised for such a time as this. I thank you for her uniqueness. I thank you for her ability to lead. I thank you for her grit and her grace. I pray, oh God, that you ground her with wisdom. Help her to balance all the demands that will be placed on her. Help her, Lord, to shine but also help, Lord, to lead. Then, God, I thank you. I thank you for what you've already done for us. And I thank you for what's yet to come. I thank you for a crime rate that's going to go down. I thank you for the child that's going to be educated. I thank you, God, for the things that will happen in this Administration. And then, God, I pray that you give her holy boldness to lead everybody but not be ashamed of addressing the particular needs of her Black people who are in this Inauguration -- Stated Meeting 86 01/02/2024 City, oh God, where we uniquely find ourselves in a country that we started as slaves but we just keep coming. And for that, God, we are grateful. And then, God, we thank you for what we will experience. We thank you that better days are ahead for Philadelphia because Cherelle Parker is about to sit in the seat. And we thank you that you're going to use her mightily. And then, God, I thank you for the privilege of seeing it and I thank you for the privilege of exercising, the privilege of prayer and asking your protection over her. And, God, as I get ready to take my seat, I pray this prayer in the name significant to me. I pray this prayer in the name of one who was dead but is alive forever more. I pray this prayer in the name of a Palestinian Jew named Jesus. I pray this prayer and I Inauguration -- Stated Meeting 87 01/02/2024 thank you, God, for the victory through Christ our Lord. Let every heart say Amen. (Amen.)
Thank you, Reverend Waller. Will everyone please be seated as you already are. At this time, I invite the Enon Tabernacle Baptist Church Mass Choir to perform "God is Able." The choir is directed by the fabulous and outstanding Dr. Cassandra Jones. (Enon Tabernacle Baptist Mass Choir performs.) (Applause.)
I want to thank Enon Tabernacle Baptist Church Mass Choir for that outstanding performance. Let's give Inauguration -- Stated Meeting 88 01/02/2024 them another round of applause. (Applause.)
And now I have the great opportunity to invite Emmy-award winning actress and activist Ms. Cheryl Lee Ralph to offer a poem in the celebration of the inauguration of Mayor Cherelle L. Parker. Let's give her a real big round of applause, y'all. (Applause.)
In this, the great city of Philadelphia. In years passed where the enslaved ran, walked, groveled came here in search of freedom. Today in memory of those ancestors, let us not forget that we are witnessing history. The occasion, the inauguration of the first female Mayor of the City of Philadelphia. A poem written by none other than me. And the sister, the City of Brotherly Love and Sisterly Affection there beats a heart where Inauguration -- Stated Meeting 89 01/02/2024 history weaves. Birthing an unlikely trailblazer among golden leaves. Her path, a tale of strength untold. The first female, a Mayor so bold. Through cobblestone streets and echoing City Halls, she shattered ceilings scaled some mighty walls. Her voice, a deep melody resilience in rhyme. A beacon for change, transcending time. With grace she danced in the steel face of doubt. In every step, a legacy laid out. A symphony of progress, notes pure and clear. A melody that silenced the whispers of fear. In heritage rich where painful shadows persist. She is painting futures with a color named Resist. A canvas to be transformed by her guiding hand. A portrait of hope, a woman determined to take a stand. North, south, northeast and west, she spoke of unity. A city tapestry anew, stitching dreams for every color, every shade and every Inauguration -- Stated Meeting 90 01/02/2024 hue. Her mayoral throne, a symbol profound, breaking barriers as the walls, oh, they will come down. The City of Philadelphia will echo her historic name, a testament of courage forever a flame. In the animals of time, her story will be etched. Philadelphia's first female Mayor, a Black queen firmly stretched, the Honorable Mayor Cherelle L. Parker. (Applause.)
Can we give Sheryl Lee Ralph another big round of applause for that great poem. (Applause.)
We will now proceed with the induction of the Mayor of the City of Philadelphia. The Chair appoints Councilmember Phillips, Councilmember Landau, Councilmember Gilmore Richardson and Councilmember Driscoll to escort the Honorable Cherelle L. Inauguration -- Stated Meeting 91 01/02/2024 Parker, Mayor of the City of Philadelphia, to the rostrum. The Mayor will be joined at the podium by Philadelphia -- come on up, Ms. Marcia. Ms. Marcia Fudge, come on up, please. So also joining Cherelle at the rostrum are Bill Mullins, Darryl Parker, Tonyelle Cook-Artis, Gladys James, Wylene Tryste, Brenda Rivera, Nafeeka Wakeel and Yasmin Everett. SECRETARY FUDGE: Good afternoon. I know it's a whole lot of people in here. Good afternoon. (Good afternoon.) SECRETARY FUDGE: God is good. We need to be excited today about what's going on right now. My name is Marcia Fudge. I am a former Mayor. And it is my singular and high honor to have been asked to administer the oath of office to my friend and to whom I know who will be the greatest Mayor the City of Philadelphia has ever seen. Inauguration -- Stated Meeting 92 01/02/2024 And to her family having been a Mayor, it is not easy. People say it's lonely at the bottom. It's lonely at the top. So stay with her, have her back. (Oath of office administered.) SECRETARY FUDGE: Congratulations, Mayor. (Standing ovation.)
We were also joined by Commonwealth Court Judge who hails from South Philadelphia, Ms. Lydia Kirkland. The Chief Clerk will read the certificate of election of the Honorable Cherelle L. Parker as Mayor of the City of Philadelphia.
Cherelle L. Parker, at an election held November 7, 2023 you were duly-elected Mayor of the City of Philadelphia for a four-year term, commencing the first Monday of January 2024. (Applause.) Inauguration -- Stated Meeting 93 01/02/2024
Members of City Council, reverend clergy, elected officials, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, I have the distinct honor to present to you, Her Honor, the Mayor of the City of Philadelphia, the Honorable Cherelle L. Parker. (Applause.)
To be standing here with my family and friends and my village, including when South -Council President Kenyatta gave her props for being from South Philly. But, Mr. President, in 2005 she was in Harrisburg swearing Cherelle Parker in. And I'm referring to none other than my good friend, Senior Municipal Court Judge here in our great City of Philadelphia, Lydia Kirkland. Give her a huge round of applause. (Applause.)
To have my oath of office administered today by Inauguration -- Stated Meeting 94 01/02/2024 none other than the Honorable Marcia L. Fudge, you need to know that she was so humble when she just came up here. But I was two years young in this dynamic sisterhood called Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. when she became our 21st National President. And for my sorors who are in the audience and also my Divine Nine brothers and sisters, you know how sacred this moment is for me right now to have her here with me. You heard her mention that she was a former Mayor. Yeah, but as usual, what she didn't tell you is that she was the first female and the first African American Mayor of Warrensville Heights, Ohio. She's the former Congresswoman from the 11th District, and she is currently the 18th Secretary of the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development, but she's here today in our own right. Did I say it right? Inauguration -- Stated Meeting 95 01/02/2024 SECRETARY FUDGE: (Nodded affirmatively).
This is surreal. I could never have imagined this. Thank you, Jesus. Soror Sheryl Lee Ralph, where are you? Thank you. You cut your vacation short to be here. You could have been in Hollywood right now, but you chose to be here. And I want you to know that I'm grateful. Let me start by thanking my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, for whom all things are possible. And for those of you who know me and you know my life, you know that's not a line for me. I wouldn't be standing here today were it not for the grace and mercy of God. It is with that in mind that I say Happy New Year to you, the great City of Philadelphia. To our Council President Johnson, newly-elected Council President Johnson, it sounds good when we say it. Say Council Inauguration -- Stated Meeting 96 01/02/2024 President Johnson. (Council President Johnson.)
This is going to work out well, Mr. President. We know how to do this thing called call and response, so we're going to be able to get a whole lot done together as partners. Give our Council President a huge round of applause. (Applause.)
To him and to all our members of City Council, the leadership and all of the members who were elected, to our faith leaders who are present, all of our role officers, thank you so very much for being here and congratulations to each of you. I also want to say to our former Mayors who are here, some here, some could not be here. Former Mayor Green, Mayor Goode is here. Trailblazing, trendsetting, historymaking, first Black Mayor of the City of Philadelphia W. Wilson Goode is Inauguration -- Stated Meeting 97 01/02/2024 here. I want to acknowledge Mayor Rendell. And to Mayor John F. Street, who made the Neighborhood Transformation Initiative a thing people will never forget. Mayor Nutter could not be here, but he visited me yesterday. And to my good friend, the 99th Mayor of the City of Philadelphia. A gentleman who made improving parks, rec centers and libraries his number one priority, but he also understood that if we would give 3- and 4-year-olds throughout the City of Philadelphia access to the opportunity to get an early childhood education that by the time they got into kindergarten when they were 5 years old, they would be prepared to compete with children who had come from more privileged families. So when people ask you about his legacy, I want you to tell them Inauguration -- Stated Meeting 98 01/02/2024 about Mayor Jim Kenney's effort to educate our children. And not just through Rebuild, but through Philadelphia PHLpreK. Give him a round of applause please. (Applause.)
Give it up for Mr. Mayor. I see Senator, our U.S. Senator Casey is here. Our Lieutenant Governor Austin Davis is here and Congress members Evans, Boyle and Scanlon are here along with Speaker McClinton and members of the Pennsylvania General Assembly are here, along with the Judiciary -- and I'm not sure if it's true, but someone told me that we have Mayor Eric Adams from New York City here. Is Mayor Eric Adams here somewhere? Wherever you are, hello, Mr. Mayor. I need to stop right here for a second and he's not expecting this. But I have to give credit where credit is due. The gentleman who served as a Councilmember for the 5th Inauguration -- Stated Meeting 99 01/02/2024 District along with our Council President who I often referred to as my big brother, Council President Darrell Clarke, I want you to know that our working together was not something that a whole lot of people ever expected us to do. They wanted us to stay caught up in the past because Council President Johnson, he's got this thing planted in my brain right now about a new day. You've been talking about a new day. And when he and I started working together, people thought we were going to get up in the antiquated, outdated, territorial tribal warfare that was donned against Bill Gray and Black people just fighting each other for no darn reason at all. And we got a chance to work together when you were President and I was a member of the Pennsylvania General Assembly. We did some amazing work for the City of Inauguration -- Stated Meeting 100 01/02/2024 Philadelphia and we laid a strong foundation that we would later build on. And I want to give credit where credit is due and say, Big Bro, I wouldn't be here standing today on this strong legacy were it not for you. Give Darrell Clarke a huge round of applause. Thank you. (Applause.)
Thank you. It's well-deserved. Thank you. I want to thank each of our elected officials for being here. The reason why it was important for me to go through that list is because for those of you who will take a stroll back mentally and remember the Primary Election and General Election, I kept talking about a thing that a lot of people were laughing at me about. It was called intergovernmental cooperation and planning. And I was saying to people that if it was God's will and they Inauguration -- Stated Meeting 101 01/02/2024 gave me access to the opportunity to become Mayor of this City of Philadelphia, that I alone wouldn't be able to solve the complex issues that were facing us, but instead we would have to have an intergovernmental cooperation and planning arrangement at every branch of government. Now, I hope Philadelphia -because I'm going to talk about this in a second, that you understand what we just did. You just saw the Secretary for the United States Housing and Urban Development here in her own right, but she's here. You just saw and heard me mention our Lieutenant Governor Austin Davis, our United States Senator Bob Casey, our Congressional Delegation is here. Moneybags Appropriations Chairmen in both House in the Pennsylvania General Assembly, Jordan Harris on the House side, and my good friend and my brother and my therapist State Inauguration -- Stated Meeting 102 01/02/2024 Senator Vincent Hughes, Democratic Appropriations Chairman on the Senate side. And then you got the lady who keeps all of the order and keeps the structure going, our Speaker of the House Joanna McClinton. If we missed this opportunity to deliver in a meaningful way for the City of Philadelphia not just for the next four years but the work that we do now, it should be a foundation for the future. Our children should be saying in every neighborhood that they go to, wow, we saw on a video where they don't even do videos, they streamed it, whatever they do for this day in the future, and you know some of the things that they talked about they got done. Council President Johnson, to every leader whose name I just mentioned, if we don't get -- I'm not talking about incremental change. I'm talking about bold transformative steps that when people walk outside Inauguration -- Stated Meeting 103 01/02/2024 of their houses, they can touch, see and feel the results of our labor. (Applause.)
If they don't see it, it's on us. I want to congratulate each and every member who was sworn in today. Your victory in a new term that begins today. I want to stop now and thank Philadelphians for giving me a chance to earn their support and for believing in me and my vision for the future of our city. When I started on this campaign, I wasn't going to say it. But I'm going to tell. Don't get mad. Sincere or Aren are hollering at me somewhere. When I started out on this campaign, I want you to know that you crisscross the City and you talk to different constituencies, and sometimes you will talk to people and primarily the group will be based on race, a Black group or a White group or a Latino group or it will be a Inauguration -- Stated Meeting 104 01/02/2024 low-to-moderate income, it will be a wealthy community or a working-class community. And we had some experts who came to try to offer our little scrappy campaign some advice because we weren't the biggest candidate in the field. And they said, well, what you should do is you should tell her that if she wants to win when she goes to the Northeast, she should talk like this (lowers voice), and her message should be about that. And so, what about when she comes back home to the home base in North Philadelphia and she's Uptown sitting in the hairdresser or the barbershop in West Philadelphia or in South Philadelphia, what am I supposed to do? I couldn't do anything, Philadelphia, but affirm not through words. But I had to affirm through my actions that I was going to stay true to who I am, my story, my life. Inauguration -- Stated Meeting 105 01/02/2024 (Applause.)
That I wasn't going to try to put on an image that Cherelle Parker is a bastion of perfection and that if you would just vote for me, everything in our city would change. Because I'm standing on the shoulders of a people who prayed for me in the midst of it all, I could only be here because you, the people of our great City of Philadelphia from all walks of life who picked up what I put down when I said I won't allow race, class, socioeconomic status, zip code, religion, sexual orientation or identity, that I would not allow any of that to change my message to you and/or who I am. So on today while I do stand here as the 100th Mayor of the City of Philadelphia, sixth largest city, birthplace of democracy, I want you to know that I only get the opportunity to meet this moment Inauguration -- Stated Meeting 106 01/02/2024 because of each and every one of you. And for that, I am extremely grateful. Philadelphia, thank you for allowing me to be me. It's something that I'll never forget. (Applause.)
When I start talking about my background, y'all remember probably one of the first intros people were asking me, you know, we don't really see people doing that a whole lot, like why -you've been elected for X number of years. I've never heard you -- I never thought you had a life that was oh so difficult, Cherelle. I mean, you've never said anything out loud like that before. Like, why haven't you shared it. Well, you know, where I come from, you do what you do. But I don't want any unnecessary sorrow or sympathy for me. I don't want anybody lowering their expectations, because you know that life for me Inauguration -- Stated Meeting 107 01/02/2024 ain't been no crystal stair so I just didn't talk about it a whole lot. But because I've shared it, I hope that everyone in this City will see something of themselves in me and that you will have confidence and that you will absorb a certain amount of grace that I know I get from you that confidence and grace that will help me lead our city. And I hope that will you help you help move our city forward. I want to say this to my young prince, another thing people didn't want me to say out loud, my young prince, my son, my only child. Guess what, I told our First Lady that as soon as he held the Bible, he said, Mom -- he's so over this. He said, can I leave now. He's probably with Council President Johnson's children right now. But wherever you are, Langston, if you're under the sound of my voice and you can hear me, I Inauguration -- Stated Meeting 108 01/02/2024 want you to know that Mommy and Daddy love you more than anything else in this world. People were so shocked when they learned that my former husband and I worked extremely hard together co-parenting our son. And they expected me to just whisper about it or walk with my head held down and not my shoulders back. But I just said after I talked to people, you don't know how many people, other folks like me it is out there because people were coming up to me, Cherelle, I know it's possible right now, I think I'm going to pick up the phone and call y'all. I mean, y'all got along so well, I told him don't be getting no fancy-pancy ideas. But we do work well in co-parenting our son. Langston, we love you. I don't care what Mommy does in her professional life. Our most important role, Ben Mullins and I, is as your mother and father. And we Inauguration -- Stated Meeting 109 01/02/2024 won't allow anything to get in the way of that. No career, no job, no service, nothing will take away from our bond and nothing will ever take me away from you nor your father. We love you. (Applause.)
I want to start on my message today by saying to each of you that by every statistic imaginable, I am not supposed to be standing here today. Why? Because it is true for those of you who read it, I, Cherelle Parker, was a child who most people thought would never succeed and they really did almost have me thinking the same thing. So right now lots of people have been asking me how do you feel. And I've been telling them there are no words that I can explain the mix of emotions that I am feeling during this historic moment. I can only tell you that I have a deep-rooted Inauguration -- Stated Meeting 110 01/02/2024 sense of gratitude permeating in my heart and in my spirit since the people of our great City have given me access to this opportunity to serve them in a manner and a role that many thought would be impossible, you know, out of reach for someone like me. Cherelle, what do you mean? I mean, I want to say it loud that I was born to a single teenage mother without my biological father present in my life. My grandparents raised me. Mommy, a domestic worker, a domestic worker from Manning, South Carolina. Daddy, a disabled Navy veteran from Accomack County, Virginia who received public assistance. You heard me on the trail talk about that colored money in books. Some people whispered to me, well, what does she mean when she says the public money -- it means that my grandmother and my Inauguration -- Stated Meeting 111 01/02/2024 grandfather were on public assistance, that they had to receive food stamps and cash assistance to take care of me. I want you to know that were it not for their resilience, their stick-to-itiveness I wouldn't be here. I want to say to my family, to my community that brought me up, who believed in me, they believed in the power of education and they believed that it could change a life. They saw some things in me, and this is important when we look at the state of affairs in our city right now and what our young people are facing on a daily basis because some people act like they are all growing up in Cosby-like families and that is not the reality. I was the first college graduate in my family graduating from Lincoln University. (Applause.)
I was the first graduate of an Ivy League Inauguration -- Stated Meeting 112 01/02/2024 institution acquiring a Master's Degree from the University of Pennsylvania. (Applause.)
Then I went on to a career as a Certified Secondary English teacher. And for all the English teachers or teachers in general who are in the audience, don't forget to let people know how hard you work. Let them know you are NTE-passed and Praxis-passed teachers, and you are doing extremely hard work in our classrooms. I say all of this to let you know that two quotes, two quotes are the foundation of the work that you've seen me do throughout my career. And if you when you walked in you looked on your seat, if you got a book that was an action plan on the back of your seat, raise your hand so I can see if they gave out the action plans. (Hands raised.) Inauguration -- Stated Meeting 113 01/02/2024
Okay. I want you all to think about sister, Dr. Maya Angelou and a quote that she was often stating as she traveled across the country. " The second quote comes from one of my favorite civil rights activist in office and it's none other than the brilliant James Baldwin. And I truly think, and I want you to think about this through the lens of Philadelphians, and what they think about those of us who are here on this stage who are elected and who work in government and they see us putting our hands on Bibles and getting sworn in. But they go back into their neighborhoods and they're thinking about these promises that we made and they say, what about me, I don't see it. " Now, I want you to let those two sink in and to hear from my mouth to your ears, that I cannot do this alone. I did not get to this stage by myself. I believe that right now and at this very moment, and I mean this with all my heart and spirit, there's a block party going on in heaven right now. And my ancestors are saying right now, even my mother and my father -- took a lot of hours of therapy to say my biological father -- they are saying, my single teenage mother and him, thank you God for being a vehicle that allowed us to bring Cherelle in the world. He even used them. Inauguration -- Stated Meeting 115 01/02/2024 My grandmother and my grandfather are listening. And Daddy is saying, Mary Mason, don't you talk so long. Some people, they don't even know, the young people don't even know who Mary Mason is. But Daddy, that was my grandfather's nickname for me. And my Great-aunt Vi and my Great-grandmother Big Merk, 31st and Lehigh, they are all saying, she may not have thought that it was fair, but all of our hard work, the fruits of our labor, look at what it's yielding right now. But this is what she better not ever do because we'll come down from the heavens and touch her. If she ever thinks that any title she acquires, any academic credential she assumes, any professional development that she gets, any ounce of power that she gets, if she begins to get caught up in reading the headlines and getting used to people calling her Madam Mayor and feeling a tad bit Inauguration -- Stated Meeting 116 01/02/2024 haughty, we will touch her and remind her that the gifts that have been placed in you are not simply for you and your own personal advancement, but you are to use them to motivate, inspire and encourage others and make a difference in the lives of the people of our great City. It is with this in mind that I want to make sure that I talk about what I promised to the people of the City of Philadelphia. I want to acknowledge that promise, but I also want to acknowledge the shoulders who I stand on, other women in this City who blazed the path before me, who showed me the way. I couldn't make a promise like that which I am about to refer to had it not been for a lady named Augusta Alexander Clark, Gussie Clark. If I hadn't saw brawler by the name of Joan Krajewski, fighting for quality of life. And what about Roxanne Jones and the C. Delores Inauguration -- Stated Meeting 117 01/02/2024 Tucker, and the first woman President of the City Council of Philadelphia Anna C. Verna. I am not here but for their years of efforts, their years of fight, their years of service. And I want to give credit where credit is due because I stand on their shoulders. We lost Dr. Constance E. Clayton, who was the Superintendent of the schools when I was in the School District of Philadelphia. And she taught us that we, Philadelphia's children, were capable of anything if we received a high-quality, first-class education. My mentor, the one and only, the Boss Lady, Vincent Hughes would call her the Boss with the Hot Sauce. I'm referring to none other than Councilwoman Marian Tasco. )
Thank you. Who raised me politically and governmentally and showed me the way Inauguration -- Stated Meeting 118 01/02/2024 to reach this historic moment. I am here but for my beloved Boss Lady. I stand on the shoulders of those women. And I've got to say about this gentleman, let me stop here and say this about this gentleman. You hear me talk about intergovernmental cooperation and working in a bipartisan manner. I'm not sure if Republican State Senator Ward is here or Leader Pittman or Leader Cutler or any of my Republican friends from Harrisburg are here. But I want you to know that I would not have known the value and why it was so essential for a Democrat from Philadelphia to have a relationship with a Republican who may have come from rural Pennsylvania had it not been for a guy who when he got elected, I was 8 years old, he was tall and thin and had a whole lot of hair. He is now our Congressman Dwight Evans. Give him a huge round Inauguration -- Stated Meeting 119 01/02/2024 of applause. (Applause.)
Dwight was the one who made me run for the Statehouse. I wasn't interested. I said, who wants to go to Harrisburg. And Marian Tasco supported him and he told me to go to Harrisburg, if you remember, and learn how to be a legislator. Thank you so very much, Dwight. It is some of the greatest value and professional development that I have ever added to my career. And to you, I want to say thank you. You all are familiar with Sonia Sanchez, the great poet. And she had a poem called Love Colored with an Iron Lace, and that is who these women are and Dwight Evans is to me. It is because of them and because of their faith in me and your faith in me that I am standing here today. However, my Aunt Brenda is here. I don't know where she is. Inauguration -- Stated Meeting 120 01/02/2024 She said to me, so you are about to do something special and become the first woman, the 100th Mayor, and the first little Black girl from the 1900 block of Pittville Street to become Mayor of the City of Philadelphia. And she says, well, what are you going to do when even before you get started? There are naysayers who doubt the ability to turn the challenges that this City is facing around. What are you going to do when you are trying to move forward and proffer solutions, but all some folks seem to want to do is wallow in all that is wrong and discuss all of our woes as if where we are now is where we will have to be, what are you going to do when that happens? I made sure that I said to Aunt Brenda, and I want you all to hold on with me here, when you hear me begin talking about implementing the action plan that you have a tangible copy of, the reason why you Inauguration -- Stated Meeting 121 01/02/2024 have a copy of it is because it's a commitment to you, and that means I'm going to get it done because we gave our word. And when we are working to implement the goals that are included in that plan and you hear some people doubting us before we even get started, I want you to say to them, Don't throw shade on my Philly shine. And the reason why this is important is because sometimes we forget who we are. With all of our greatness, we forget what a mighty city that we really are. And so, I want to say that that promise that I made to people here in our City of Philadelphia, that when I swore this oath as Philadelphia's 100th Mayor, first woman to hold the office in 341 years, that I will do so with humility, with respect for the 99 who came before me and with the solemn process that if we work together, Council President Johnson, members of Inauguration -- Stated Meeting 122 01/02/2024 this body along with each and every one of you, we would make Philadelphia the safest, cleanest, greenest, big city in the nation with economic opportunity for all. I delivered that vision to you, members of this audience, residents in our great City of Philadelphia. You responded in the affirmative. And for that, I want you to know I'm grateful. I know it's a tall order, but we don't want people doing what I call becoming expert AOPs. You know them because you have them in your own lives. These are expert articulators of problems. They can go around and around and around in a circle telling you about a problem, but they are very, very, very short on delivering solutions. They will -- it's a thing. They will begin to remind us that, yes, it's true, a quarter of our citizens are living in poverty, Inauguration -- Stated Meeting 123 01/02/2024 that despite the progress in lowering the number of homicides, we still have far too many senseless shootings, too much gun violence and too many illegal guns on the streets of Philadelphia. We know that our neighborhoods, they too have been struggling under lots of blight, illegal trash-dumping and nuisances that in essence degrade the quality of life and enjoyment of our blocks and of our communities at large.
But I'm here to mention to each of you today is that we are going to be laser-focused on developing and implementing solutions to address our challenges and we're going to solve them for the people of our city. Because guess what you deserve to see, and this is going to sound like a novel idea. You deserve to see your tax dollars at work in your neighborhoods. And the way that you can all see, touch and feel, you Inauguration -- Stated Meeting 124 01/02/2024 deserve policies that come from the ground up with the community involved in every step of the way. Gone are the days where we spend our time and energy focused on people, places and things that encourage us to wallow in our woes. Hear me, we will not feed into that. As you heard me say we are proud Philadelphians, and I hope you have watched what we have been putting down recently. If you pick up that action plan, you will also know that in recent weeks we have assembled a team of Cabinet members for my Administration. And if you put them together, this group of men and women, they are bright, they are sharp, they are focused and they all share one common denominator. Guess what they have in common. They all have a can-do spirit. They have a how spirit. They have a we must rid our city of this culture of no in Inauguration -- Stated Meeting 125 01/02/2024 everything that we are trying to achieve. I want to make sure people know this. Nobody should ever come to me and tell me, Cherelle, I don't understand why we are changing the way we sharpen the pencils. We've been sharpening the pencils this way for 35 years. And I sharpen 10 pencils a day using the rotary pencil sharpener and this is the only way we know how to sharpen pencils here in the City of Philadelphia. I want you to know that you will have lost my attention. )
We must have a mindset of how are we going to do what I call GTY, how are we going to get to yes. The first way to get to yes is by doing this: You assemble a team of public servants with national reputations as experts in their field, from policing and public safety and organizational management Inauguration -- Stated Meeting 126 01/02/2024 and finance and economics and so many other areas. And I'm proud that we've appointed strong leaders with strong ties and experience in the City of Philadelphia. Someone said it's interesting that a lot of these people have lived here and worked here already. I said, well, we looked nationally. We just happened to come up with the best, most-qualified and connected candidates who don't need a GPS to make it to 52nd and Market Street. They know how to get there. There is so much work to be done and we cannot wait to get started. Public safety. In our first 100 days included in that plan, my Administration will announce specific plans to increase the number of Philadelphia police officers on our streets, listen, with the focus on community policing citywide. Stop, Cherelle, why is this important? In Inauguration -- Stated Meeting 127 01/02/2024 every neighborhood in the City of Philadelphia, remember Maya's quote. We can't get angry because people who live and work and own a business in our city have told us on many occasions that they don't feel safe in their neighborhood and we can't be angry at them because they have publicly expressed to us how they feel. But this is what we can do. We can tell them that we have a right to do our best to work on rebuilding trust between our police department and communities who have a reason not to trust, but to figure out by having officers engaged in community policing, walking the beat, riding the bikes. Officers there as guardians and not warriors, getting to know the people that they are sworn to protect and serve. Listen, they're there because they're making sure things are okay on your commercial corridor or at Inauguration -- Stated Meeting 128 01/02/2024 your rec center. They are there to build proactive relationships with you. And I didn't change my message no matter where I went in the City. And you know what, we can have both. We can have community policing and strengthen those police and community relationships. And we can have accountability at the same time where we have zero tolerance for any misuse and/or abuse of authority under the Parker Administration for any law enforcement official who does not follow the rules. Cherelle, how are you going to do it? We heard you talk about community policing. I'm also going to declare a public safety emergency. Yes, I am. (Applause.)
We are going to expeditiously get every available resource into neighborhoods, listen, struggle from scourges of crime, gun violence, drugs and addiction. I Inauguration -- Stated Meeting 129 01/02/2024 want you to know this: On a personal note, nothing was more frustrating for me on this campaign trail when I was working to earn your support than someone who said to me, Cherelle, we think you lack compassion when you talk about cleaning up the open air drug markets that had existed in our city. When you have talked about we have to do that now, you don't sound very compassionate. I want to say to each of you that our Police Commissioner Kevin Bethel, he's going to deliver plans for those crises and other crimes like car theft, shoplifting, yes, that retail theft and the illegal use of ATVs that diminish our quality of life. We're going to use a holistic approach to end in our city the crime, particularly the quality-of-life crimes that we have seen increase. But we are going to have a holistic approach to addressing public health and safety Inauguration -- Stated Meeting 130 01/02/2024 in our city. We're going to stay focused on what you heard me refer to as the PIE, prevention, intervention and enforcement. But I want you to know I'm not going to be afraid to make those tough decisions. And if somebody tells you that we think she lacks compassion because she wants to be too aggressive in cleaning the open air dug market, you tell them to think about whether or not they would want their mother, father, sister, brother or loved one on the streets openly using intravenous drugs in front of kids who have to walk by and go to school, business owners who are trying to survive and people in the community who are saying, please just don't forget about us. We're going to have a data-driven and research-based approach that is put together by the best law enforcement and public health professionals that we can Inauguration -- Stated Meeting 131 01/02/2024 find. But I want you to know everybody is not going to be happy when we make some of these decisions. We're going to make our city safe for the people who live here, who work here and who come into our city from the suburbs and from across the country and from across the world. Everybody's talking about 2026 and are you ready. If we don't get our own house in order before a company comes in, if we don't address public safety, we won't be ready to receive anybody in 2026. I want the world to know that I am fully committed to ending this sense of lawlessness and bringing order back to our city and a sense of lawfulness. End lawlessness. Bring order back and a sense of lawfulness right here in our city. We know that we can do it when we partner with the community, the partnerships come from the ground up, but there has to be, there has to Inauguration -- Stated Meeting 132 01/02/2024 be a sense that residents who live in the City of Philadelphia no matter their zip code deserve to have a high quality of life in their neighborhoods. (Applause.)
I believe, yes, I do believe that everybody deserves that. Clean and green. If you want to irk my nerves, let me hear you call our city Filthadelphia. We will launch a new approach to addressing quality-of-life issues like illegal short-dumping, cleaning up litter and graffiti, fixing potholes and removing abandoned cars. And y'all know we're not playing because guess what, with those abandoned cars and tractor trailers, we're going to be calling our friends at the Philadelphia Parking Authority. So that intergovernmental collaboration that we talk about, when you call us and you get mad because a car has been Inauguration -- Stated Meeting 133 01/02/2024 parked on your block and weeds are growing through the car, it's been there, there's no tags, and you get frustrated that we, the Councilmembers, those who are elected to public office can't get it moved fast enough, we are going to have partnerships. And, Mayor John Street, you should be proud because if there was anything that I know people remembered from your tenure in your office, they will say we will never forget Mayor Street removing all of those abandoned cars from the City of Philadelphia neighborhoods. So we're going to have our clean and green initiatives. And when we do that, abandon car removal will be a part of it. But we are also going to expand a successful neighborhoodbased commercial corridor cleaning program called PHL Taking Care of Business. Yeah, I'm really, really Inauguration -- Stated Meeting 134 01/02/2024 excited and proud about that. We're going to organize government in the community and businesses to collaboratively clean up our neighborhoods, beautify our streets and work towards a more sustainable future all with an eye towards environmental justice for underserved and underresourced communities. Now, on housing, we are going to create a one-front-door opportunity for residents to access all City-run home improvement programs in one place at one time through one application. We will develop a vision of what I refer to as affordable luxury, that is, affordable homes with high-end fixtures for homeowners and renters. We're going to preserve and build more affordable housing. And I talked about a goal of building 30,000 more units of housing. And we're going to provide more support for small businesses. Now, we're Inauguration -- Stated Meeting 135 01/02/2024 going to also do this and you -- no, that's something to be excited about. (Applause.)
Because what I'm about to say next, some people are going to say, is this really going to get done. We've already started this. We're going to order a top-to-bottom review of the City's Land Bank to better understand the challenges of developing vacant and City-owned property. And we're going to work to improve that process. If you're like me, I think it's unconscionable that we can have City-owned land and talk about having an affordable housing complex. We have to do what I've learned how to do, bring everybody to the table at one time. That means we have to call our state partners and say, please bring PHFA to the table. Call our federal partners and say, please bring HUD to the table. We need our Office of Planning and Development at Inauguration -- Stated Meeting 136 01/02/2024 the table and every office associated with the City. And we have to be intentional about ensuring that the same ole actors who have gotten an opportunity to develop these very own properties and build wealth by developing these properties in the Land Bank, that long-term owner-occupants, particularly Black and Brown people who live in neighborhoods throughout our city, they too deserve access to the opportunity to become developers and build wealth in their City. (Applause.)
It's not an either-or. If we work together, it's an and. We'll need the Building Trades. We will again need all of our federal, state and local partners and we're going to need the best and the brightest housing counseling agencies. And quite frankly, members of the development community who are interested and make a solemn Inauguration -- Stated Meeting 137 01/02/2024 commitment that they do want to be a part of growing the future of Philadelphia. Next, we want to talk about economic opportunity. People have often asked me how and why do you think you'll stand in a day. I'm standing because my education and my village and my training helped to put me on a path to self-sufficiency. We want all people on a path to selfsufficiency here in the City of Philadelphia, but they can't do that without access to an economic opportunity, a career, learning new skills so that they can earn a living wage, have health care, earn retirement security and take care of their families. And I want each and every one of you who are here today to know that we can't do that without the business community. I've been so frustrated over the past few years at times when I've seen this us versus them attitude as Inauguration -- Stated Meeting 138 01/02/2024 it relates to businesses as if Philadelphia doesn't need businesses open here in our city. When you take a look at our revenue that we generate to pay bills here in the City of Philadelphia and you realize what a significant contribution wage, business privilege and net profits tax bring here in the City of Philadelphia, you know we need to do what I'm about to state for the record. We're going to -- within our first 100 days, we're going to announce our PHL Open for Business Initiative that is going to do, and I hope you get this, exactly what the Council President noted in his remarks. We're going to reduce the red tape that it takes and how it makes it harder to do business here in our city, by requiring every department to submit to my office a list of the unnecessary permits and regulations that we can eliminate so Inauguration -- Stated Meeting 139 01/02/2024 that we can make it easier for you to do business here in the City of Philadelphia. (Applause.)
So while I've seen a lot of people over the years stand up and give great speeches, I've always been a tangible-based outcome person. On day 1, we want the business community to know that Philadelphia is officially open for business. We are open for business here in the City of Philadelphia. This is also something that we're going to do. We're going to eliminate the college degree requirements for many City of Philadelphia jobs so that people with real-lived life experiences, that they can lend their expertise toward making our city better and open the door for those good-paying job opportunities, listen, right here in the City of Philadelphia government. We can do that now. Inauguration -- Stated Meeting 140 01/02/2024 We've done that. We've started to do that already here in the City of Philadelphia for some employment opportunities, but we must do that across the board. We can follow in the footsteps of Maryland along with our great Commonwealth and our Governor Josh Shapiro. But we want to make sure that we remove any barriers to access to opportunities that don't allow our people to be put on a path to self-sufficiency. We are really excited about this agenda. We're excited about under economic opportunity having something that we never had in the City of Philadelphia before. People seem to have us focused on measuring these numbers in diversity, equity and inclusion. And a lady name Della Clarke and a guy named Harold Epps are beating me over the head all of the time saying, if you don't make it somebody's job to monitor the success of minority-owned businesses, we will Inauguration -- Stated Meeting 141 01/02/2024 never be able to advance and make the case for the capital that we need, because it's not another program. It's access to capital to move these businesses along. So we're going to be focused on minority business success. We will have a direct appointment to the Office of the Mayor, and we will convene our business roundtable. And we're going to bring together local, state and federal officials along with our business leaders who have a stake in the economic success of our city so that we can tap into the intellectual resources of Philadelphia and truly try to create economic opportunities for everyone. As it relates to education, I sat on a campaign trail, and I mean this wholeheartedly, we're going to develop a comprehensive strategy to provide meaningful out-of-school programs and job opportunities for students outside of regular school Inauguration -- Stated Meeting 142 01/02/2024 hours. We're going to prepare strategy for school building modernization and work closely with the School District on its own plan for school facilities. Listen, you heard me say I'm a teacher. Our children have the same right to come to school and receive a 21st century education in a clean, modern school building with state-of-the-art facilities and equipment as does any other child anywhere in this Commonwealth. And I don't care if they go to a traditional public or charter or parochial school. Well, we know what our obligation is to traditional public schools. It won't be an us versus them. We're going to be focused on building quality seats and we're going to be focused on listening to the people who are doing the work on a daily basis who are in our classrooms. Our teachers, our Inauguration -- Stated Meeting 143 01/02/2024 administrators, the people on the ground up so that they can provide us with guidance and instruction on what we need to give them in the classroom so that we can be successful. Why is this important? m. at night year-round. I want you to imagine the academic enrichment programs and the job programs, the workforce development, again the Building Trades.
If we're building new schools, training our children to build those schools, if we're building new houses, affordable units on market rate, how about training our young people to be prepared for those opportunities. We have exceptional colleges and universities, so that high school graduates are ready to enter the workforce. If we don't find a way to have this out-of-school-time Inauguration -- Stated Meeting 144 01/02/2024 training, we're going to miss a great opportunity to train our next generation of leaders. What does the longer hours mean? It means that parents who are working, they don't have to worry about trying to juggle childcare and earn a living to support their family at the same time. They don't have to feel guilty about I want to take these hours of overtime, but I need to get to school to pick up my child at the same time. We're going to do outreach, allowing my team and I to hear directly from those teachers and counselors and those principals on how to best attract, retain and how to support them. And we're going to seek out committed citizens, and I want you to hear me clearly, to serve our students as members of the School Board. Someone said, Cherelle, you're shouting that out loud but Inauguration -- Stated Meeting 145 01/02/2024 they don't get paid. It's one of the most important acts of public service that you could ever contribute to the City of Philadelphia. And we just need more people to consider having access to the opportunity and not only those people who can afford to sort of mount some kind of campaign. We need those of you who are in this audience and Philadelphians from across this City who have a passion and some academic and educational experience and real-life lived experience as it relates to public education to want to be able to help us with this effort. The final issue that I want to talk to you all about is something that I mentioned that I wasn't sure a lot of people understood. I like things to be organized. And I have never seen here in the City of Philadelphia an organized structure that allowed the Administration to work directly with the business Inauguration -- Stated Meeting 146 01/02/2024 community, the faith-based community and the intergovernmental community. We will be establishing three roundtables and these three roundtables will each have working groups, subject matter experts, for example, the growth and life sciences and biotech, institutions of higher learning, our Chambers of Commerce, workforce development training programs. We want to bring all of these entities together. The people who will be announced very shortly who have been selected to become a part of the Mayor's business roundtable we will announce them shortly, but we are going to lean on this group of individuals along with the business community at large to help us solicit and develop better ideas for how City Hall can serve all of the different constituencies and needs of our diverse city. Let me be clear again, these Inauguration -- Stated Meeting 147 01/02/2024 roundtables will have active vehicles to make and implement new policy in this City. So we want your ideas on how we can be more successful. We hope you will listen to our cause for your leadership to participate and that you will definitely respond. I want you to know that I know this is a lot that we've promised. All this we promise, we do and more. And I believe in a city government that our people can see, touch and feel with visible actions helping people at the neighborhood level, we want a government that can scale impact, take a solid program, expand what works, tweak what doesn't and serve more Philadelphians.
We want a revival a few blocks from here at City Hall, a City Hall that brings out the best of Philly with a more efficient government, one that hears people, is an employer of choice and relies on intergovernmental collaboration to Inauguration -- Stated Meeting 148 01/02/2024 bring more resources to our city. There will no longer be a tale of two cities in Philadelphia. We are going to close the gap between the haves and the have-nots. We're going to put people on the path of self-sufficiency. And what we're going to do is work on giving people the ability to take care of themselves. On this day I'm asking you to help me again. You helped me get here and stand before you today during this history-making moment. And I don't want you to judge me solely by what I'm about to say, but I need your help one more time. I pronounce that I'm not superwoman. I can't do this alone. We need each and every one of you to be engaged. When you get a call from your City government asking you to serve on a committee or on a board, especially when it comes time for us to get into neighborhoods and we talk Inauguration -- Stated Meeting 149 01/02/2024 about having our faith-based roundtables, conduct our information meetings about educational and employment opportunities with the City of Philadelphia, we need those blocks organized and we need you engaged. And it's going to take all of us, the entire City. With that being said, Philadelphia, I want people of you every race, class, socioeconomic status and gender, every religion all coming together. I know you will join me. I have all of the hope in the world that you will join me. I hope you've been feeling a sense of renewed energy. People have said it to me, Cherelle, we feel something that we haven't felt in the City of Philadelphia in a very, very, very long time. And I said to them, thank you. But if you don't want that feeling to go away, you got to make sure you're willing to roll up your Inauguration -- Stated Meeting 150 01/02/2024 sleeves and go to work with us. Philadelphia, I thank you so very much for this opportunity. I want you all to say this with me. Now, you've heard it referenced today. The vision was safer, cleaner, greener with access to economic opportunity for all. But if we all work together, I said that we would be working to build one Philly, a city united. But it's not real unless you say it with me. Everybody put your 1s in the air. Let me hear you all say, One Philly, a united city. )
I love you, Philly, and together we're going to get to work. Thank you. (Standing ovation.)
Let's give the next 100th Mayor of the City of Philadelphia another real big round of applause please. (Applause.) Inauguration -- Stated Meeting 151 01/02/2024
So we have a couple of housekeeping items. We're not done just yet. I want to take a moment to acknowledge Mayor Shawyn Paterson who traveled from -- Mayor Shawyn Patterson-Howard of Mt. Vernon, New York, who is head of the African American Mayors Association who came here today to support Mayor Cherelle Parker. Can we give him a round of applause. (Applause.)
I want to also circle back and acknowledge again and thank the Honorable Marcia L. Fudge, past National President of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., former Mayor, former Congresswoman and current Secretary of the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development for taking time out of her schedule and being here today. Let's give her another round of applause. Inauguration -- Stated Meeting 152 01/02/2024 (Applause.)
At this time, I want to remind Bibleholders to please follow the program. We will swear in the retention judges of the Common Pleas Court. Next, followed by newly-elected judges of the Common Pleas Court. If you are participating in this part of the program, please make your way to the stage alongside the aisle on the right side of the venue as you face the stage and follow the signs for further direction. But next we have another performance by Enon Baptist Choir. Let's give them a round of applause. (Applause.)
And they will be performing "Even me." (Enon Tabernacle Baptist Church Mass Choir performs.) (Applause.)
I Inauguration -- Stated Meeting 153 01/02/2024 want to thank the Enon Tabernacle Baptist Church Mass Choir for that performance. At this time, I now invite Archbishop Nelson Perez of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia to offer a prayer for our city. ARCHBISHOP PEREZ: Together let us pray. A good and loving God. We, the people of the City of Philadelphia, come before you to bless your name and ask your favor upon us. We bless and praise you, Almighty God, for the new government leadership in our city, especially for our new Mayor Cherelle Parker. With the longstanding values of religious tolerance, cultural pluralism, liberty of conscious of William Penn who stands on top of City Hall, will be the hallmark of our Administration as they have guided the City from its beginning to its presence. Inauguration -- Stated Meeting 154 01/02/2024 We ask you, Almighty God, with this new year and a new Mayor and those who will govern with her to bring peace to our streets and end to violence in our neighborhoods. May the poor, the unsheltered, the marginalized be provided the services they need to live with dignity. May good order, justice and regard for all the rights of all become the common project of those who govern and those who are governed. May all in this City have hope and a future filled with great promise. We make this prayer with every confidence of the nearness of God to all people. Amen. (Amen.)
Give Archbishop Perez a round of applause. (Applause.)
I just want to remind everyone to please keep your voices down because Inauguration -- Stated Meeting 155 01/02/2024 we are still officiating and swearing-in of other elected officials. At this time, Chair now invites the newly-elected officials to take the oath of office in the presence of City Council, the Mayor and other dignitaries. Would the retention judges of the Common Pleas Court please rise and take the oath of office. The Clerk will read the certificates of elections for the retention judges for the Commonwealth of the Court of Common Pleas.
Jacqueline F. Allen, Giovanni O. Campbell, Anne Marie B. Coyle, Ramy I. Djerassi, Joe Fernandes, Holly J. Ford, J. Scott O'Keefe, Paula A. Patrick, Sierra Thomas Street and Nina Wright Padilla, at an election held November 7, 2023, you were duly retained Judge of the Common Pleas of Philadelphia County for a ten-year term, commencing the first Monday of Inauguration -- Stated Meeting 156 01/02/2024 January 2024.
The Honorable Nina Wright Padilla, President Judge of the Common Pleas Court of Philadelphia will administer the oath of office. JUDGE WRIGHT PADILLA: Thank you. Please place your left hand on the Bible and raise your right hand and repeat after me. (Oath of office administered.) JUDGE WRIGHT PADILLA: Felicidades. Congratulations. (Applause.)
Congratulations, everyone. The Chair now invites the newly-elected judges of the Common Pleas Court to please rise and take the oath of office. The Clerk will read the certificates of election for the newly-elected judges of the Court of Common Pleas.
Jessica Brown, Inauguration -- Stated Meeting 157 01/02/2024 James J. Eisenhower, Damaris Garcia, Chesley Lightsey, Brian J. McLaughlin, John Padova, Elvin P. Ross, Rajinderpal Singh Sandher, Natasha Taylor-Smith, Caroline Turner, Tamika Washington, Samantha J. Williams and Kay Yu, at an election held November 7, 2023 you were duly-elected Judge of the Court of Common Pleas for the Philadelphia County for a ten-year term, commencing the first Monday of January 2024.
Judge Nina Padilla Wright will administer the oath of office. JUDGE WRIGHT PADILLA: Thank you. Please excuse my back. Please place your left hand on the Bible. Raise your right hand and repeat after me. (Oath of office administered.) JUDGE WRIGHT PADILLA: Felicidades. Congratulations. Inauguration -- Stated Meeting 158 01/02/2024 (Applause.)
Congratulations, everyone. At this time, I will remind Bible-holders that we will swear in the retention judges of the Municipal Court. Next, followed by the newly-elected judges of the Municipal Court. If you are participating in these parts of the program, please make your way to the stage along the aisle on the right side of the venue as you face the stage and follow the signs for further direction. The Chair now invites the retention judges of the Municipal Court of Philadelphia to stand and take the oath of office. The Clerk will please read the certificate of election for the retention judges of the Municipal Court of Philadelphia.
Marissa Brumbach, William A. Meehan, Jr., Bradley K. Moss, David C. Shuter, Inauguration -- Stated Meeting 159 01/02/2024 Karen Yvette Simmons and Marvin Louis Williams, at an election held November 7, 2023 you were duly retained Judge of the Municipal Court of Philadelphia County for a six-year term, commencing the first Monday of January 2024.
The Honorable Patrick Dugan, President Judge of the Philadelphia Municipal Court will administer the oath of office. JUDGE DUGAN: Yes, we're going to wait for a Bible-holder please. Chaz, Chaz Simmons, we need you. Give Chaz a round of applause. (Applause.) JUDGE DUGAN: Judges, place your left hand on the Bible. Raise your right hand and repeat after me. (Oath of office administered.) JUDGE DUGAN: Inauguration -- Stated Meeting 160 01/02/2024 Congratulations. (Applause.)
Congratulations. The Chair now invites the newly-elected judges of the Municipal Court of Philadelphia to stand and take the oath of office. The Clerk will please read the certificates of election for the newly-elected judges of the Municipal Court of Philadelphia.
Colleen McIntyre Osborne and Barbara Susan Thomson, at an election held November 7, 2023, you were duly-elected Judge of the Municipal Court of Philadelphia for a six-year term, commencing the first Monday of January 2024.
The Honorable Judge Dugan will administer the oath of office. JUDGE DUGAN: Place your left hand on the Bible. Raise your right Inauguration -- Stated Meeting 161 01/02/2024 hand and repeat after me. (Oath of office administered.) JUDGE DUGAN: Congratulations. (Applause.)
At this time, I will remind Bible-holders that we will swear in the City Commissioners next, followed by the Sheriff, the City Controller and the Register of Wills in that order. If you are participating in these parts of the program, please make your way to the stage along the aisle on the right side of the venue as you face the stage and follow the signs for further direction. Thank you. The Chair now invites the City Commissioners to stand as their names are called. They are Lisa M. Deeley, Omar Sabir and Seth Bluesteen -- Bluestein. The Chief Inauguration -- Stated Meeting 162 01/02/2024 Clerk will read the certificates of election for the City Commissioners.
Lisa M. Deeley, Omar Sabir and Seth Bluestein, at an election held November 7, 2023 you were duly-elected City Commissioners of Philadelphia County for a term of four years, commencing the first Monday of January 2024.
The Carolyn H. Nichols, Judge of Pennsylvania Superior Court, will administer the oath of office. JUDGE NICHOLS: Good afternoon. Everybody ready? (Yes.) JUDGE NICHOLS: All right. Place your left hand on the Holy Book. Raise your right hand and repeat after me. (Oath of office administered.) JUDGE NICHOLS: Congratulations. (Applause.) Inauguration -- Stated Meeting 163 01/02/2024
Congratulations. The Chair invites the newlyelected Sheriff of Philadelphia, Rochelle Bilal, to stand and take the oath of office. The Clerk will please read the certificate of election for the Sheriff of Philadelphia.
Rochelle Bilal, at an election held November 7, 2023 you were duly-elected Sheriff of the City of Philadelphia for a four-year term, commencing the first Monday of January 2024.
Judge Nichols will administer the oath of office. JUDGE NICHOLS: All ready? (Yes.) JUDGE NICHOLS: All right. Place your left hand on book of choice, the Holy Book. Raise your right hand and repeat after me. (Oath of office Inauguration -- Stated Meeting 164 01/02/2024 administered.) JUDGE NICHOLS: Congratulations. (Applause.)
Congratulations, Sheriff. The Chair now invites Christy Brady, City Controller, to stand to take her oath of office. The Chief Clerk will read the certificate of election for the City Controller.
Christy Brady, at an election held November 7, 2023, you were duly-elected City Controller of the City of Philadelphia for a four-year term, commencing the first Monday of January 2024. JUDGE NICHOLS: Everybody ready? (Yes.) JUDGE NICHOLS: All right. Place your left hand on the Bible. Raise your right hand and repeat after me. (Oath of office Inauguration -- Stated Meeting 165 01/02/2024 administered.) JUDGE NICHOLS: Congratulations. (Applause.)
Congratulations. The Chair now invites John Sabatina, Register of Wills, to stand and take the oath of office. The Chief Clerk will read the certification of election for the Register of Wills. That's actually John Sabatina, Sr.
John Sabatina, Sr., at an election held November 7, 2023, you were duly-elected Register of Wills of the City of Philadelphia for a four-year term, commencing the first Monday of January 2024.
The oath of office will be administered to the Register of Wills by his son, the Honorable John Sabatina, Jr., Judge of the Common Pleas Court of Philadelphia. Inauguration -- Stated Meeting 166 01/02/2024 JUDGE SABATINA: Thank you. Thank you. Please place your left hand on the Bible. Raise your right and repeat after me. (Oath of office administered.) JUDGE SABATINA: Congratulations. (Applause.)
Congratulations. And also, congratulations to all of the newlyelected officials today. At this time, we have a special musical presentation for our newly-elected Mayor. In honor of Mayor Parker's historic win as the first woman Mayor of the City of Philadelphia, we invited the Philadelphia Girls Choir to perform a special mel -- melody musical arrangement. In the past, the Philadelphia Boys Choir has always performed at previous inaugurations. This will be the first time Inauguration -- Stated Meeting 167 01/02/2024 the Philadelphia Girls Choir is joining us, and we felt the choir's inaugural performance before the first female Mayor of our city. Please join me in welcoming the Philadelphia Girl's Choir to perform "Rise up & Stand For Something," arranged by Dr. Tony Hall, Adjunct Music Instructor at Cheyney and Lincoln Universities and Philadelphia Girl's Choir Music Director Nathan Wadley. The choir is being directed this morning by Associate Music Director Laura Harmon. Let's give these young ladies a real big round of applause. (Applause.) (Philadelphia Girls Choir performs.)
Let's give them a real big round of applause, y'all. That's our future. (Applause.)
At this time, the Chair now invites Inauguration -- Stated Meeting 168 01/02/2024 Archbishop Mary Floyd Palmer, Presiding Bishop and President of the Philadelphia Council of Clergy to give a final prayer. I ask all members and guests to please stand for the benediction. ARCHBISHOP FLOYD PALMER: Let us bow our heads. It is because of your mercy, God, that we are not consumed. They are new, every morning great is your faithfulness. For this day ordained by you that we are here to witness, we thank you. We ask continued protection and wisdom over our beloved Mayor. Our elected members of City Council along with its leader, the Council President, all of the judges to maintain fairness and to exact justice with mercy. For all of the other elected officials, our Sheriff, our Register of Wills, our City Commissioners and our Controller, we thank you for them Inauguration -- Stated Meeting 169 01/02/2024 and their oath and public pledge to serve with fidelity. Now, God, we have spent our time well. We thank you for this moment in history and we give you praise. May the Lord bless you and keep you. May the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious unto you. May the Lord lift his countenance upon you and give you peace. May the Lord preserve you from all evil if you're going out and you're coming in, in your rising and in your setting so that goodness and mercy will follow on the days of your life. And for that we say God bless you. In the name of the Father, our creator, in the name of the Son, Jesus, my Savior whom I live, move and have my being. In the name of the Holy Spirit or the Holy Ghost that covers and keep us. Amen, amen and amen. God bless you. (Amen.)
Inauguration -- Stated Meeting 170 01/02/2024 Thank you, Archbishop, for your inspiring words. Can everyone please be seated. Our final musical selection today is the Monumental Baptist Church Choir who will perform "America the Beautiful." The choir is directed by Minister Gary Taylor. (Monumental Baptist Church Choir performs.) (Applause.)
I don't think I've heard that one before. Remind me of Marvin Gaye. Let's give them another round of applause please, the Monumental Baptist Church Choir. (Applause.)
As we conclude the ceremony, I want to thank the Inaugural Committees, specifically Wendy Prescott as well as Mary Ellen. I want to give them a shout-out for taking the lead and organizing this event and for Inauguration -- Stated Meeting 171 01/02/2024 everyone who participated in making this day a success. I want to also ask for -- say I want to personally just say congratulations to all my colleagues. Let's give them a round of applause for being re-elected for their election. (Applause.)
And also, let's give our Mayor Cherelle Parker another round of applause. (Applause.)
The Chair now recognizes Majority Leader Councilmember Katherine Gilmore Richardson.
Thank you, Mr. President. I move that Council stand adjourned until Thursday, January 25th, 2024 at 10:00 a.m.
Inauguration -- Stated Meeting 172 01/02/2024 Chair recognizes Councilmember Bass.
It has been moved and properly seconded that the Council stand adjourned until Thursday, January 25th of 2024 at 10:00 a.m. All in favor, let it be known by saying aye. (Aye.)
m. Thank you very much. And congratulations, everyone. ) Inauguration -- Stated Meeting 173 01/02/2024 C E R T I F I C A T I O N I, hereby certify that the proceedings and evidence noted are contained fully and accurately in the stenographic notes taken by me in the foregoing matter, and that this is a correct transcript of the same. E. m. S.