No, Philly, You Can’t Fire Mayor Parker Amid the Stenchful Strike

Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker, who is rather unpopular right now due to the Philadelphia strike and the resulting piles of trash (Getty Images)

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No, You Can’t Fire Mayor Parker During the Stenchful Philadelphia Strike

Mayor Cherelle Parker isn’t exactly at her height of popularity right now. We’re almost a full week into the big Philadelphia strike, and there’s no end in sight. There are massive piles of garbage growing all over the city. LL Cool J and Jazmine Sullivan dropped out of our Fourth of July festivities in solidarity with the union. And most everybody seems to be blaming Mayor Parker for all of this muck and mayhem. So it’s not the least bit surprising that I’ve seen suggestions out there on social media that we should recall, a.k.a. fire, Mayor Parker. But it can’t be done, all thanks to Frank Rizzo.

In 1951, reformists wrote the Philadelphia Home Rule Charter, setting some ground rules for how things should operate in the city. One of the main points of the charter was a new prohibition on elected city officials running for another election position in the city, which is why you see Philadelphia politicians, like, say, a City Councilmember, resigning to run for mayor. That’s exactly what Parker did in 2022. And the 1951 charter did, in fact, include a provision for recalling any elected official in Philadelphia.

To recall an elected official, you had to gather many signatures on a petition, and if you got enough of them, this would trigger a recall election. Voters would be given the opportunity to go back to the polls to decide whether to kick you out of office. But then Frank Rizzo came along.

In 1975, Rizzo ran for a second term as mayor of Philadelphia. And he won. He did so after swearing up and down that he would not raise taxes. He promised. Crossed his heart. And then what did he do? Yep. He raised taxes. So in 1976, an activist group spent millions of dollars on a campaign to recall Rizzo. They collected more than 145,000 signatures, which, based on the Home Rule Charter, would have triggered a recall election. But then Rizzo took the activists to the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania. And the justices in all their wisdom ruled that the recall provision in the Home Rule Charter violated the state’s constitution.

Rizzo served out the rest of his term. The Home Rule Charter barred him from running for a third consecutive term. So what did Rizzo do? He tried to get the charter changed. But that plot failed miserably after he encouraged Philadelphians to “vote white.”

As for Parker, you’re stuck with her until at least January 3, 2028. Hopefully they pick up the trash by then.

Leave It to Bob Brady…

Speaking of the strike, here’s a very Bob Brady quote about the strike negotiations: “Check your freaking ego at the door and get the damn thing done…” But, yeah, good advice from the old guy.

A Momentous Anniversary

This Sunday marks the 40th anniversary of Live Aid happening at JFK Stadium in Philadelphia. In honor of the occasion, we have declared this Live Aid Week. We’ll be releasing new stories about Live Aid each day, and you can follow along here. Today, we answer the obvious question: How on Earth did Live Aid even wind up in Philadelphia?

Philly On TV

Have you noticed how Philadelphia has suddenly found itself at the center of the prestige TV world? We sure have.

Speaking of Philly On TV…

Couldn’t help but notice this New York Times headline: “How a Show About Truly Terrible People Became the Defining American Sitcom.” (It’s Always Sunny, if you haven’t guessed.)

By the Numbers

11: Number of shootings in Philadelphia between July 4th and Monday morning, resulting in six deaths and 31 injuries. Horrible news. But for some perspective, homicides in Philadelphia are down nearly 10 percent year to date, and keep in mind that last year saw a near record low in the number of homicides.

$189,653: Average salary for instructional staff at the University of Pennsylvania, the highest-paying college in the Philadelphia area. The second-highest paying college? Rutgers-Camden. You can see the average salaries of all the colleges here.

0: SEPTA-owned lots and garages where you can park for free on weekends and holidays. In the middle of a budget crisis, SEPTA ended all free parking as of this week.

Local Talent

We all love Philly’s own Quinta Brunson and her hit show Abbott Elementary. And we’d hate to see the show disappear. But Brunson has hinted in recent interviews that the show’s time may soon come, in part because the show is so damn time consuming and prevents cast members from taking on other projects. Don’t worry. You have at least one season left. Season Five is scheduled to start in the fall.