Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker is reflecting on her first 1,000 days in office, pointing to her administration\u2019s work in Kensington while looking ahead to a 2027 reelection campaign that is already drawing competition.<\/p>\n
Asked whether she is satisfied with what she has accomplished during these first 1,000 days, Parker pointed back to promises she made while campaigning for mayor.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think we are well on our way,\u201d Parker said after recalling her pledge to work to make Philadelphia the \u201csafest, cleanest, greenest big city in the nation\u201d with access to economic opportunity for all.<\/p>\n
Parker marked the milestone in Kensington, a Philadelphia neighborhood where addiction, homelessness and crime have taken a toll and where her administration has invested money and resources in an effort to make changes.<\/p>\n
Parker recalled initially wanting problems in the neighborhood addressed immediately, including encampments.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs Commissioner Bethel said, when I said, \u2018I want it done right now,\u2019 he said, \u2018Mayor, it doesn\u2019t work that way. You take one block at a time and when you take a block, our job is to work on keeping the block,\u2019\u201d Parker explained. \u201cAnd that\u2019s what we\u2019re attempting to do now.\u201d<\/p>\n
The conversation also turned to Philadelphia politics as Parker prepares to seek reelection in 2027.<\/p>\n
This year, a political ally Parker backed for Congress lost a hotly contested primary and called the result a wake-up call.<\/p>\n
Asked whether she also viewed the loss as a wake-up call, Parker pointed to her own background and said she has always had to work to earn opportunities.<\/p>\n
\u201cI have never arrived at any place or station in my life because anyone has given me anything,\u201d Parker said.<\/p>\n
Parker was also asked about the success of democratic socialists and their allies in Philadelphia and elsewhere in the country.<\/p>\n
\u201cI can\u2019t tell you about a democratic socialist or any other party other than mine,\u201d Parker said. \u201cI am a bona fide, proud Democrat, lifelong, have been all of my life and I can tell you that we have to make sure that we remember who we are.\u201d<\/p>\n
Parker said delivering results is what is important.<\/p>\n