January 02, 2024
Jared Piper/Philadelphia City Council; Flickr
Parker was privately sworn in as mayor early Monday morning, according to city officials. Her official inauguration ceremony is scheduled for 10 a.m. Tuesday at The Met.
While she won't be publicly sworn in until later Tuesday morning, Cherelle Parker is already Philadelphia's mayor.
Parker was sworn in as Philadelphia's 100th mayor early Monday morning, a few minutes after midnight on New Year's Day, WHYY reported. City officials confirmed that the new mayor was sworn in during a private ceremony ahead of Tuesday's scheduled events. Officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the news.
Outgoing mayor Jim Kenney's term officially ended Dec. 31, and Philadelphia City Charter says that a mayor must be sworn in on the first Monday in January following the election. With the holiday and the city's Mummer's Parade, though, plans for an official ceremony were made for Tuesday, leaving many to believe the city would be without a mayor for approximately 36 hours.
Parker is the first woman to serve as Philadelphia's mayor. Her official inauguration is scheduled for 10 a.m. Tuesday at The Met Philadelphia on North Broad Street. Following the inauguration on Tuesday, she will sign three executive orders on public safety, city employment and building a better local government.
Parker already made mayoral moves ahead of the scheduled ceremony. So far, Parker named former Philadelphia Fire Department Commissioner Adam Thiel as managing director, Tiffany Thurman as chief of staff, Sinceré Harris as deputy mayor of intergovernmental affairs and Aren Platt as deputy mayor of planning and strategic initiatives. Kevin Bethel was appointed as police commissioner, as well. She also established an intergovernmental roundtable with city, state and federal officials to discuss city affairs.
Parker is a former public school teacher and state legislator who represented the 9th District in Philadelphia City Council before becoming majority leader.
"I have the utmost confidence in Mayor-elect Parker, who has demonstrated exceptional leadership and commitment to serving the people of Philadelphia time and again throughout her impressive career. Our city and its future are in great hands," Kenney wrote in an open letter on his last day in office.
How to watch Cherelle Parker's mayoral inauguration:
The inauguration can be streamed online at 10.am. via 6ABC or CBS3.
