Cherelle Parker

Cherelle Parker sat down for an interview with our Parks & Rec Heroes Teen Podcast Team to talk about her run for mayor. Below the video are her answers to our candidate questionnaire.

Parks & Rec Funding

Understaffing of Parks & Rec hurts us all but the pain is not shared equally. How will you ensure that Parks & Rec best serves our most vulnerable communities?

It is imperative that we invest in our Parks & Rec at a scale that is befitting of the City of Philadelphia. It is not enough to simply invest in our Parks & Rec infrastructure without making a significant investment in the personnel to maintain, service, and care for our facilities. We've seen what programmatic efforts within the department has done for our youth and families; it has created structure and belonging where communities need it most. Every child deserves to have access to green spaces in their neighborhood. Additionally, recent studies have shown that properly designed and maintained outdoor green space has the potential to help reduce violent crime and gun violence, in addition to keeping residents healthier, and reduces the effects of urban heat islands. As Councilperson, I worked tirelessly to support our neighborhood assets, such as parks, recreation centers, and libraries. These assets serve as anchors for our neighborhoods, and their success determines the surrounding neighborhoods’ success.

But first, this requires us to address the rise of violent crimes in our neighborhoods by having additional police out walking the block, getting to know the community. Currently, the majority of the foot patrol officers are assigned to the highest crime areas. Once the City has filled their depleted ranks through hiring to fill vacancies on the force , the City should disperse beat officers across the City - to neighborhoods, rec centers, parks libraries, and commercial corridors beyond just the highest crime areas. This will allow for the officers to become known in these areas and to act in a proactive manner. Research has found that there were statistically significant reductions in reported violent crime in areas patrolled by beat officers, but the effect faded once the officers were removed from their targeted beats. And when the officers know the residents – know their names and where they live – there is a natural accountability on both ends, and the likelihood of excessive force is reduced. We know community policing works; we now must commit to it.

Philadelphia spends $50 per capita each year on Parks & Rec operations. Baltimore spends $125. What amount would you plan to reach by the end of your first term?

I would like to at least double our investment by the end of my first term. As the sixth largest city in the country and the birthplace of the nation, the City of Philadelphia should be parallel with the likes of New York City, Atlanta, Chicago, and Boston. We will make these investments by focusing on safety, programming, personnel, green spaces, and building sustainable infrastructure in the communities that we need it most.

Will you lead an effort to find more dedicated funding sources for Parks & Rec?

Absolutely. One thing that I pushed for when I was still a Councilwoman, and that I continue to push for, is for the City to draw down more quickly on the $1.4 billion in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds. The City has currently spent less than half of the ARPA funds, despite the great need for these funds now. In addition, I will ensure that our coordination and relationship with Harrisburg is a fruitful one in building consensus around procuring more state funding for the City. We must realize that we cannot address many of our issues alone, it will take a collaborative effort of state, federal, and local government buy-in; and private sector investment to build the city that we want and invest into areas such as Parks & Rec.

Will you support continued funding of Rebuild?

I would examine our funding structure of Rebuild and determine areas that we may enhance programmatic efforts and/or make changes in areas where there may be waste or inefficiency. We must fund all efforts to ensure we have parks and recreation spaces that are accessible, clean, safe, and inclusive for all Philadelphians but it is imperative that we do that strategically and efficiently.

What qualities are you looking for in your Parks & Rec Commissioner?

I'm looking for someone who is community-oriented at their core. Not all neighborhoods or facilities in our great city are the same but I would want a Commissioner that would treat all of our facilities with the same level of care and attention. We also need a Commissioner that understands some of the intergovernmental nuance and can help to navigate issues on behalf of Parks & Rec in a manner that provides innovative ideas. We need someone who has a passion for investing, creating, and sustaining spaces and programs for our youth, families, and elderly alike to enjoy.

Safe & Clean Sites

Do you see a connection between keeping our parks clean and well-maintained and reducing gun violence?

There is absolutely a connection between public safety and maintaining cleaner and greener spaces in our city. Our parks and recreation centers have an unfair disadvantage whenever anyone calls the city we love “filth-adelphia” because our spaces aren't clean – people do not want to spend their time at our facilities and parks when we're not doing our part to maintain them. People have to feel safe in their homes, getting to work, dropping their kids off at school, and commuting into the city for work or fun; and in this case, enjoying time at a park or recreation center. But currently, there is a sense of lawlessness in our city. That is why, while on City Council, I introduced a comprehensive plan to fill our depleted police ranks and hire an additional 300 foot and bike patrol officers to be present in every neighborhood in our city, with emphasis on parks and rec centers. Additionally, the plan addresses the root causes of crime, fix the quality of life issues that are pervasive in our city. Since leaving Council, the city has started to implement portions of the plan, but there is still a lot of work to be done, and I am looking forward to making this my top priority from day one.

How will you make sure Philadelphia’s 300 parks and rec centers are safe and clean?

People have a right to feel safe in their homes, getting to work, dropping their kids off at school, and commuting into the city for work or fun; and in this case, enjoying time at a park or recreation center. But currently, there is a sense of lawlessness in our city. That is why, while on City Council, I introduced a comprehensive plan to fill our depleted police ranks and hire an additional 300 foot and bike patrol officers to be present in every neighborhood in our city, with emphasis on parks and rec centers. Additionally, the plan addresses the root causes of crime, fix the quality of life issues that are pervasive in our city. We cannot begin to clean up some of the trash and decay of our facilities without addressing the public safety issues within these same areas. Since leaving Council, the city has started to implement portions of my plan, but there is still a lot of work to be done, and I am looking forward to making this my top priority from day one.

What will you do about short dumping in parks and empty lots?

I will ensure that we have a comprehensive plan to eliminate short dumping in our parks and empty lots. As Mayor I will address two areas of this: 1. establish more stringent penalties for dumping 2. incentivize the clean, legal, and appropriate disposal of trash and waste. We cannot eliminate the waste that is produced from job sites, buildings, or homes, but we can provide for a more efficient, cleaner way to dispose of this waste in a manner that preserves our environmental integrity.

More Recreation Programming

What are your plans to increase neighborhood jobs for teens and young adults? What role will Parks & Rec play in your plans?

One of the best ways to reduce our poverty rate is for working age Philadelphians to have access to family-sustaining jobs. For working age adults, I have been a tireless advocate of Care and Technical Education (CTE) and work ready training programs. As I've mentioned, I started the PHL Taking Care of Business program to hire local residents with little or no skills so they could earn a wage and learn soft skills. I have also advocated for an $15/hour minimum wage, and In 2018, I was proud to support the law that requires city contractors and employees make at least $15/hour. As Mayor, I will be raising the $15/hour to $17.53, then tying it to the rate of inflation. Parks and Rec will be vital in these efforts as we will prioritize creating new jobs at our facilities.

We need to look at the economic impact on working families that schools provide by being safe and nurturing places for children while their parents and caregivers are at work. Acknowledging that, we will work to find ways to grow and increase both the safe spaces as well as the economic freedom that they provide, so we will be looking at before and after school as well as summer programming in our schools. There is no reason that a working parent or caregiver should not have a safe place for their children while they are working from 9 to 5.

As mentioned previously, from early childhood learning through to high school, we will have a chance to re-examine and fund how our kids learn to better prepare them for their lives after high school: whether that is learning a trade, going into a specialty field, or to college. This means strengthening the School District’s relationship with the Building Trades and scaling the pre-apprenticeship program they are currently piloting. It also means working with business and industry to identify both the jobs that are needed now, and to look around the corner to the jobs that will be needed five, 10, and 15 years from now and start integrating training for those jobs into the curriculum. And it also means enhancing college preparatory training and looking to increase the number of quality schools like Masterman and Central.

And we will be doing all of this without interrupting the current curriculum. Students will be able to learn after school and over the summer as we keep our schools open longer and year-round.

Parks & Rec, like other City agencies, faces serious challenges in hiring both permanent and seasonal staff. What steps will you take to fix the City’s broken hiring process?

We need to incentivize residents, who may have relevant backgrounds to service our many areas of the department, to come and work. We need staff that will not only benefit from a living wage at our facilities but also care about our facilities. My administration will prioritize hiring within our neighborhoods; so that we have residents from the communities working and servicing our facilities. This will require us to implement a campaign throughout our neighborhoods to fill the gaps that we have in our personnel.

How will you expand recreation programming across Philadelphia?

No answer given.

How will you increase the number of after-school activity slots for students? What role will Parks & Rec play in your plans?

Every child deserves to have access to green spaces in their neighborhood. Additionally, recent studies have shown that properly designed and maintained outdoor green space has the potential to help reduce violent crime and gun violence, in addition to keeping residents healthier, and reduces the effects of urban heat islands. As Councilperson, I worked tirelessly to support our neighborhood assets, such as parks, recreation centers, and libraries. These assets serve as anchors for our neighborhoods, and their success determines the surrounding neighborhoods’ success. This requires us to address the rise of violent crimes in our neighborhoods by having additional police out walking the block, getting to know the community.

Currently, the majority of the foot patrol officers are assigned to the highest crime areas. Once the City has filled their depleted ranks through hiring to fill vacancies on the force , the City should disperse beat officers across the City - to neighborhoods, rec centers, parks libraries, and commercial corridors beyond just the highest crime areas. This will allow for the officers to become known in these areas and to act in a proactive manner. Research has found that there were statistically significant reductions in reported violent crime in areas patrolled by beat officers, but the effect faded once the officers were removed from their targeted beats. And when the officers know the residents – know their names and where they live – there is a natural accountability on both ends, and the likelihood of excessive force is reduced. We know community policing works; we now must commit to it.

What is your favorite thing to do at a park or rec center?

I love to dance!

Grow The Urban Forest

What steps will you take to reduce heat islands in Philadelphia? Will street trees be a part of your plans?

As Mayor, I would prioritize planting more trees than has ever been planted in the history of the City and ensure that we allocate funding to remediate homes that are susceptible to heat vulnerability. Every Philadelphian deserves some relief in the hotter months of the year.

Do you support the Philadelphia Tree Plan goal to reach 30% tree canopy in 30 years?

I do! A part of addressing the many issues that we face in our city is ensuring that our quality of life does not fall behind the many other great cities in this country. We must ensure that our many urban areas are flush with trees not only from a beautification perspective but also in combatting some of the effects of carbon emissions and heat vulnerability.

Philadelphia has a waiting list of 23,500 trees to be pruned or removed. How will you eliminate this backlog?

I have said on the campaign trail countless times that we aim to provide a cleaner and safer Philadelphia for all residents. This starts with how we maintain our neighborhoods. I want to be the Mayor that plants the most trees in the history of the City and immediately address the backlog of trees to be pruned or removed. We have the infrastructure, personnel, and funding to do so but we need a Mayor who will make it a priority to restore and beautify our green spaces.