Philadelphia elects first woman as its 100th mayor

Cherelle Parker, 51, also becomes city’s fourth Black mayor

Cherelle Parker, a former state legislator and City Council member, enjoyed strong support in the predominantly Democratic city and made it through a competitive party primary in May (AP)

Philadelphia has elected its first female mayor at the 100th time of asking, voting in Cherelle Parker as part of the local elections held on Tuesday.

Ms Parker, 51, becomes only the city’s fourth Black mayor as she replaces fellow Democrat Jim Kenney, who could not seek re-election due to term limits.

The former state legislator and City Council member enjoyed strong support in the predominantly Democratic city and made it through a competitive party primary in May against several other notable Democrats.

Opinion polls showed Ms Parker was the clear favourite over Republican David Oh. She campaigned on a promise to make Philadelphia the “safest, cleanest, greenest big city in the nation that will provide access to economic opportunity for all”.

“We can’t solve these problems alone,” she said earlier. “We need federal, state and local government, along with the private sector and philanthropic communities, to help us address public health and safety.”

“We will have a police department that is supported by the mayor that is the best, well-trained and is proactively engaged and woven into the fabric of our communities, along with mental health and behavioural health supports, along with social and human services and connection to employment opportunities and workforce development address and quality of life issues,” she said.

Ms Parker’s election policies included called for the promotion of a “constitutional stop-and-frisk policy” for the police.

She has emphasised the need for additional training and enhanced accountability measures to prevent the disproportionate targeting of Black individuals in law enforcement practices.

However, her overarching goal is to prioritise public safety as the utmost concern, she said.

Philadelphia has not elected a Republican mayor since 1947, and recent Republican nominees have generally garnered less than 20 per cent of the vote in mayoral elections.

Meanwhile in Ohio, voters on Tuesday approved a constitutional amendment that ensures access to abortion and other forms of reproductive healthcare.

“Tonight, Americans once again voted to protect their fundamental freedoms – and democracy won,” president Joe Biden said shortly after the vote.

“In Ohio, voters protected access to reproductive health in their state constitution,” he said.

“Ohioans and voters across the country rejected attempts by MAGA Republican elected officials to impose extreme abortion bans that put the health and lives of women in jeopardy, force women to travel hundreds of miles for care, and threaten to criminalise doctors and nurses for providing the health care that their patients need and that they are trained to provide.

“This extreme and dangerous agenda is out-of-step with the vast majority of Americans.”

Heather Williams, interim president of the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee, called the move a “huge victory”.

“Ohio’s resounding support for this constitutional amendment reaffirms Democratic priorities and sends a strong message to the state GOP that reproductive rights are non-negotiable,” she said in a statement.