Council President Darrell L. Clarke has endorsed mayoral candidate Cherelle Parker, who was part of his leadership team

This year’s Philadelphia mayor’s race at one point included six candidates who were members of City Council last year, giving Council President Darrell L. Clarke plenty of options as he weighed his endorsement.

On Thursday, Clarke announced that he is supporting Cherelle Parker, who was a member of Clarke’s leadership team until she resigned last year to run for mayor.

“She is the person for this particular time that I know will be there for you, that I know will work hard, harder than anybody else,” Clarke said at a news conference with Parker in City Hall.

» READ MORE: Cherelle Parker is proud of her West Oak Lane roots. As mayor, could she save Philly’s ‘middle neighborhoods’?

Parker, who was Council’s majority leader, often gave thunderous speeches at the legislative body’s weekly meetings, and Clarke on Thursday joked about her oratorical style.

“This lady right here, she is passionate. Some people say, ‘Well, sometimes she’s a little too passionate.’ There is no such thing as being too passionate,” Clarke said. “She might get a little loud. OK, well, she wants to make sure everybody hears what she’s saying.”

In some ways, it may be surprising to see Clarke endorsing Parker for mayor. Clarke is a former chief of staff to John F. Street, the ex-mayor, while Parker was a former staffer and protege of Marian Tasco, a legendary former Council member. Their bosses had a rocky relationship, and Clarke defeated Tasco in the 2012 race for Council president.

But Clarke and Parker bonded when she was a state representative. As chair of Philadelphia’s delegation to Harrisburg, Parker worked closely with Clarke to advance the city’s interests in the Capitol. She succeeded Tasco on Council in 2016, and became majority leader in 2020.

Thursday’s endorsement event took place in the mayor’s reception room, an ornate hall lined with portraits of former Philadelphia mayors. Parker’s campaign paid the city $750 to use the space, which is regularly rented out for private events.

Parker said she plans to be a mayor who can “get to nine,” meaning she can win over a majority of Council’s 17 members to back her priorities. She said she learned how to do that in part by working on legislation behind closed doors with Clarke.

”The most important work that we’ve done together — no one has seen it on Instagram, it hasn’t been on Facebook, it’s not on Twitter,” Parker said. “There is no one who could pretend to be a leader for the city of Philadelphia and not be able to work with the legislative body that governs the city of Philadelphia.”

The council president’s support is the latest in a string of endorsements Parker has racked up from elected officials, making her the clear favorite of many in the city’s Democratic establishment. In addition to U.S. Rep. Dwight Evans, she has the backing of four state senators, six state representatives, and now four Council members.

Parker also secured endorsements from key members of Philadelphia’s Latino community during an event in Norris Square Park on Thursday, including State Representatives Jose Giral (D-180) and Danilo Burgos (D-197), a protégé of ex-mayoral candidate Maria Quiñones Sánchez.

“I’m proud to see the Latino community say, ‘Cherelle, I’ve got your back,’” Parker said at the Norris Square Park event.

Noticeably absent from Thursday’s slate of Latino leader endorsements was Quiñones Sánchez, the longtime District 7 councilperson who lives in Norris Square. Parker and Quiñones Sánchez had butted heads during their time on Council, most notably over Parker’s support for the building trades’ unions, which have historically blocked jobs for Black and Latino workers.

“We believe [Quiñones Sánchez] will be endorsing,” said the Cherelle Parker campaign. “I think we just need to be respectful of her process. It hasn’t yet been a week since she dropped out.”

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Another former Council member Derek Green, has also dropped out of the mayor’s race. The remaining top candidates for the May 16 Democratic primary include former Councilmembers Helen Gym and Allan Domb, former City Controller Rebecca Rhynhart, and ShopRite proprietor Jeff Brown.

Former Councilmember David Oh is running unopposed in the Republican primary.

Parker, the only top contender in the mayor’s race who is Black, also appears to be solidifying support from leaders in the city’s African American neighborhoods, an indicator that she could win over the support of key voter blocs. Clarke, whose 5th District includes the heart of North Philadelphia, vowed Thursday to “hit the streets” in his district with her.

Clarke briefly considered running for mayor himself in 2015, but he ended up endorsing Mayor Jim Kenney, who was also a longtime Council member, shortly before the primary.

Clarke announced in February that he was not seeking reelection, ending his 12-year run as Council’s leader and contributing to a period of massive turnover in City Hall.

» READ MORE: City Hall is about to see some serious turnover that will determine the direction of Philadelphia government

Staff writer Chris Brennan contributed to this article.