January 02, 2024
Colleen Claggett/for PhillyVoice
Councilmember Kenyatta Johnson, left, is the new president of Philadelphia City Council. He is pictured above with outgoing Council President Darrell Clarke at Tuesday's inaugural ceremony for Mayor Cherelle Parker.
Kenyatta Johnson was elected and sworn in Tuesday as the new president of Philadelphia City Council, giving him an influential role that will shape the direction of city government in the months and years ahead.
Johnson is now in his fourth term representing the 2nd District in South Philly, where he ran unopposed in November's election. He takes the torch from former City Council President Darrell Clarke, who declined to run again in the 5th District after 24 years in office. Clarke had been Council president for the last 12 years.
The president of the Philadelphia City Council is considered the second most powerful person in city government, behind only the mayor. Johnson will oversee the Council's internal operations, designate Council members to various committees and determine the agenda for public hearings on bills. He will play a crucial part in collaborating with new Mayor Cherelle Parker on the rollout of her initiatives and policy goals.
Johnson, 50, received unanimous support from the rest of City Council during Tuesday's inauguration ceremony for Parker at The Met Philadelphia.
"There is a new sense of hope and optimism to transform Philadelphia into one of the most economically viable and greatest cities — not just in this nation, but in the world," Johnson said after taking the oath.
During his speech, Johnson pledged to be receptive to Parker's agenda and to make the Council responsive to her plans.
"At times, my colleagues and I will disagree with Mayor Parker on important issues facing our city," Johnson said. "However, disagreements and compromise are a natural part of the legislative process. Astute politicians recognize that good, effective leadership means we will agree more than we disagree. I recognize that this moment in the history of Philadelphia is too important to squander on the politics of personalities and personal agendas."
Johnson's Council presidency comes during an era that has seen the governing body accumulate more power over city government than in years past. Under Clarke, City Council assumed a more active role in challenging and adapting the plans of past mayors. Clarke's leadership also solidified the practice of councilmanic prerogative, which gives individual council members decisive power over affairs in their districts.
The new Council that formed Tuesday is one of the youngest in Philadelphia's history, welcoming several new faces to the 17-member body. In November's election, two of the seven at-large seats on City Council went to members of the progressive Working Families Party. Those seats are always reserved for a minority party, but this will be the first time they are not held by Republicans. Only one member of the GOP — the 10th District's Councilman Brian O'Neill, who has served Northeast Philly since 1980 — currently serves on City Council.
At-large Councilmember Katherine Gilmore Richardson will serve as the majority leader for the Democrats, with at-large Councilmember Isaiah Thomas as majority whip. The new minority leader is at-large Councilmember Kendra Brooks and the minority whip is at-large Councilmember Nicolas O'Rourke, both of the Working Families Party.
Johnson said he will dedicate his presidency to focusing on initiatives that address gun violence, improve Philadelphia's business climate, boost performance of city schools and advance solutions to housing insecurity.
His emergence as Council president seemed improbable in recent years after he and his wife, Dawn Chavous, were hit with with federal bribery charges in 2020. The couple were acquitted by a federal jury in November 2022 after the case ended in a mistrial earlier that year.
Johnson took the opportunity Tuesday to address doubts about his integrity as a public official.
"I've dedicated my entire life to public service — and I say life, and not career, because we do this work for the right reasons," Johnson said. "(It is) to help those in need. It's not just a job. It's a way of life. Despite all of the adversity that we have been through, I have never stopped fighting for the citizens of Philadelphia and I never will."
