Moves on the Board: Week of July 7 - 11, 2025
♟️CITY OF PHILADELPHIA
Parker Administration
Mayor Cherelle Parker and District Council 33 (DC33) reached a three-year agreement to end the union’s eight-day strike in the early hours of Wednesday morning. The union capitulated on its demand for a 5% annual salary increase, relaxing city residency requirements for long-time city workers, and other priorities. The final agreement, which is scheduled for a vote by DC33’s board next week, is a win for the Mayor and reflects her administration’s pre-strike offer. In an emotional press conference Wednesday morning, Mayor Parker thanked core members of her cabinet and called for healing the divisions exacerbated by the strike. While the strike may be over, don’t put your trash bins out for collection until Monday, July 14, when normal operations resume.
The Parker administration continues to negotiate with District Council 47 (DC47) on its new contract; DC47 signed a two-week contract extension to keep negotiating earlier this month. Per state laws, members of the Police and Fire Departments are forbidden from striking, and their contracts are negotiated through a state-prescribed interest arbitration process. The Fraternal Order of the Police’s arbitration process is ongoing. The Philadelphia Inquirer reported that the firefighters’ union will negotiate in the fall.
The city saw a torrent of gun violence over the Fourth of July holiday weekend in the Grays Ferry neighborhood, 7Elements nightclub in South Philadelphia, and 13 other incidents. Under the leadership of Police Commissioner Kevin Bethel and Public Safety Director Adam Geer, Philadelphia has seen a significant drop in gun violence, and the city continues to deploy resources to support victims of gun violence and promote anti-violence programs.
Philadelphia City Council
In response to the shooting in South Philadelphia’s Grays Ferry neighborhood over the weekend, Council President Johnson issued a statement emphasizing coordinated action: “We must deploy every available tool, including data-driven enforcement, community-based violence interruption, trauma-informed supports, and more, so that we put an end to gun violence once and for all. It starts with us.”
While City Council may have a break from legislative voting session until September, members are busy in their communities with summer programming and events. Councilmember Jeffrey “Jay” Young is supporting second chances through his Free July Record Clearing Clinics, helping residents navigate the expungement process. Council President Johnson’s Oldies in the Park series is back this year, bringing the community together with music and fun. Councilmember Curtis Jones, Jr., also kicked off his Summer Jazz Series on Wednesdays to spotlight local talent.
♟️COMMONWEALTH OF PENNSYLVANIA
Shapiro Administration
The General Assembly continued another week of budget negotiations in Harrisburg this week, and has yet to come to an FY25-26 Budget agreement. The Governor has continued to call for the passage of his proposed budget, especially given the recent federal budget cuts that will affect the state.
First Lady Lori Shapiro is hiking all 229 miles of Pennsylvania’s Appalachian Trail. First Lady Shapiro and PA DCNR Secretary Cindy Dunn kicked their hike off at the Maryland border last Friday. Happy trails to the First Lady and her hiking team!
📰 Updates from the Governor’s Newsroom
📜 Bill Signed by the Governor
Despite the budget deadlock, the General Assembly passed several pieces of legislation that were signed by Governor Shapiro. The highlights include reinstituting Sunday hunting (House Bill 1431 sponsored by Rep. Mandy Steele of Allegheny County and Senator Tracy Pennycuick’s SB649, which would classify deepfakes generated by AI as forgery. Check out this list to see other pieces of legislation the Governor signed this week.
♟️PENNSYLVANIA GENERAL ASSEMBLY
The House was in a voting session this week to continue budget negotiations. The House moved a variety of bills through the chamber, impacting policy issues such as emergency response management, transportation, youth services, and insurance. However, the majority of the conversations revolved around the state budget and what priorities each caucus wants to focus its efforts on. Given the recent passage of President Trump’s reconciliation package, many state officials are working to figure out what the direct impacts will be on Pennsylvanians. To learn more about what state officials had to say about the federal reconciliation package and expected its budget cuts, check out this week’s edition of Bellevue’s Compass.
House Moves
The House is in Harrisburg next week for a voting session from Monday, July 14, to Wednesday, July 16. The Senate remains out of session until the call of the chair.
♟️On The Trail: Pennsylvania’s 2026 Elections
PENNSYLVANIA GOVERNOR
After much speculation, US Congressman Dan Meuser has announced that he will not enter the race for the GOP nomination to challenge incumbent Democratic Governor Josh Shapiro. This opens the door for other potential candidates, such as State Treasurer Stacy Garrity, who has expressed interest in running in 2026.
CONGRESSIONAL RACES
Pennsylvania Congressional District 3
Long-time incumbent US Congressman Dwight Evans announced last week that he will not seek re-election in 2026. Evans has served this seat in Congress since 2016, which represents the majority of Philadelphia County.
Following the announcement of Evans’ retirement, State Senator Sharif Street announced he will run in the Democratic Primary for the seat. Senator Street has represented parts of Philadelphia County since 2017 and was the first Muslim elected to the State Senate.
State Representative Chris Rabb also entered the race to succeed Congressman Evans this week. The anti-establishment progressive has represented parts of Mount Airy and West Oak Lane since 2017.