Squilla is on the short list to run the Parking Authority. Here is what would happen to the 1st District seat
The 1st District councilmember says he is still running for reelection. If he resigned, a special election would fill the seat until the next term.
Councilmember Mark Squilla, who has represented the 1st District since 2012, is on the short list to become executive director of the Philadelphia Parking Authority, the Inquirer reported Tuesday. The paper attributed the short-list claim to Bob Brady, chair of the city's Democratic Party.
Squilla has not ruled the job out. He told the Inquirer: "I would consider any offer if I had an offer." He also said he is running for reelection. A Parking Authority spokesperson told the paper, "The process is ongoing." The agency has had an interim leader since June, when its last executive director left to run the Philadelphia Regional Port Authority, the Inquirer reported.
This matters to 1st District residents because a district councilmember controls much of what gets built on their blocks. Under the long-standing practice the Inquirer describes as councilmanic prerogative, colleagues usually defer to the district member on zoning and land sales.
How a vacancy would be filled
Squilla's term runs through early January 2028. All 17 Council seats, and the mayor's office, are on the ballot in 2027, with the primary next May, according to the Inquirer.
If Squilla resigned before then, a special election would most likely fill the rest of his term, the Inquirer reported. In a Philadelphia special election, party nominees are picked by ward leaders, not in a primary. In a district where one party dominates, the paper noted, that means the district's ward leaders would effectively pick a temporary successor while the race for the full term goes on.
The Inquirer reported that one ward leader, Will Gross, has launched a campaign for the seat and is stepping down from his ward post to run. It also reported that at-large Councilmember Rue Landau, who lives in the 1st District, is seen as a possible candidate if Squilla does not run. Her office declined to comment.
What Squilla has on the books right now
A vacancy would also leave his pending district legislation without its sponsor. Here is what Legistar shows for him this fall:
- Bill 260800, a zoning map change for an area bounded by Lehigh Avenue, Belgrade Street, Aramingo Avenue and Miller Street. Introduced Oct. 1, it is on the Committee on Rules agenda for Tuesday, Oct. 27, at 10 a.m.
- Resolution 260826, letting the Land Bank dispose of 2751 Kensington Avenue in the 1st District. Council adopted it Oct. 8 (meeting record).
- A citywide waste-reduction plan bill, introduced Sept. 17. It would require the administration to produce, within three years, a plan to cut the city's reliance on incineration and landfills over 20 years, according to the Inquirer.
- Co-sponsorships. He co-sponsors Bill 251026, the stalled business-tax exemption for sole proprietors. He also co-sponsors Resolution 260737, the Academy of Natural Sciences hearing, and Resolution 260897, the PGW shutoff hearing.
On recorded votes this month, Squilla voted with the rest of Council. One example is the 17-0 roll call on Oct. 15 approving financing for the police forensics lab.
What's next
The Parking Authority's six-member board, which is appointed through the state, makes the hire. No timeline has been announced. Squilla's zoning bill goes before the Rules Committee on Oct. 27. We will update this story if he leaves Council.