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Anthony Phillips (politician)

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Anthony Phillips
Phillips in 2024
Member of the Philadelphia City Council, 9th District
Incumbent
Assumed office
November 28, 2022
Preceded byCherelle Parker
Personal details
Born1988/1989 (age 35–36)
North Philadelphia
Political partyDemocratic
Alma materUMass Amherst, Yale University, Bates College, La Salle College High School
ProfessionPolitician, Ph.D. student
Website

Anthony Phillips is a Democratic member of Philadelphia's City Council, representing the 9th District.[1] He is its youngest member.[2] He replaced his mentor Cherelle Parker who had resigned to run for mayor, an election she subsequently won.[3][4] Before Parker, the seat was held for 28 years by Marian Tasco.[5] Phillips' council service has focused on issues of crime and safety, where he wrote and helped to pass bills addressing student pedestrian safety and crime reduction, introducing traffic calming measures[6] and banning ski-masks in certain public places.[7][8]

Early life

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Anthony Phillips was born in North Philadelphia, where he was raised by his mother, a civil servant at the Department of Human Services, and his grandmother, a maid and former sharecropper from South Carolina.[3][9] When Anthony was eight, his family moved from Nicetown[10] to Mount Airy, a move Phillips attributed to a search for safety and quality schools.[3]

Phillips attended La Salle College High School. Phillips credits his mother working a night job at Walmart for funding his and his sisters' tuition.[3]

In 2003, Phillips attended a summit on Black youth leadership in Washington, D.C.[3][11] As part of this summit, 14-year-old Phillips and other Philadelphia students co-founded Youth Action, a Philadelphia-based nonprofit. Though the organization initially focused on addressing teenage pregnancy, its scope expanded to "youth empowerment" more broadly[12] with the mission of "helping young people access affordable college education and livable-wage jobs" according to Phillips.[13]

Youth Action is still operating today with Phillips serving as executive director. In 2021, the organization had $40,000 in contributions and $196,000 in net assets.[14]

Education

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Anthony Phillips double-majored in African American studies and philosophy at Bates College and graduated with a bachelor's degree in 2010.[15][16] While earning his degree, he studied at Morehouse College as a visiting student. After graduating, he went on to earn a master's degree in Black religion from Yale University.[3][10]

He is currently a Ph.D. student at the University of Massachusetts Amherst where he is researching the Black church in Philadelphia.[10][17]

Early political career

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Throughout Phillips's two decade involvement in Philadelphia political and civic life, his relationship with Cherelle Parker has been a common theme. The two met when Phillips was in high school and Parker spoke at an event organized by Youth Action.[10] While Parker was serving as a state representative, Phillips was an intern in her office.[2][10] Later on in 2018, Phillips became a committeeperson in Philadelphia's 50th Ward after Parker, ward leader and city council member at the time, called him about an opening.[3]

City Council

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On September 7th, 2022, Cherelle Parker resigned from her 9th District City Council seat to run for mayor, leaving her seat open.[18] Parker approached Phillips about running to replace her. Though initially responding to the idea with resistance, Phillips ultimately agreed and Parker began to work with ward leaders to advocate for him.[3] With Parker's support, Phillips was chosen by the city's Democratic ward leaders and made the ballot for the November 8th special election.[19] Phillips won the election with 88 percent of the vote[20][21] and assumed office on November 28, 2022.[22][23] He then began to campaign for the 2023 primary election, seeking to be the Democratic nominee for the upcoming general election and keep his current seat. Phillips won the primary with 63 percent of the vote[24] and went on to the general election uncontested.[25]

In his first years in office, Phillips has introduced or sponsored legislation including restrictions on street parking for semi-trucks and other large vehicles,[26][27] affordable housing preservation,[28][29] traffic calming around schools,[30] and a controversial[31][32][33] ski mask ban.[34] Three of his bills were passed by the Philadelphia City Council including a ban on tractor trailer parking in residential areas,[16] traffic calming measures to improve student pedestrian safety[6] and the ski mask ban for which wearers can be fined $250 if worn in public places such as parks, schools, day-care centers, city-owned buildings, and public transit.[7] The latter bill was passed in response to upticks in crime including fatal shootings on school property and SEPTA transit.[35] While opposed by the ACLU, Phillips noted that recent shootings had been committed by people in ski masks making it more difficult to identify the perpetrators.[36]

Committee assignments

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As of July 2023:[37]

  • Children and Youth (chair)
  • Education
  • Intergenerational Affairs and Aging
  • Labor and Civil Service
  • Law and Government
  • Legislative Oversight
  • Technology and Information Services
  • Transportation and Public Utilities

References

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  1. ^ "Council Members". Philadelphia City Council. 17 November 2015. Archived from the original on 28 April 2023. Retrieved 29 July 2023.
  2. ^ a b Orso, Anna (9 November 2022). "Philly City Council results: Anthony Phillips is poised to win the 9th District seat based in Northwest Philly". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved 31 July 2023.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h Levy, Jordan (25 October 2022). "Meet Anthony Phillips, the youth-focused millennial hoping to rep North Philly on City Council". Billy Penn. Archived from the original on 6 December 2022. Retrieved 29 July 2023.
  4. ^ Phillips, Susan (7 November 2023). "Cherelle Parker makes history: Philly elects first Black woman mayor". WHYY.
  5. ^ Terruso, Julia (19 January 2015). "Tasco looks back as she prepares to leave City Council". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved 20 December 2020.
  6. ^ a b "City Council Unanimously Passes Two Bills from Councilmember Anthony Phillips". City Council Philadelphia - Council News. 30 March 2023.
  7. ^ a b Orso, Anna (30 November 2023). "Philly lawmakers vote to ban ski masks in some public places". The Philadelphia Inquirer.
  8. ^ Cole, John (December 1, 2023). "Philadelphia City Council passes ban on ski masks in certain public places". Pennsylvania-Capital Star.
  9. ^ "Councilmember Anthony Phillips | District 9". Philadelphia City Council. 18 November 2022. Retrieved 31 July 2023.
  10. ^ a b c d e Collins Walsh, Sean (27 October 2022). "What you need to know about Anthony Phillips, the 33-year-old Ph.D. student in line for a City Council seat". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved 31 July 2023.
  11. ^ Johnson, Raelyn (1 June 2003). "Take the lead: don't miss Youth 2 Leaders, coming to a city near you. (you're the boss)". Black Enterprise. Retrieved 31 July 2023.
  12. ^ "Our Story". Youth Action. Retrieved 31 July 2023.
  13. ^ "Anthony Phillips". Committee of Seventy. Retrieved 31 July 2023.
  14. ^ "Philadelphia Youth Action Inc - 2021 990EZ". ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer. 9 May 2013. Retrieved 31 July 2023.
  15. ^ "Mays Men attend Morehouse College inauguration". News | Bates College. 4 March 2008.
  16. ^ a b Stires, Deirdre (4 April 2024). "What It Took: Love Led Anthony Phillips '10 to Ask, 'How Can We Make Other People's Lives Better?'". Bates College.
  17. ^ "Graduate Students". W.E.B. Du Bois Department of Afro-American Studies | UMass Amherst.
  18. ^ Orso, Anna; Collins Walsh, Sean (7 September 2022). "Philly Councilmember Cherelle L. Parker has resigned and will run for mayor". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved 31 July 2023.
  19. ^ Williams, Stephen (15 September 2022). "Democrats pick 2 to run for City Council on Nov. 8". The Philadelphia Tribune. Retrieved 1 August 2023.
  20. ^ "Governor, Senator ... Who Won, Who Lost in the PA General Election". The Philadelphia Citizen. 14 November 2022. Retrieved 31 July 2023.
  21. ^ "Past Election Results: 2022 General". Philadelphia City Commissioners. Retrieved 31 July 2023.
  22. ^ Duncan, Jemille Q. (23 November 2022). "Who's New on Philadelphia City Council?". The Philadelphia Citizen.
  23. ^ Orso, Anna (28 November 2022). "After a series of resignations, Philly City Council is back to its normal size. For now". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved 31 July 2023.
  24. ^ "Philadelphia Votes Results". Philadelphia City Commissioners. Archived from the original on 11 June 2023. Retrieved 31 July 2023.
  25. ^ "Philadelphia Votes Results". Philadelphia City Commissioners. Archived from the original on 18 December 2023. Retrieved 21 December 2023.
  26. ^ BILL NO. 220968 (bill). Philadelphia City Council. 8 December 2022.
  27. ^ BILL NO. 230208 (bill). Philadelphia City Council. 16 March 2023.
  28. ^ BILL NO. 221017 (bill). Philadelphia City Council. 15 December 2022.
  29. ^ BILL NO. 221018 (bill). Philadelphia City Council. 15 December 2022.
  30. ^ BILL NO. 230103 (bill). Philadelphia City Council. 16 February 2023.
  31. ^ Caiola, Sammy (26 June 2023). "Philly leaders want to ban ski masks to prevent gun violence; opponents say it's an intrusion on Black youth". WHYY. Retrieved 1 August 2023.
  32. ^ Sone, Sunny (30 June 2023). "The U.S.'s Far-Reaching, Dangerous History of Policing Fashion". The Trace. Retrieved 1 August 2023.
  33. ^ Owens, Ernest (1 June 2023). "Banning "Shiesty" Ski Masks on SEPTA Won't Reduce Crime". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved 1 August 2023.
  34. ^ BILL NO. 230510 (bill). Philadelphia City Council. 15 June 2023.
  35. ^ Elassar, Alaa; Campinoti, Maria Sole (1 December 2023). "Philadelphia lawmakers vote to ban ski masks in some public places, a move praised by police but panned by rights advocates". CNN.
  36. ^ Orso, Anna (29 November 2023). "Philadelphia is poised to pass a ski mask ban, drawing support from police and criticism from the ACLU". The Philadelphia Inquirer.
  37. ^ "Standing Committees". Philadelphia City Council. 4 January 2016. Retrieved 25 July 2023.
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