No, You Can’t Recall Philadelphia’s Mayor Over Her Sixers Arena Deal

Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker during her announcement on the new Sixers arena (image via City of Philadelphia)

By now, you are no doubt aware that Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker has given her powerful thumbs-up to the hugely controversial Sixers arena proposed for Center City, abutting Chinatown. For a complete rundown on what Parker had to say during her announcement, you’ll want to read this. Meanwhile, I’ve seen lots of questions popping up on social media about Parker and her decision. So I thought I would do my best to answer a few of those questions here.

#1: Can we recall Mayor Parker over her Sixers arena decision?

No. It’s not just that you can’t recall Mayor Parker over her arena decision. You can’t recall Mayor Parker over anything. Most states don’t allow for recalls, and Pennsylvania is one of those states. You can thank Frank Rizzo for that.

When reformists wrote the Philadelphia Home Rule Charter in 1951, they actually did include an allowance for recalling an elected official. You’d have to gather lots and lots of signatures on a petition, which would trigger a recall election allowing voters to try to kick the elected official out of office.

In 1975, Frank Rizzo won a second term in office as Philadelphia’s mayor after promising he wouldn’t raise taxes. But then he raised taxes. In 1976, a group of Philadelphians spent millions of dollars and collected more than 145,000 signatures against Rizzo, which should have led to a recall election. But Rizzo took the group to the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania. And the justices decided that Philadelphia’s recall provision violated the state constitution.

So, no, no matter how mad you are about this, you’re stuck with Mayor Parker!

#2: Might her Sixers arena deal mean Mayor Parker will be a one-term mayor?

If you asked me to bet you $10,000 that Mayor Parker will be a two-term mayor, barring some truly unprecedented scandal, I would take that bet in a second. Sure, lots of people are upset. Most voters reportedly don’t want a Sixers arena where the Sixers want to put it. So it’s understandable that lots of you might wish for a 2028 without Parker in the mayor’s office.

Two things.

First, the next mayoral election is a long way off. There’s plenty of time for Mayor Parker to do lots of good in the city and help the city continue on its post-pandemic upswing, which it’s very much experiencing. And memories fade. Sure, you have hardcore activists for whom the next election might be single-issue based, that issue being the arena. But it’s hard to imagine that this will be the deciding factor for the vast majority of voters.

Second, let’s look at history. In the last 72 years, there has only been one mayor to not serve two terms. That was Bill Green Sr., and he chose not to run for a second term for personal reasons. In other words, there hasn’t been a single mayor who wanted to serve two terms who did not do so. And let us not forget that Philadelphia reelected Wilson Goode after the MOVE bombing. If Philadelphia will reelect a mayor who was in charge when the city literally bombed its own people, something tells me that we will reelect a mayor who approved a new sports arena.

#3: Can’t City Council put a stop to all of this Sixers arena business?

Sure. The Sixers arena can’t be built without the approval of City Council. There are going to be public hearings. Members of the public will be able to let their voices be heard in front of City Council. But, as someone who has closely observed City Hall for the last two decades or so, I’m not putting my faith in City Council to go against a billionaire’s big idea that has the support of the first Black woman to be mayor of Philadelphia, a candidate who received far more votes in the Democratic primary than her opponents, including staunch arena opponent Helen Gym.