The architects of a historic campaign | Morning Newsletter
Your new favorite artist from Southwest Philly
The Morning Newsletter
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Welcome to the start of a new week. The sun will be out today but temps will only reach the low 50s.
When Cherelle Parker takes office in January, she will be sworn in as Philly’s 100th and first female mayor.
She didn’t do it alone. Sinceré Harris and Aren Platt, Parker’s campaign manager and a senior adviser, respectively, played integral roles on her team. Our lead story centers on the staffers who ran Parker’s historic campaign and who will also become two of the most important officials in her administration.
— Taylor Allen (@TayImanAllen, morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)
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Aren Platt and Sinceré Harris will largely be the ones to implement Parker’s agenda next year.
Cherelle Parker has kept a tight inner circle since winning the Democratic nomination in May, and the duo are a part of almost every major decision.
Notable quote: “This is the team,” Parker said of the two in her election night victory speech. “When there were folks who said, ‘You are not going to do this because you won’t be able to raise the money,’ they never questioned our competence. They never questioned our ability.”
Both are Mount Airy natives and share much of Parker’s centrist Democratic policies.
Meet the two top staffers who will be integral in the next mayoral administration.
What you should know today
Sixers’ Kelly Oubre Jr. suffered a broken rib and injuries to his hip and right leg after a car hit him Saturday night in Center City.
There’s been a significant uptick in reported acts targeting Jewish, Muslim and Arab people in the Philly region.
As Philadelphia’s first female mayor, Cherelle Parker will be held to higher standards, according to interviews with more than a dozen mayors, CEOs and experts, and subjected to stereotypes her predecessors never faced.
Philadelphia’s police union ushered in a new president Friday. We broke down what a new mayor, police commissioner, and union president will mean for Philly’s FOP.
Police arrested a line cook in Conshohocken after the cook allegedly stabbed a restaurant coworker.
University of Pennsylvania’s donor backlash raises questions about how much influence philanthropists should have.
Our pop music critic Dan DeLuca released his latest weekly playlist that includes new Philly music and bands coming to town soon.
As a kid, Philly artist Justin Wadlington submitted sketches of X-Men characters to his school’s drawing competition. His high school teachers were some of the first to spot his artistic talents, and they showcased his work in the building’s auditorium for a mini art show.
In his own words: “Back then, I knew I could draw, but I didn’t think it was special,” Wadlington said. “I just knew I could draw cartoons, but I never knew it was something beyond a hobby. I didn’t look at it as a passion, but it was.”
He didn’t have time to focus on his art growing up. At 5, an accident left him blind in his left eye. Both of his parents died when he was young. His grandmother raised him but when she could no longer care for him, he was in and out of group homes until he was old enough to live on his own.
Fast forward a few years and now his work has been shown in world-renowned gallery spaces. Under the moniker Blind Eye Artist, he has big-name celebrities like Shaquille O’Neal, Brooke Shields, and Kevin Hart on his client list.
Keep reading for more of his compelling life story.
🧠 Trivia time
Which Eagle made the list of People’s 2023 Sexiest Men Alive?
A) Jalen Hurts
B) Jason Kelce
C) Haason Reddick
D) Lane Johnson
Think you know? Check your answer.
What we’re...
👀 Watching: Another possible government shutdown.
💭 Wondering: When and if I’ll run into the woman who roams the city giving compliments to strangers.
🧩 Unscramble the anagram
Hint: Susan Noles of The Golden Bachelor has a lookalike
JERKS RENIN
We’ll select a reader at random to shout out here. Email us if you know the answer. Cheers to Sara Garonzik, who correctly guessed Sunday’s answer: Black Thought.
Photo of the day
Thanks for starting your day with The Inquirer. I’ll see you back in your inbox tomorrow. 📧