List of members of Philadelphia City Council since 1952

Last updated

On January 7, 1952, Philadelphia's current city charter took effect. The city council created under that charter consists of seventeen members. Ten are elected from equal-sized districts, and seven are elected at-large in a citywide vote. For the seven at-large seats, each political party may only nominate five candidates and voters may only vote for five. The result of this limited voting system is that at least two of the seven members elected will be from a different party than the other five. Historically, this has resulted in the at-large seats being filled by five Democrats and two Republicans, but in recent elections the Working Families Party has also competed successfully for the two minority seats. The ten district seats are usually held by Democrats, as well, with the exception of District 10, which covers the Far Northeast section of the city. The Democratic party's dominance in the city has resulted in a body with little turnover from year to year, although there have been periods of widespread retirements from City Council, such as during the ABSCAM scandal of the 1980s, or the DROP controversy on the early 2010s.

Contents

1952–present

SessionElectionCouncil districtAt large (7 seats)
1st2nd3rd4th5th6th7th8th9th10th
1st
(1952–1956)
1951 Thomas I. Guerin William M. Phillips Harry Norwitch Samuel Rose Raymond Pace Alexander Michael J. Towey James Tate Constance Dallas Charles M. Finley John F. Byrne Sr. Victor E. Moore Lewis M. Stevens Victor H. Blanc James A. Finnegan Paul D'Ortona Louis Schwartz John W. Lord Jr.
1954 [lower-alpha 1] Donald Rubel [lower-alpha 2]
2nd
(1956–1960)
1955 Gaetano Giordano Wilbur H. Hamilton John M. McDevitt Henry W. Sawyer Marshall L. Shepard John F. Byrne Sr. Thomas M. Foglietta
1956 [lower-alpha 3] vacant [lower-alpha 4] Leon Kolan-kiewicz
1957 [lower-alpha 5] Emanuel Weinberg
1958 [lower-alpha 6] Henry P. Carr
3rd
(1960–1964)
1959 Thomas McIntosh Alfred Leopold Luongo Mary Varallo Virginia Knauer
1960 [lower-alpha 7] George X. Schwartz William A. Dwyer Jr.
1962 [lower-alpha 8] vacant [lower-alpha 9] Stanley B. Smullen Robert B. Winkelman Walter S. Pytko
4th
(1964–1968)
1963 Edward F. McNulty Joseph J. Hersch Isadore H. Bellis David Silver
5th
(1968–1972)
1967 Benjamin Curcuruto William Cibotti Charles L. Durham Joseph L. Zazyczny David Cohen Isadore H. Bellis Edgar C. Campbell Edward R. Cantor William F. Boyle John B. Kelly Jr. Thacher Longstreth
1969 [lower-alpha 10] William J. Cottrell Harry Jannotti
6th
(1972–1976)
1971 Natale F. Carabello Ethel D. Allen Joseph E. Coleman Melvin J. Greenberg Francis D. O'Donnell Beatrice Chernock
7th
(1976–1980)
1975 James Tayoun Anna C. Verna Lucien E. Blackwell Cecil B. Moore Louis Johanson Earl Vann Francis X. Rafferty Al Pearlman vacant Ethel D. Allen
1976 [lower-alpha 11] Charles E. Murray
8th
(1980–1984)
1979 John F. Street Joan L. Krajewski Brian J. O'Neill Augusta Clark David Cohen John C. Anderson Joan Specter
May 1981 [lower-alpha 12] Ann J. Land
Nov 1981 [lower-alpha 13] John F. White Jr.
9th
(1984–1988)
1983 Patricia Hughes Edward A. Schwartz Thacher Longstreth
Apr. 1984 [lower-alpha 14] Leland Beloff
Nov 1984 [lower-alpha 15] Angel L. Ortiz
10th
(1988–1992)
1987 James Tayoun Jack Kelly Marian B. Tasco George R. Burrell
11th
(1992–1996)
1991 Joe Vignola Jannie Blackwell Michael Nutter Daniel P. McElhatton Herbert H. DeBeary Happy Fernandez James F. Kenney
1994 [lower-alpha 16] Alvin Stewart
12th
(1996–2000)
1995 Frank DiCicco Richard T. Mariano Donna Reed Miller Frank Rizzo Jr.
13th
(2000–2004)
1999 Darrell L. Clarke Blondell Reynolds Brown W. Wilson Goode Jr.
14th
(2004–2008)
2003 Juan F. Ramos Jack Kelly
2006 [lower-alpha 17] Carol Campbell Daniel J. Savage William K. Greenlee
15th
(2008–2012)
2007 Curtis J. Jones Jr. Maria Quiñones-Sánchez Bill Green
16th
(2012–2016)
2011 Mark Squilla Kenyatta Johnson Bobby Henon Cindy Bass Dennis M. O'Brien David Oh
2014 [lower-alpha 18] Ed Neilson
17th
(2016–2020)
2015 Cherelle Parker Allan Domb Derek S. Green Helen Gym Al Tauben-berger
18th
(2020–2024)
2019 Jamie Gauthier Kathy Gilmore Richardson Isaiah Thomas Kendra Brooks
May 2022 [lower-alpha 19] Mike Driscoll
Nov 2022 [lower-alpha 20] Quetcy Lozada Anthony Phillips Jim Harrity Sharon Vaughn
19th
(2024–2028)
2023 Jeffery Young Jr. Nina Ahmad Rue Landau Nicolas O'Rourke
SessionElection1st2nd3rd4th5th6th7th8th9th10thAt large (7 seats)
Council district

See also

Notes

  1. At-large special election called when John W. Lord Jr. resigned to become a federal judge.
  2. Rubel was an independent Republican elected as a Democrat.
  3. Special election to replace John F. Byrne Sr., who resigned to join the Pennsylvania Turnpike commission.
  4. Guerin died in October 1956, but the special election to replace him was not held until November 1957.
  5. Special election called for District 1 when Thomas I. Guerin died in office.
  6. Special election called for District 9 when Charles M. Finley died in office.
  7. Special election called for vacancies when Samuel Rose and Michael J. Towey died.
  8. Special election called for vacancies caused when Alfred Leopold Luongo was appointed a federal judge and John M. McDevitt and Victor E. Moore resigned.
  9. Tate took a leave of absence from council while acting as mayor.
  10. Special election called for vacancies caused when Benjamin Curcuruto and Joseph J. Hersch died.
  11. Special election called when Francis D. O'Donnell died.
  12. Special election called when George X. Schwartz resigned during the Abscam scandal.
  13. Special election called when Louis Johanson resigned during the Abscam scandal.
  14. Special election called when James Tayoun resigned to run for Congress.
  15. Special election called when Al Pearlman died.
  16. Special election called when Herbert H. DeBeary died.
  17. Special election called when Michael Nutter resigned to run for mayor, Richard T. Mariano resigned after a scandal, and David Cohen died.
  18. Special election called when Bill Green resigned to join the School Reform Commission.
  19. Special election called after Bobby Henon resigned following a federal conviction.
  20. Special election after Allan Domb, Derek S. Green, Cherelle Parker, and Maria Quiñones-Sánchez resigned to run for mayor.

Sources

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