Here’s Why Philadelphia May Not Have a Mayor Soon

It won't be long until the City of Philadelphia will not have a mayor.

Seriously. The city of Philadelphia may not have an elected leader soon.

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Think about that... the City of Philadelphia will not have somebody officially in charge of the government in the near future.

Here's Why the City Won't Have A Mayor for 36 Hours

The City of Philadelphia will start 2024 without a mayor. In fact, this potential crisis will actually last about 36 hours.

This will happen on January 1, 2024 (as we're all drunk in the streets celebrating the New Year with the Mummers parade).

The revelation was first reported by BillyPenn.com.

Of course, there's a bit of context we should give here...

Jim Kenny Will No Longer Be Philly's Mayor on January 1, 2023

Jim Kenney's second term as the mayor of the City of Philadelphia will conclude at 11:59 pm on December 31, 2023.

That's because (as BillyPenn reports) the mayor's team ends on the first Monday of January.

This year, of course, the first Monday of January is January 1.

Soooo... here's the problem:

Cherelle Parker Won't Be Sworn in Until January 2

New Year's Day is a holiday so City Hall is closed. Therefore Cherelle Parker won't be sworn in until Monday.

So here's where the issue will be.

Pennsylvania's law apparently says that all persons elected need to be sworn into their positions before beginning their duties.

Essentially, experts tell BillyPenn that at that time Parker can have influence, but she won't have official power. That basically means she can't tell anyone what to do (yet). 

Billy Penn outlined what exactly would happen if there was an emergency in the city that day in their reporting. Click here to check it out.

There are a few options including a private swearing-in ceremony, which seems still possible for Philly's new mayor ahead of a public (more ceremonious) ceremony on January 2.