Parker announces picks for chief of staff and deputy mayors

There’s no Ben Simmons or James Harden, but Philadelphia just got a glimpse of its next “Big Three.” 

Philadelphia Mayor-elect Cherelle Parker announced key staff selections for her administration as she prepares to take office as the city’s 100th and first female mayor next year. 

Parker has tapped Tiffany Thurman as her chief of staff, Sinceré Harris as chief deputy mayor of intergovernmental affairs, sustainability and engagement and Aren Platt as chief deputy mayor of planning and strategic initiatives.

“I could not be more proud to announce my ‘Big Three,’” Parker said in a statement. “Tiffany, Sinceré, and Aren will be the leaders at the top of the Parker administration’s organizational chart, and I know they will be working tirelessly for the people of Philadelphia.”

Thurman, a vice president with the Greater Philadelphia YMCA, joins the team alongside Harris and Platt, who were two major players throughout Parker’s campaign. Thurman spent time in outgoing Mayor Jim Kenney’s administration, and was executive director of the Philadelphia state House delegation while Parker was serving in Harrisburg. 

“No one like me has ever been elected Mayor of our city, and no one has ever organized their senior staff this way – but I was elected to fulfill promises made to the people of Philadelphia, and these are the people to do it,” Parker said in a statement. “With the announcement of this team leading my administration, I am excited that we will be taking one of the biggest steps toward making our city the safest, cleanest and greenest city in the nation, with economic opportunity for all.”

Harris, who left her position in intergovernmental affairs, climate and environment in the Biden administration to become Parker’s campaign manager, told City & State in June she left her White House position because she knew Parker was the right candidate for the city at this time. 

“That’s what attracted me to her and it’s why I felt very strongly about showing up and leaving my job: She was the right candidate. I don’t have enough words to stress how important that was and how helpful it was for me personally and for what ended up being our victory,” Harris said. “I think that’s how we actually attracted pieces of that coalition, because with Cherelle, people felt like they knew what they were getting.”

Parker officially becomes mayor on New Year’s Day and will be sworn in at an inaugural City Council ceremony on Jan. 2.