Maria Quiñones Sánchez, left, and Derek S. Green, right, have both dropped out of the Philadelphia City Council to run for mayor.
Maria Quiñones Sanchez and Derek Green are throwing their hats into the ring to be Philadelphia's next mayor.
Both have been involved in Democratic Party politics in Philadelphia for more than two decades. Quiñones Sanchez became the first Latina to serve a district on City Council when she was elected in 2007. Green, a former assistant district attorney and legislative aide to retired Council Majority Leader Marian Tasco, was in his second term on Council.
Both submitted their resignation letters to Council President Darrell Clarke on Tuesday.
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“I’ve been grateful for every minute I’ve been able to serve, grateful for every vote, and every person who’s raised their voice to make Philadelphia a better place," Quiñones Sanchez said of her 14 years on city council. "We’ve made progress. And I am excited to continue that progress as the first woman of color to be elected as Philadelphia’s next Mayor."
Quiñones Sanchez and Green follow former Council colleague Allan Domb in resigning council to explore a mayoral run. Unlike Domb, however, they left no doubt of their intentions to run for mayor.
Politics
"In the next couple of months, I will be laying out my vision for how we make Philadelphia safer, create quality schools in every neighborhood and ensure the tax burden is not making people and businesses leave our city," Quiñones Sanchez said in the news release announcing her resignation. "I am looking forward to discussing what Philadelphia can look like in 2030 when we work together and have a strong leader at the helm.”
Philadelphia's Home Rule Charter mandates city officials to quit their positions before pursuing another office.
