Parker launches interfaith roundtable: 'We can’t do all of this by ourselves, so you all have to help us'

PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Mayor Cherelle Parker says she intends to run policy decisions by an interfaith roundtable that she launched last week.

Parker likes to get big groups of people together. This is the third roundtable she has convened — following a business roundtable and an inter-governmental roundtable — and she says it’s not just for show.

“You know, I don’t like meeting just for the sake of meeting. I want something tangible that comes out of the effort.”

She told the members at the recent launch event that she tried to gather the largest, most diverse group she could.

“This is the first time we’ve had a formal structure,” the mayor said. “Yes, past mayors have had a liaison to the faith-based community and I think that’s nice. But the way I envisioned ‘interfaith’ was every race, ethnicity, spiritual and religious leader that you could imagine all being at the table.”

She said she wants to use them as a sounding board for policy decisions and for outreach, so their congregations are aware and taking advantage of city programs that can benefit them.

“We have great programs here in the city of Philadelphia, but the public thinks they need a hookup to get connected to the programs. We do a poor job of marketing,”

Parker says she also wants the members to weigh in on policies that affect their communities.

“We are not always going to agree. I know that,” Parker said. “I done fought with some of the people in this room before. I know we’ll fight again about something. But that makes you even more valuable.”