Allegheny County voters also turned to state Rep. Sara Innamorato, a liberal who wants to improve policies at the jail as part of a “comprehensive public health approach to public safety," as the Democratic nominee for county executive. Innamorato supports an end to high fines and fees for minor offenses, mandatory minimums and solitary confinement.
Parker, 50, who served for 10 years as a state representative for northwest Philadelphia before her election to the city council in 2015, asserted herself as a leader whose government experience would allow her to address gaping problems with public safety and quality of life in the nation’s sixth-largest city. She will go up against Republican David Oh in the Nov. 7 general election.
Parker pledged to “stop the sense of lawlessness that is plaguing our city” by putting hundreds more officers on the street to engage in community policing. Parker pushed for officers to use every legal tool, including stopping someone when they have “just cause and reasonable suspicion.” Innamorato in Allegheny County will face the lone Republican primary contender, Joseph Rockey, in the November general election.