The 2027 Philadelphia City Council races have unofficially begun.
Lawyer Jalon Alexander this week announced he has formed an exploratory committee as he mulls challenging Councilmember Jeffery “Jay” Young Jr. in the Democratic primary for the North Philadelphia-based 5th District.
Serious challenges to incumbent district Council members are rare, but Young’s race is likely to be an exception. The freshman lawmaker won his seat in unusual circumstances in 2023 as the only candidate on the ballot in the Democratic primary, and he’s made several controversial decisions over projects in his district.
“Over the past two years, it has become abundantly clear that residents of the 5th councilmanic district have been poorly represented,” Alexander, 32, said in his announcement. “A lack of accountability from a councilmember who ran uncontested in the 2023 primary has led to a failure to develop public spaces such as libraries and swimming pools as well as a slowdown in the development of affordable housing.”
Young, 39, who is also an attorney and previously served as an aide to former Council President Darrell L. Clarke, said he and his staff have “worked hard every single day to deliver results.”
“We’ve done that by resolving thousands of constituent issues, creating space for residents to voice their concerns, advocating for accountability, and staying accessible, visible, and relatable,” Young said in a statement. “We live in a democratic society, and the right to run for office is a foundational part of that. I remain focused on the responsibilities of this role and the trust this community has placed in me.”
Council has recently seen unusually high turnover, with 12 of the 17 current members in their first or second terms. The pendulum may now be swinging in the other direction. No sitting member has indicated they may not seek reelection in 2027, meaning challenges to incumbents could be the most competitive races in the next municipal election cycle.
Council has 10 members who represent geographic districts, including Young, and seven at-large who are elected citywide.
Alexander, the grandson of the well-known politico, consultant and former City Controller Maurice Floyd, ran unsuccessfully for an at-large seat in 2023. Other candidates are likely to join the 5th District race before the primary in the spring of 2027.
5th District legacy at stake
Council’s 5th District seat has been occupied by some of the most legendary figures in Black Philadelphia politics: Raymond Pace Alexander, the first Black Common Pleas Court judge in Pennsylvania; Ethel D. Allen, the first Black woman to win a Council seat; and Cecil B. Moore, the civil rights leader and NAACP president.
More recently, the seat was held by John F. Street, who served as Council president and mayor, and Clarke, Street’s protege who also became Council president.
Unintentionally, Clarke paved the way for Young’s election.
As rumors swirled in 2023 that Clarke may not seek reelection, several candidates with high-profile backers had lined up to run for the 5th District seat. But Clarke repeatedly delayed making a final decision, and most of the candidates hoping to succeed him waited to circulate their nominating petitions out of deference.
» READ MORE: Seven Democrats tried to replace Darrell Clarke on City Council. Only one made the ballot.
When Clarke finally announced his retirement, less than two weeks remained before the petition deadline. All of the candidates’ signatures were challenged in court, and only Young, who did not wait for Clarke’s announcement to begin collecting signatures, made it onto the ballot.
Although Young had served as a staffer for Clarke, the retiring Council president had endorsed his ex-chief of staff, Curtis Wilkerson, to replace him in the 5th District.
Young’s tenure
In Philadelphia, Council members wield enormous control over projects and land-use decisions in their districts, and during his 19-month tenure, Young has used that power to make several controversial decisions.
He was harangued by scores of angry constituents at a community meeting this year for stalling a planned renovation of Cecil B. Moore Library to allow for the potential demolition and redevelopment of the site.
He effectively killed a Philadelphia Housing Authority project to build 57 units of affordable housing in Strawberry Mansion by suing the Zoning Board of Adjustments.
He also clashed with Mayor Cherelle L. Parker’s administration over a plan to expand a homeless shelter in Fairmount and add services for people in addiction. Young attempted to retaliate against the administration with a widely criticized bill that would have upended the city’s entire zoning code. The legislation died when Parker openly considered subjecting it to what would have been her first veto.
Alexander is already highlighting Young’s handling of some of those projects, saying in a statement that he has been meeting with community organizers and is “supporting renovations/openings to the Cecil B. Moore Library, and supporting the development of affordable housing for senior citizens in Strawberry Mansion.”
Young’s campaign did not respond to a request for comment on specific controversies raised by Alexander.
“My office and I will continue to lead our district with a servant-leader mentality by staying focused, present, and deeply committed to the people of the 5th District,” said Young, who attended Temple University and Rutgers Law School.
A focus on technology
In his law practice, Alexander represents clients in cybersecurity-related issues, and he plans to make technology a theme of his campaign.
Alexander, who attended Pennsylvania State University and the University of Pittsburgh School of Law, wants to push the city to embrace high-tech solutions that could make municipal services more efficient.
He also wants the city to play a bigger role in preparing Philadelphians for the AI age, which he said could be an opportunity for “bridging the gap between technology and communities of color.”
“I’m going to be focused on finding innovative ways to get residents of the district employed,” he said in an interview Wednesday. “Some might be in technological manufacturing so providing people with the opportunity to get six-figure jobs in making artificial intelligence technology.”