Jamie Gauthier

Honored to be featured in today’s @phillyinquirer. The piece highlights my work with colleagues to ensure Philly’s historic $800M housing investment prioritizes those who need it most. Grateful for my PHL Council colleagues and other partners in the work! bit.ly/4bokBJT

I’m devastated by the mass shooting in Cobbs Creek last night. I’m asking our community to pray for the speedy recovery of the three surviving victims, for their loved ones, and for the families of the two neighbors we lost. Thank you to PPD for their swift response and for working to bring those responsible to justice. This is an extremely painful reminder that despite the historic progress we’ve made to end gun violence, we have so much further to go. I’ve never lost sight of this, which is why I’m fighting for a municipal budget that invests in resources that disrupt the cycle of violence — including our new forensics lab in West Philly and funding for community intervention programs. Your City hasn’t slowed down, and we will not slow down until our communities are free from the scourge of gun violence.

Time is running out to save 925 affordable homes that are going up for sale. 3,000+ Philadelphians are counting on their City to step up. We're in a good position: my People's Preservation Package has given us the legislative tools and time we need to develop a plan. And thanks to the City's HOME Initiative, we have more funding for affordable housing preservation. All that's missing is the will to act. I hope Mayor Parker will see that investing in affordable housing for more than 3,000 Philadelphians is worthwhile.

Jeff Brown said “Chester is Chester” when asked during the Fox 29 mayoral debate about the injustice of Philadelphia burning trash in Chester. Then-candidate Parker responded, “That response is the same way you treat the Black and brown community.” But now that Mayor Parker is in a position to do something about this injustice, her administration appears to be opposing efforts to end its dirty deal with trash incinerators. When I asked if Mayor Parker is comfortable continuing this legacy of pollution and sickness, despite having the power to stop it, her administration filibustered and refused to answer the question directly. We are making ourselves and our neighbors in Chester dirty and sick by burning trash. It's past time for City Council and Mayor Parker to do the right thing and stop trashing our air!

The School District of Philadelphia wants to close Robeson, Parkway West, and Blankenburg. We're fighting to save West Philly schools. Paul Robeson is the last public high school in the heart of University City, where our kids have easy access to centers of opportunity. Yet the School District didn't try to find a space for our kids among the several buildings going up around Robeson. Preliminary conversations with institutions and other University City stakeholders confirm interest in either finding or building a state-of-the-art new school for Robeson. And that's what we should do. Instead of closing Parkway West and Blankenburg, let's create a Mill Creek Cradle-to-Career Education Hub by co-locating them in one of several underutilized school buildings in the area. The Mill Creek Education Hub would create a Pre K to 12 campus that builds on these schools’ existing strengths of career readiness, autism and special education support, and strong local partnerships – all while achieving the facilities plan’s stated goal of reducing student transitions.

I'm touched that 2nd graders at Fanny Jackson Coppin School took it upon themselves to advocate for my Stop Trashing Our Air Act, which would end Philly's dirty deal with trash incinerators that turn our waste into toxic air pollution and sickness. If our 2nd graders understand that burning trash makes us and our planet sick, I hope Mayor Parker and my Council colleagues will too. Let's listen to our young people, our neighbors in Chester, and health and environmental experts, and stop trashing our air!

The School District of Philadelphia was unable or unwilling to create a Facilities Master Plan that works for West Philly's young people. So we did it ourselves. We showed up. We listened to the students, parents, and staff who will live with the consequences of the District's decision. What we came up with was simple and proof that the School District could have done it too, if they wanted to. Paul Robeson is the last public high school in the heart of University City, where our kids have easy access to centers of opportunity. Yet the School District didn't try to find a space for our kids among the several buildings going up around Robeson. Preliminary conversations we've been having with institutions and other University City stakeholders confirm there's interest in finding or building Robeson a state-of-the-art new school. And that's what we should do. Instead of closing Parkway West and Blankenburg, let's create a Mill Creek Cradle to Career Education Hub by co-locating them in one of the several underutilized school buildings in the area. The Mill Creek Education Hub would create a Pre K to 12 campus that builds on these schools’ existing strengths of career readiness, autism and special education support, and strong local partnerships – all while achieving the facilities plan’s stated goal of reducing student transitions. share.inquirer.com/WdDVHd

925 affordable homes across West and Southwest Philly are coming up for sale. Time is running out to prevent 3,000+ of our neighbors from losing safe, stable, affordable housing. This is our chance to solidify affordability for decades in some of the most desirable neighborhoods in the city. If we don't act, the displacement ripping our communities apart will only get worse. My People's Preservation Package gives us the legislative authority to save them. The HOME Initiative gives us the money. All that's missing is the will to stand up for working-class and low-income Philadelphians who are counting on their government to act. whyy.org/articles/west-…

BREAKING: I introduced legislation today to correct the zoning for 5 schools targeted by the School District of Philadelphia's facilities master plan. For decades, powerful forces have pushed working-class Black and brown families out of University City to make way for moneyed interests. Now the School District wants to close Paul Robeson High and Blankenburg Elementary to redevelop the land. The District should be focused on educational outcomes, not development ones. You do not get to plan the sale of a building while our children are still sitting in it — not on my watch. share.inquirer.com/CLE4Ht

The School District of Philadelphia isn't listening to our kids, so I went to @Robesonofficial to hear for myself what students think of the District's plan to close their school. @PHLschoolboard listen to our students. Don't close Robeson!

Your City, your budget! Today @phillymayor gives her budget address to @phlcouncil — officially kicking off City Hall's "budget season." A budget is a moral document and I am fighting to put City Hall to work for West and Southwest Philly!

The 3rd Council District is the only one where a majority of residents do not drive to work. That's why it's common sense to bring more housing online by increasing density around transit stations. It's a win-win for affordable housing and accessible neighborhoods. inquirer.com/real-estate/co…

I spent more than 8 hours at a Board of Education meeting last week to register my opposition to the School District of Philadelphia's plan to close Robeson, Parkway West, and Blakenburg. In exchange for shuttering these successful and critically important schools, the district says some neighborhood schools *might* be renovated in the next decade. The district has already proven it's willing to listen. The community spoke out, and now Motivation is staying open. The School District and Board of Education must give Robeson, Parkway West, and Blakenburg the same consideration!

The reimagined Westpark Apartments is under construction! Soon we will have hundreds more affordable homes in one of the most amenity-rich neighborhoods in all of Philly! Westpark is within walking distance of University City, making it an ideal location for Philadelphians seeking easy access to high-quality jobs, schools, and healthcare. That's why I pushed PHA to include several hundred affordable housing units above what was there before, and I applaud Kelvin Jeremiah and the entire PHA team for finding ways to achieve this goal. We are reconnecting Westpark to the street grid, creating new quality public spaces, and tripling the number of homes – 60% of which will be deed-restricted affordable housing.  This is what community-minded development looks like!

We saved Motivation, but we're still fighting for Robeson, Parkway West, and Blankenburg. I appreciate Superintendent Dr. Watlington and the School District for taking on the challenging and necessary task of improving our school facilities. But the proposal before the Board of Education misses the mark. It is a bad deal for West and Southwest Philly, where resources are being sucked out of our neighborhoods. It is a bad deal for Black and brown kids, who are disproportionately impacted by the current proposal. It is a bad deal for our teachers who give so much of themselves to transform our schools into places where our kids feel seen, supported, and loved. And if our school support staff, who have been on the front line of our facilities crisis, know the district's so-called “solution” isn’t up to snuff, then you know it is a bad deal! I was proud to lock arms with PFT, CASA, Unite Here Local 634, SPAP, SEIU 32BJ, AFL-CIO, and so many other elected officials last week. I'll keep fighting until our kids get the school facilities plan they deserve.

When we fight, we win! Motivation HS is STAYING OPEN! 🙌🏾 Thank you to Superintendent Watlington and the School District for listening to Motivation's students and school community. This victory also wouldn't have been possible without the advocacy of Speaker Joanna McClinton, Senator Anthony Williams, Representative Jordan Harris, and Council President Kenyatta Johnson. I fought keep Motivation open because I know how important it is for the Southwest community. And I'll work just as hard to save Robeson, Parkway West, and Blankenburg. ✊🏾

We are celebrating historic bipartisan support for post-arrest youth diversion in the Pennsylvania State House! Last year I led a delegation to Harrisburg to advocate for youth diversion because it is a win-win. Post-arrest youth diversion for nonviolent crimes: ✅️ Is twice as effective at preventing recidivism ✅️ Gets victims restitution faster ✅️ Saves taxpayers money ✅️ Keeps communities whole Congratulations to @RepKrajewski @Rep_ADC @bellmonforpa and everyone in the Pennsylvania Justice Alliance on getting HB 144, HB 150, and HB 1936 through the State House with overwhelming support on both sides of the aisle! Now it is up to the State Senate to send these bills to Governor Shapiro's desk without delay!

I went into politics because I wanted to change policy, broken systems, and lives for the better. I'm honored that Hannah Epstein, a student journalist at Bryn Mawr College, saw fit to chronicle my journey in this great profile — from affordable housing advocacy to fighting gun violence in our communities to my thoughts on standing up to Trump. Young women are watching and stepping up. And tomorrow, they will be the ones leading our great city and nation! Thank you so much, Hannah, and best of luck in your academic and career journey! 💛 bicollegenews.com/2026/02/20/cou…

We're fighting the School District of Philadelphia's plan to close Parkway West. Parkway West is small by design. It's the only school with a curriculum designed for students interested in becoming early childhood educators. The school has strong support for students with disabilities, and small class sizes foster tight-knit relationships. As a former School Board member puts it, closing Parkway West would leave "a hole" in Mill Creek. We can't let that happen. share.inquirer.com/dpotjq

According to the School District's own metrics, Motivation High School is doing well. "Strong" academic performance. "Fair" building condition (Motivation has a better building score than the school the district wants to send Motivation students to instead). "Fair" program alignment. The only piece of data that may point to a problem is building utilization, but that is because the School District did not count the 300 KIPP students who share Motivation's space. If we include them, Motivation's utilization score *doubles*. This begs the question, how we can we have confidence that utilization data was applied rigorously across schools? What variables actually drove the School District's recommendations to shutter successful schools like Motivation? Motivation is a pillar of the Southwest community and I'll keep fighting to keep its doors open — just like I am working to save our schools across West and Southwest.

Robeson is a nationally acclaimed school that's sending kids to Harvard, despite students having to fight for basic necessities like proper ventilation and climate control. Now the School District wants to shut down Robeson — again. It is a slap in the face to the community — most especially the students at Robeson who are doing so well despite having so little support from the District — that the School District could find $240 million more for other neighborhoods, but not a penny to keep Robeson open. I'm fighting for Robeson and other high-performing schools across West and Southwest that are on the chopping block. Our kids deserve better.