Katherine Gilmore Richardson serves the City of Philadelphia as a Councilmember At-Large. In 2024 she made history becoming the youngest person ever and the first at-large member of Philadelphia City Council to become majority leader. In 2019, Majority Leader Gilmore Richardson shattered glass ceilings following her historic election when she became the youngest woman in Philadelphia to be elected citywide and the youngest Black woman ever elected to Philadelphia City Council.
She is focused on addressing Philadelphia’s most pressing issues: advancing workforce development opportunities; keeping young people and communities safe; uplifting working parents; supporting local, small, and diverse-owned businesses; bolstering the city’s fiscal stability; and advancing environmental justice and climate resilience for all communities.
Gilmore Richardson has passed legislation that bolsters transparency and accountability in city government; addresses the one billion dollars in generational wealth currently caught up in tangled titles; helped increased the city’s bond rating through her legislation that increases contributions to the Budget Stabilization Reserve; cracks down on nuisance businesses; uplifts working parents; and helps account for the City of Philadelphia’s unclaimed property in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, which has returned more than $7.3 million in funds that was rightfully owed to the city.
She is also focused on addressing the needs of our youngest constituents. As a result of her work, six Community Evening Resource Centers are operating across the city, providing young people with essential resources and safe spaces to have fun. Additionally, the School District of Philadelphia now provides Tier I conflict resolution, including daily programming, to every student in the District. She has also advocated for more direct pipelines to family-sustaining and supporting jobs by creating the City’s first Apprenticeship Guidebook, which has bridged the gap between skilled labor organizations and the community. Since its inception, over 5,000 physical copies of the Guidebook have been distributed. In addition, she has supporting young people looking for fulfilling career opportunities by enacting the CTE Civil Service Preference bill and championing the improvement of Career and Technical Education curricula to better align with the jobs of the future.
Gilmore Richardson previously served as a staff member for Councilwoman Blondell Reynolds Brown for 11 years in roles ranging from constituent services representative to chief of staff. A lifelong Philadelphian, Gilmore Richardson is a graduate of the Philadelphia High School for Girls and West Chester University. She is a member of Ridge Avenue Church of God of Prophecy and a proud life member of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Incorporated. Gilmore Richardson resides in Wynnefield with her husband and three children.