Hi, I'm Amanda
Amanda McIllmurray is a lifelong Philadelphian, working class queer woman, the daughter of union members, and an organizer running for City Council At Large. She’s running for City Council At Large to win good jobs, safe schools, stable housing and holistic approaches to community safety for all our neighbors.
When elected, she’ll be the first openly queer Council Member ever and the youngest member of council.
She grew up in the Riverwards and Northeast and is a proud alum of the Philadelphia School District. While she received a superb education, she also experienced the divestment of our public schools firsthand. She went to Central High School in Olney — a magnet school with the resources of a robust and affluent alumni network to fill the gaps caused by decades of neglect but even that wasn’t enough. They used outdated textbooks that were falling apart and they had mold, lead, asbestos, rats and roaches like most schools across our city. She took 3 buses and traveled an hour each way from Frankford. No student should have to take three buses and travel across the city to get a quality education.
Every neighborhood school deserves the resources suburban schools have and MORE. Every student deserves a fully funded school regardless of their ZIP code, their race or their income. Every educator and school staff deserves fair wages and a safe working environment. As councilmember, Amanda will fight to make this happen.
She was arrested alongside UNITEHere while fighting for healthcare for workers at the Philadelphia International Airport. She experienced the stark contrast between the city’s response to George Floyd’s murder and their response to white supremacists who attacked her, her partner and her friends at Marconi Plaza. In the aftermath of those attacks, Amanda served on the Controller’s Community Advisory and Accountability Council, a coalition of community and nonprofit leaders and business owners that advised and supported the Office’s independent review of the City of Philadelphia’s response to the uprisings after George Floyd’s murder. Amanda has experience bridging communities and finding solutions to our most difficult problems.
Amanda grew up in a union family and was taught the meaning of solidarity early. Her dad was a truck driver and member of the Teamsters. Her mom was a cafeteria worker in her neighborhood school and a member of UniteHere. During the Corbett administration’s inhumane budget cuts UniteHere, parents, teachers and school staff led a hunger strike and saved 1200 jobs — including her mom’s job. They were fighting for her before they even knew her. Now, she carries on the work of fighting for people she doesn’t know yet.
As an organizer, Amanda fought to give working people a say in what happens in our communities. She co-founded Reclaim Philadelphia to put political power into the hands of our neighbors. She ran the campaigns of Senator Nikil Saval and Representative Elizabeth Fiedler because with organizers in office we see different priorities and better outcomes for all of us. She’s ready to continue her work and bring her winning record to City Council.
Our city is facing serious challenges: an overdose crisis, skyrocketing housing prices, a gun violence epidemic, a never ending pandemic and we’re all working more jobs than ever while making less money than ever. But with great challenges come great opportunities. As we continue to recover from the pandemic, Amanda is ready to lead and will work to invest in our communities and fight for affordable housing, tackle gun violence, keep our libraries, parks and recs open nights and weekends and support workers in every industry.
Amanda believes that our government should be able to meet our needs and shouldn’t function off bandaids and “who you know.” As Councilmember, Amanda will stand up to political bosses, developers, and education privatizers to win a better Philadelphia for our families.