About the Councilman

Councilman William Greenlee was born, raised, and has lived his whole life in the Fairmount neighborhood of Philadelphia. He is a graduate of St. Joseph's Prep and attained a degree in journalism from Temple University. He and his wife Leslie have been married for the past 18 years.

Growing up in a tight-knit neighborhood Bill developed a strong interest in the affairs of his community and the city. This led to a natural progression to involvement in local politics. In 1980, he began a 26-year career working as chief aide to City Councilman David Cohen, concentrating on providing constituent services and working on legislative issues. In helping citizens with their problems, Bill dealt with many different city, state, and federal departments and agencies. This gave him detailed knowledge of the inner workings of the city and enables him to make meaningful suggestions in improving the delivery of government services. 

Councilman Greenlee has been a participating member of the Fairmount Civic Association for thirty years, periodically serving on the board. Since 1982, he has been a Democratic Committeeperson. In 1994, he was elected Democratic Leader of the 15th Ward, an economically and racially diverse area composed of the neighborhoods of Fairmount, Francisville, and Spring Garden.  Through these endeavors, Councilman Greenlee knows that all people's needs are important, regardless of their background.

After receiving over 82% of the vote in the November general election, the Councilman was sworn into office on November 27, 2006. Less than six months later, he secured the Democratic nomination for reelection in the May primary. The Councilman is chairperson of the Law and Government Committee and also serves on the Housing, Transportation, Education, Ethics, Finance, Labor and Civil Service, License & Inspections, Legislative, Public Property and Public Works, Public Safety, Rules, and Streets and Services.