Jim Kenney

James Francis "Jim" Kenney (born August 7, 1958) is an American Democratic politician, former member of the City Council of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and the mayor of the city of Philadelphia. He was the Democratic nominee for mayor of Philadelphia in the 2015 election, having won the crowded primary election by a landslide on May 19, 2015.^[1] On November 3, 2015 he was elected mayor of Philadelphia, defeating his Republican rival Melissa Murray Bailey.^[1]

Kenney, who was first elected to the Philadelphia City Council in 1991, held his At-Large Council seat for 23 years from January 1992 until January 29, 2015, when he resigned from the City Council to launch his candidacy for mayor of Philadelphia.^[2][3][4]

Biography

Jim Kenney grew up the oldest of four in South Philadelphia. His father was a firefighter and his mother was a homemaker. His parents both worked second jobs to put Jim and his four siblings through private Catholic schools. In high school, Kenney was a newspaper deliveryman and busboy.^[5] Kenney graduated from Saint Joseph's Preparatory School in 1976 and received a bachelor's degree from La Salle University in Philadelphia.^[3] He was the first in his family to graduate from college.

Philadelphia City Council

Kenney was elected to his first term in 1991 when he was just 32 years old. During his time on Philadelphia's City Council, Kenney served as Chairman of the Council Committee on Labor and Civil Service. He was also Vice-Chairman of the Committee on Rules, Committee on the Environment, and Committee on Law and Government, and was a member of the Committee on Public Safety, Technology and Information Services, Public Property and Public Works, Fiscal Stability and Intergovernmental Cooperation, Public Health and Human Services, and the Legislative Oversight Committee.^[6]

In 2010, Kenney sided with the local firefighters’ union when Mayor Nutter took action to remove the collective bargaining rights of paramedics.^[7]

In 2014, Kenney successfully introduced legislation that ended arrests for possession of small amounts of marijuana. The bill replaced incarceration with the requirement to pay a fine. In advocating for the bill, Kenney had cited the disproportionate effect of arrests for small amounts of marijuana on African-Americans.^[8]

Kenney garnered criticism from local and national economic commentators when he proposed bonus pension payments, distributing funds when pension plans exceed target returns in any given year even though solvency depends on the excess funds to balance underperforming years.^[9][10]

While on the Philadelphia City Council, Kenney worked as a consultant at Vitetta Architects and Engineers, served on the Independence Blue Cross board, and was an adjunct professor at the University of Pennsylvania.^[11] He gave up these positions when he was elected Mayor in 2015.

Mayor of Philadelphia

2015 Election

Incumbent Democratic party Mayor Michael Nutter could not run for re-election to a third consecutive term due to term limits in the city's home rule charter. Registered Democrats hold a formidable 7-to-1 ratio over registered Republicans in Philadelphia, giving Democratic candidates a distinct advantage in citywide elections. The mayoral primary elections were held on May 19, 2015. Democrats nominated Jim Kenney as their party's nominee. Kenney won the primary in a landslide with 55.83% of the vote, defeating a crowded field of five other Democratic candidates, including Anthony H. Williams and former District Attorney Lynn Abraham. Republican Melissa Murray Bailey, a business executive, ran unopposed for the Republican nomination. Kenney won a whopping 85.1% of the vote.^[12] Kenney was inaugurated as the 99th Mayor of Philadelphia on January 4th, 2016.

Jim Kenney speaks at the 2016 budget address

Sugary drinks tax

Kenney proposed the a city-wide soda tax that would raise the price of soda at three cents per ounce.^[13] At the time, it was the biggest soda tax proposal in the United States. Kenney promoted using tax revenue to fund universal pre-K, jobs, and development projects, which he expected would raise $400 million over five years, all the while reducing sugar intake by decreasing the demand for sugary beverages^[14] Kenney's soda tax proposal was brought to the national spotlight and divided key members of the Democratic Party. The idea of a soda tax quickly became a national issue. Candidates in the 2016 United States presidential election gave their take. Senator Bernie Sanders said that the tax would hurt the poor.^[15] Hillary Clinton, on the other hand, said that she was "very supportive" of the idea.^[16] The lobbying organization American Beverage Association took a stand against Kenney's proposal. The trade organization, funded by soda companies and distributers, ran local television, radio, and newspaper advertisements against the idea, claiming that the tax would disproportionately hurt the poor. The American Heart Association, on the other hand, has supported Kenney's efforts. On June 16, 2016, the soda tax passed with a 13-4 vote from City Council. The initial proposal of three cents per ounce was lowered to 1.5 cents per ounce. The tax will be implemented at the start of the 2017 calendar year.^[17]

References

External links

• Mayor James Kenney official city website
• James Kenney for Mayor official campaign website

Mayors of Philadelphia (chronologically)
Morrey Shippen (I) Morris (I) Griffith Jones Joseph Willcox Stanbury Masters Hill William Carter Preston Dickinson George Roch Hill Dickinson Fishbourn Logan C. Plumsted Norris William Hudson Charles Read T. Lawrence (I) Griffitts Hasell Griffitts T. Lawrence (I) Allen C. Plumsted Griffitts Morris (II) Roberts Hasell C. Plumsted Till B. Shoemaker Shippen (II) Hamilton William Attwood C. Willing T. Lawrence (I) W. Plumsted Strettell B. Shoemaker T. Lawrence (I) C. Willing W. Plumsted Attwood Shute T. Lawrence (II) John Stamper B. Shoemaker Duché Harrison T. Willing T. Lawrence (II) John Lawrence Isaac Jones Samuel Shoemaker John Gibson William Fisher Rhoads Powel • vacant Powel Miles Barclay Clarkson Baker Wharton Inskeep Lawler Inskeep Wharton J. Barker Wharton Keppele J. Barker Geyer Wharton J. N. Barker Wharton Joseph Watson Dallas Richards Milnor Richards Swift Roach Swift Scott McCall Swift J. Jones Charles Gilpin Conrad Vaux Henry McMichael Fox William Strumberg Stokley Samuel George King William Burns Smith Fitler Stuart Warwick Ashbridge Weaver Reyburn Blankenburg Smith Moore Kendrick Mackey Moore Wilson Connell Lamberton Samuel Clark Dilworth Tate Rizzo Green Goode Rendell Street Nutter Kenney

Current Members of the Philadelphia City Council
Squilla Johnson Blackwell Jones Clarke (President) Henon Quiñones-Sanchez Bass Parker O'Neill Brown Greenlee Oh Domb Green Gym Taubenberger