Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney’s tenure has been marked by what he calls “darker moments”: a pandemic, social reckoning, and a gun violence epidemic. Then there’s the time he said he’d be happy when he’s no longer mayor.
That time has come. Though in his final dispatch to Philadelphians, Kenney, the city’s 99th mayor, chose to end on a largely positive note.
“It has been the honor and privilege of a lifetime to serve as the mayor of this great city,” he said in a statement issued Sunday as he welcomed Mayor-elect Cherelle Parker, who is slated to be sworn into office Tuesday.
Kenney recognized the struggles of his second term as mayor but didn’t dwell on them, instead thanking all the municipal workers, health-care workers, and volunteers who “stepped forward” in times of crisis. Unlike in some of his exit interviews in the media, Kenney steered clear from discussing the toll the job had taken on him emotionally. Instead, he focused on the work done by the more than 30,000 city workers whose efforts Kenney said often go “unrecognized or underestimated” but are behind innovation and progress made in Philadelphia.
» READ MORE: Mayor Jim Kenney wants to be remembered as ‘someone who cared’ — even if he didn’t always seem like it
“Without hesitation, Philadelphia’s municipal employees, first responders, healthcare staff, and volunteers stepped forward to see us through uncharted waters,” he said.
Kenney touted progress made in “public safety, education, inclusive growth, financial stability, and thriving neighborhoods.”
Under his administration, the city took back control of its public schools from the state and saw its budget reserves grow and its credit ratings rise.
Kenney’s two terms as mayor cap decades of public service. The son of a firefighter, Kenney got his start in politics doing odd jobs for then-State Sen. Vince Fumo in 1978. He joined City Council as an at-large member in 1991. With the backing of labor unions, Kenney would enter the 2015 Democratic primary for mayor, winning in a landslide thanks to a coalition of black, White, and progressive voters.
In an exit interview with The Inquirer, Kenney pushed back on those who called him a disengaged chief executive, hoping he’d be remembered as “someone who cared.”
Kenney told The Inquirer he has no job lined up and hopes to travel more as he reenters private life. He plans to continue living in Philadelphia.
In his farewell, Kenney focused on the future. He said his administration had spent the last several months preparing to promote “continuity, stability, and momentum” upon Parker’s arrival.
“I am confident that together we have sown the seeds for continued progress, and I look forward to watching them grow with you,” he wrote.
