100 Days of Jim Kenney; 2 New Commissioners for Philly

Philadelphia’s mayor, Jim Kenney, recently marked his 100th day in office. Kenney himself seemed rather underwhelmed by the milestone, telling the Philadelphia Business Journal that it felt “arbitrary” and that “You’re really just getting your stuff started and it’s hard to make a judgment on your progress in just 100 days. I don’t know who came up with the 100-day thing.” Before taking office as mayor, Kenney spent 23 years on the city council. It’s a big difference being the guy in charge, he says, pointing out that people “want to touch, talk to, shake hands with, and take selfies with their mayor.”

Kenney marked his first 100 days in office by selecting two new city commissioners.

Changes taking place around Kenney’s 100-day mark include the appointment of two new commissioners. Adam Thiel, a former Virginia fire chief, has been appointed as Philadelphia’s fire commissioner. Before he was a fire chief, Thiel was Deputy Secretary and Homeland Security for the Commonwealth of Virginia. Kenney’s office lauded Thiel and celebrated his selection, pointing out that “over his career, Thiel has served in fire and emergency service organizations in four states, Maryland, North Carolina, Arizona and Virginia, enabling him to bring best practices from across the country to Philadelphia’s Fire Department.” Thiel’s appointment was a bit of a controversial one. Club Valiants, a community organization, was upset enough about former commissioner Derrick Sawyer, “an effective leader with a stellar record” being replaced that they released a press statement about it.

The other new commissioner is Blanche Carney, Philadelphia’s first-ever female prison commissioner. Kenney released an enthusiastic statement about her appointment as well: “I was excited that it was a woman that we finally pick,” Kenney said. “Because, I do believe that there needs to set a tone with some of the people in our custody that it’s not just about punishment. It’s about redemption and it’s about moving forward in their lives.” Carney has worked with the prison system since 1995. She says her goals within the prison system are to reduce population while helping those “who want to be helped.”