Mayor Kenney: The End of Year One
With the start of 2016 came a new mayor for the city of Philadelphia. Democrat Jim Kenney was sworn in, replacing outgoing mayor Michael Nutter. With Kenney came a new administration, new policies, and, so far, twelve memorable months in office. Local station ABC6 recently checked in with Kenney to discuss the year in review.
Mayor Kenney is close to having served one full year in office.
First of all, Mayor Kenney is a busy man. The station pointed out how he spent the last week dressed as an elf delighting small children in the City of Brotherly Love. That’s just one example of Kenney’s commitment to stewardship, and the genuine pride he takes in his office.
It was pointed out that a critic of Kenney’s said that he doesn’t smile enough. The mayor brushed that one right off:
“I think if you walk around smiling all the time, you’ll go crazy, especially in this environment,” Kenney said.
To date, Kenney’s greatest legislative victory has been the ever-controversial “soda tax,” which was signed into law and will take effect in January. The levy on all sweetened beverages, including soft drinks, sports drinks, and sweet teas, has been roundly attacked by the beverage lobby as unconstitutional, unfair to less-privileged citizens, and everything else besides anti-American. Kenney supported the tax because the funds would be channeled into worthy causes: universal pre-kindergarten education, community centers, and schools.
“We have nine community schools that are up and running. We’ll have 25 before the end of term and we’re moving forward with rebuild,” Kenney said.
It was also pointed out that the relationship between the Philadelphia police and the public has been warmer under Kenney’s care since the mayor put an end to the controversial “stop and frisk” policy that many intimated was a form of racial profiling.
The biggest question facing Kenney and Philadelphia next year is whether Donald Trump will take federal funds away as the city clings to its “sanctuary city” status for illegal immigrants.
