James Kenney
James Kenney (Democratic Party) was theMayor of Philadelphia in Pennsylvania. He assumed office on January 4, 2016. He left office on January 1, 2024.
Kenney (Democratic Party) ran for re-election forMayor of Philadelphia in Pennsylvania. He won in the general election onNovember 5, 2019.
Biography
Kenney is fromPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania, where he attended St. Joseph's Preparatory School. Kenney graduated from La Salle University.[1]
Elections
2023
James Kenney was not able to file for re-election due to term limits.
2019
See also: Mayoral election in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (2019)
General election
General election for Mayor of Philadelphia
IncumbentJames Kenney defeatedWilliam Ciancaglini in the general election for Mayor of Philadelphia on November 5, 2019.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | James Kenney (D) | 80.0 | 213,390 |
 | William Ciancaglini (R)  | 19.7 | 52,537 | |
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.3 | 724 | ||
| Incumbents arebolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source | Total votes: 266,651 | ||
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Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Mayor of Philadelphia
IncumbentJames Kenney defeatedAnthony Williams andAlan Butkovitz in the Democratic primary for Mayor of Philadelphia on May 21, 2019.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | James Kenney | 66.9 | 133,966 |
 | Anthony Williams | 24.3 | 48,672 | |
 | Alan Butkovitz | 8.8 | 17,517 | |
| Incumbents arebolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source | Total votes: 200,155 | ||
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Republican primary election
Republican primary for Mayor of Philadelphia
William Ciancaglini advanced from the Republican primary for Mayor of Philadelphia on May 21, 2019.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | William Ciancaglini | 99.6 | 17,291 |
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.4 | 68 | ||
| There were noincumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source | Total votes: 17,359 | ||
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Candidate profile
Party:Democratic
Incumbent: Yes
Political office: Mayor of Philadelphia (Assumed office: 2016), Philadelphia City Council (1992-2015)
Biography: Kenney graduated from La Salle University in 1980. He was first elected to the city council in 1991 and served until he resigned in 2015 to run for mayor. While on the city council, Kenney chaired the Labor & Civil Service, Law & Government, and Environment committees.[2]
- Kenney emphasized his education policy, saying that in his first term the city expanded access to pre-K, regained control of city schools from the state, and raised teacher pay.[3]
- Kenney said that he launched several infrastructure programs during his first term, including spending on affordable housing and Rebuild, which Kenney described as "the most ambitious infrastructure program in Philadelphia’s history."[3]
- Kenney emphasized what he described as his progressive policies, including an increase in the minimum wage for city employees and contractors to $15 per hour, the city's status as asanctuary city, and a declaration that Philadelphia would abide by the terms of the Paris Climate Agreement.[3]
Polls
Campaign finance
2015
The city ofPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania, held elections formayor and city council onNovember 3, 2015. A primary election took place on May 19, 2015. The filing deadline for candidates who wished to run in this election was March 10, 2015. In theDemocratic primary for mayor,James Kenney defeatedAnthony Williams,T. Milton Street,Doug Oliver,Nelson Diaz andLynne Abraham. In theRepublican primary,Melissa Lynn Bailey ran unopposed.[4] Kenney defeated Bailey,Socialist Workers Party candidateOsborne Hart andIndependent candidatesJames Foster andBoris Kindij in the general election. IncumbentMichael Nutter (D) was ineligible to run for re-election after two terms due to term limits.[5]
| Mayor of Philadelphia, General election, 2015 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic |  James Kenney | 85.4% | 203,730 | |
| Republican | Melissa Lynn Bailey | 13.2% | 31,563 | |
| Independent | James Foster | 0.7% | 1,713 | |
| Socialist Workers | Osborne Hart | 0.5% | 1,234 | |
| Independent | Boris Kindij | 0.1% | 321 | |
| Write-in votes | 0.04% | 103 | ||
| Total Votes | 238,664 | |||
| Source:City of Philadelphia, "Official general election results," accessed November 23, 2015 | ||||
| Mayor of Philadelphia Democratic Primary, 2015 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes | ||
| James Kenney | 55.8% | 130,775 | ||
| Anthony Williams | 26.1% | 61,160 | ||
| Lynne Abraham | 8.4% | 19,782 | ||
| Doug Oliver | 4.2% | 9,934 | ||
| Nelson Diaz | 3.7% | 8,691 | ||
| T. Milton Street | 1.7% | 3,937 | ||
| Write-in | 0% | 24 | ||
| Total Votes | 234,303 | |||
| Source:Philadelphia City Commissioners, "Historical Election Results," accessed August 24, 2015 | ||||
Campaign themes
2019
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also:Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
James Kenney did not completeBallotpedia's 2019 Candidate Connection survey.
Campaign website
Kenney's campaign website stated the following:
| “ | Mayor Kenney's Progressive Record
| ” |
| —Kenney for Philadelphia[7] | ||
Campaign advertisements
2015
In a Q&A series with thePhiladelphia Inquirer, Kenney gave answers on the following issues. All quotes below are excerpts.[8]
| “ | I put forward a plan that will provide $105 million in funding, without requiring state legislative action, by implementing zero-based budgeting, establishing a reverse-auction procurement system, selling marketable commercial tax liens, and increasing the value of tax-abated and unimproved land.[6] | ” |
| “ | I would like to work with the General Assembly and Gov. Wolf to create a hybrid model that allows experienced Philadelphia parents with a vested interest in the success of our public schools to be appointed to the SRC.[6] | ” |
| “ | Yes, I am fully in favor of making the Office of Inspector General a permanent part of our city government.[6] | ” |
| “ | The city’s current pension problems have been decades in the making, so it is going to take time, fiscal discipline, and collaboration to continue to dig out of this hole. That starts with negotiating a contract with our municipal unions that is fair both to the taxpayers and our city workers.[6] | ” |
| “ | will expand the use of proven methods like focused deterrence, which foster a positive relationship between police officers and citizens and drive down instances of violent crimes. A small number of individuals are responsible for the majority of gun violence in our city, and the programs implemented within focused deterrence identifies these individuals and addresses the factors that lead to their violent behavior.[6] | ” |
| “ | As mayor, I will also develop a greater partnership between Philadelphia’s business community and the Community College of Philadelphia to improve the curriculum so that students are getting the training and skills necessary to get a job after two years of study.[6] | ” |
| “ | Philadelphia’s wage and business taxes are regressive and they hamper our ability to attract businesses and create jobs. I fully support the plan circulated by the Job Growth Coalition, headed by Paul Levy and others, to shift away from wage and business taxes and, instead, to increase revenue through a higher tax rate for commercial properties.[6] | ” |
Notable endorsements
This section displays endorsements this individual made in elections within Ballotpedia'scoverage scope.
| Endorsee | Election | Stage | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|
| Elizabeth Warren source | President of the United States (2020) | Withdrew in Convention | |
| Hillary Clinton source (D) | President of the United States (2016) | Primary | Lost General |
| Measure | Position | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Question 1, Office for People with Disabilities Amendment (November 2023) source | Support | Approved |
Noteworthy events
Events and activity following the death of George Floyd
Kenney was mayor of Philadelphia during the weekend of May 29-31, 2020, when events and activity took place in cities across the U.S. following the death of George Floyd. Events inPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania, began on Saturday, May 30, 2020 at the city hall.[9] The same day, MayorJames Kenney (D) instituted a curfew and Gov.Tom Wolf (D) declared a disaster emergency.[9][10] On May 31, the Pennsylvania National Guard was deployed to the city.[10]
| To read more about the death of George Floyd and subsequent events, click [show] to the right. | |||
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See also
2019 Elections
External links
Footnotes
- ↑Jim Kenney campaign website, "Meet Jim Kenney," accessed August 25, 2015
- ↑2017 Philly Tech Week, "Jim Kenney," accessed March 18, 2019
- ↑3.03.13.2Kenney for Philadelphia, "Accomplishments," accessed March 18, 2019
- ↑Philadelphia City Commissioners, "Historical Election Results," accessed August 24, 2015
- ↑Office of the Philadelphia City Commissioners, "Comprehensive Election Calendar," accessed November 17, 2014
- ↑6.06.16.26.36.46.56.66.7Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑Kenney for Philadelphia, "Accomplishments," accessed May 9, 2019
- ↑Philadelphia Inquierer, "The Next Mayor 2015," accessed May 8, 2015
- ↑9.09.1ABC 11, "Fires set, stores damaged as peaceful protests turn violent in Philadelphia," May 31, 2020
- ↑10.010.1WHYY, "Philly prepares to bring in National Guard as unrest spreads," May 31, 2020
- ↑Washington Post, "The death of George Floyd: What video and other records show about his final minutes," May 30, 2020
- ↑The New York Times, "8 Minutes and 46 Seconds: How George Floyd Was Killed in Police Custody," May 31, 2020
- ↑13.013.1USA Today, "Medical examiner and family-commissioned autopsy agree: George Floyd's death was a homicide," June 1, 2020
- ↑Associated Press, "Chauvin guilty of murder and manslaughter in Floyd’s death," April 20, 2021
- ↑CNN, "Protests across America after George Floyd's death," accessed June 2, 2020
- ↑Cite error: Invalid
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| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by - | Mayor of Philadelphia 2016-2024 | Succeeded by Cherelle Parker (D) |
| Preceded by - | Philadelphia City Council At-large 1992-2015 | Succeeded by - |
| |||||||||
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