Mayor Kenney Issues Parting Statement
By Alex Lloyd Gross
Mayor Kenney has been Philadelphia’s 99th Mayor. By 11:30 AM tomorrow he will be a private citizen and retire to Florida. The Parker Administration will take over. Kenney had some popular policies and some disasters. His first faux was less than two weeks in office when a Philadelphia Police Officer was shot by a male wearing Muslin garb. He had to walk back that statement after backlash from citizens and the media.
Within a few months, he was pushing his soda tax. With the help of Bobby Henon , a corrupt city council member that strong armed fellow colleagues into supporting the tax, it passed and the city promptly lost over $30 Million. Henon went to Federal Prison and is still there as you read this. The soda tax is responsible for the closure of a West Philadelphia Shopright. That store’s owner, Jim Brown made an unsuccessful run for the mayors office.
Alex Lloyd Gross Photo-Delaware Valley News.com A routine news conference with Jim Kenney
He also took aim at JUUL and banned underage people from purchasing the product, which was popular with people that did not smoke and unpopular with younger people.
During the pandemic, Kenney got high praise for his quick installation of COVID testing sites and later vaccination centers. Both Kenney and his administration were very transparent during this challenging time.
Alex Lloyd Gross -File Photo- Delaware Valley News.com Mayor Kenney worked hard and gets high marks for setting up COVID testing centers in the city.
He also gets high marks for this reopening of firehouses that were closed by Michael Nutter, the former mayor. Closed firehouses jeopardize public safety. PERIOD. Kenney knew this and got them re opened.
During the riots of 2020, Kenney inflamed the city by removing the Rizzo statue, using the protests and the catalyst for doing so. It was done under cover of darkness. He let a bunch of out of town foreigners dictate policy. These that were protesting were paid protesters, who move from city to city, cause problems and then move on. He should have mandated police to arrest those that would damage city property.
Alex Lloyd Gross Photo-Delaware Valley News.com Mayor Kenney speaks during a PAL Event at city hall.
He also wasted millions of taxpayer dollars acquiescing to the same group of idiots that claimed they were offended by the Columbus Statue. in South Philadelphia. He ordered it boxed up and the police spent millions of dollars in overtime for police to protect about $75.00 in plywood, just to insure the statue stayed covered.
Kenney threatened to pull the Mummers Parade Permit after being made fun of. He even went to the local media to complain about a male in Blackface being walked like a dog in a Comics skit that was not too kind to him. It turned out the male being walked was actually Black and got offended at Kenney’s comments. The next year two Comics were disqualified for wearing blackface.
Alex Lloyd Gross Photo-Delaware Valley News.com The mayor get put in a corner by the media at the old Roundhouse in January 2016.
Being a mayor of a major city is difficult. Kenney wrote a statement to the citizens of Philadelphia. It is copied and pasted below:
| Dear Fellow Philadelphians, It has been the honor and privilege of a lifetime to serve as the mayor of this great city. Thank you for this significant opportunity and for all you do for Philadelphia as members of your community. I write to you on the eve of an historic milestone for our city, as we prepare to welcome my friend and colleague, Mayor-elect Cherelle Parker, to this esteemed office. I have the utmost confidence in Mayor-elect Parker, who has demonstrated exceptional leadership and commitment to serving the people of Philadelphia time and again throughout her impressive career. Our city and its future are in great hands. Over the last eight years, we have made significant progress on the key issues facing Philadelphia and its future – public safety, education, inclusive growth, financial stability, and thriving neighborhoods. Our city’s magnificent strength and resilience shone bright even in its darkest moments. The combination of a global pandemic, a tumultuous presidential election, a devastating gun violence epidemic, and long overdue demands for racial justice, tested the resolve and resilience of every single Philadelphian. Without hesitation, Philadelphia’s municipal employees, first responders, healthcare staff, and volunteers stepped forward to see us through uncharted waters. Four years later, we have made an incredible recovery from the pandemic and are poised to focus once more on the City’s bright future. None of this would be possible without the City’s dedicated and talented workforce. Every day, more than 30,000 Philadelphians are hard at work serving the public, while also paving the way for innovation and progress. This work often happens behind the scenes, and too often it goes unrecognized or underestimated. In my career as an elected official – and as the son of a firefighter – I’ve always been impressed by the hardworking public servants across every department and at every level of local government. I thank them all for their service during my time in office and am forever grateful for their commitment to serving the people of Philadelphia. My administration has spent the past several months preparing for the mayoral transition to promote continuity, stability, and momentum as a new mayor takes office. We are excited about our city’s future and look forward to celebrating Philadelphia’s progress and achievements under Mayor-elect Parker’s leadership. Thank you again, Philadelphia, for the incredible honor of being your Mayor. I am confident that together we have sown the seeds for continued progress, and I look forward to watching them grow with you. In service, Jim Kenney Mayor of Philadelphia |