30 Facts About Jim Kenney

James Francis Kenney was born on August 7,1958 and is an American politician who is the 99th Mayor of Philadelphia.

Jim Kenney was first elected on November 3,2015, defeating his Republican rival Melissa Murray Bailey after winning the crowded Democratic primary contest by a landslide on May 19.

Jim Kenney was re-elected to a second term as mayor on November 5,2019.

Jim Kenney was born on August 7,1958, in the Whitman neighborhood of South Philadelphia.

Jim Kenney's father was a firefighter and his mother was a homemaker.

In high school, Jim Kenney was a newspaper deliveryman and busboy.

Jim Kenney graduated from Saint Joseph's Preparatory School in 1976 and in 1980 received a political science bachelor's degree from La Salle University.

Jim Kenney was the first in his family to graduate from college.

Jim Kenney was elected to his first term in 1991 when he was 32 years old.

Jim Kenney was Vice-Chairman of the Committee on Rules, Committee on the Environment, and Committee on Law and Government, and was a member of the Committee on Public Safety, Technology and Information Services, Public Property and Public Works, Fiscal Stability and Intergovernmental Cooperation, Public Health and Human Services, and the Legislative Oversight Committee.

In 2010, Jim Kenney sided with the local firefighters' union when Mayor Nutter took action to remove the collective bargaining rights of paramedics.

In 2014, Jim Kenney successfully introduced legislation that ended arrests for possession of small amounts of marijuana.

Jim Kenney garnered criticism from local and national economic commentators when he proposed bonus pension payments, distributing funds when pension plans exceed target returns in any given year even though solvency depends on retaining above-average earnings to prepare for years with below-average earnings.

Jim Kenney gave up these positions when he was elected mayor in 2015.

Jim Kenney was inaugurated as the 99th Mayor of Philadelphia on January 4,2016.

Jim Kenney proposed a citywide soda tax that would raise the price of soda at three cents per ounce, originally with the intent to raise money for universal pre-k.

Jim Kenney promoted using tax revenue to fund universal pre-K, jobs, and development projects, which he expected would raise $400 million over five years, all the while reducing sugar intake by decreasing the demand for sugary beverages Jim Kenney's soda tax proposal was brought to the national spotlight and divided key members of the Democratic Party.

In October 2017, Mayor Jim Kenney announced that the city was taking back control of its public schools after sixteen years of state control.

Jim Kenney created The Mayor's Task Force to Combat the Opioid Epidemic in Philadelphia in 2016.

Jim Kenney has supported opening supervised injection sites within the city.

Jim Kenney has maintained that Philadelphia will continue to act as a sanctuary city despite threats that cities would stop receiving federal funding.

On October 23,2019, Jim Kenney endorsed Elizabeth Warren for president in 2020.

In March 2020, Jim Kenney declared state of emergency amid the spread of COVID-19 pandemic, caused by SARS-CoV-2.

Jim Kenney was known for his outspoken feuds and reports on public figures or groups who attack his legislative agenda, image, or the city of Philadelphia.

Jim Kenney has engaged in numerous feuds with the leadership of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia.

Jim Kenney mobilized numerous gay rights legislation during his time in the Philadelphia City Council, many of which were criticized by Catholic leaders in the city.

Notably, Jim Kenney joined the debate over the abrupt firing of a beloved faculty member at Waldron Mercy Academy in Merion who came out as gay.

Jim Kenney has two adult children, Nora and Brendan, with his former wife Maureen.

Jim Kenney first made his relationship with Santarelli public when she accompanied him to Iceland as part of a cultural exchange to mark the first-ever direct flights between Reykjavik and Philadelphia in 2017.

Jim Kenney has been an annual participant in Philadelphia's Mummers Parade.