James Francis Kenney is a prominent politician and the ninety-ninth mayor of Philadelphia. His leadership is remembered for various innovations that were aimed at improving life in the city. However, some of his political decisions caused an ambiguous reaction among the locals. Thus, James’s introduction of a tax on sugary drinks was quite controversial. It became the main news not only in Philadelphia but also in the entire country and was discussed by politicians and experts. Ordinary citizens were outraged by such a decision.
Philadelphiayes.com tells more about the life and political career of James Kenney.
Early years
Our hero was born on August 7, 1958. His father was a fireman and his mother was a housewife. The family brought up four more children. Therefore, parents tried to take part-time jobs to ensure their children’s education.
When the future politician was in high school, he also worked part-time. He delivered newspapers and worked as a waiter. Later, he received a higher education and earned a bachelor’s degree in political science.
The career of a politician
The political career of our hero began on May 19, 2015, when he won the preliminary mayoral elections. He won more than fifty-five percent of the vote and surpassed his rivals.
In the final election, James won over eighty-five percent of the vote and became the ninety-ninth mayor of Philadelphia.
Kenney was inaugurated on January 4, 2016.
The mayor was re-elected in 2019. Interestingly enough, he received approximately the same number of votes as during his first election.
The achievements of the first tenure
James’s first tenure as mayor was marked by the introduction of a tax on sugary drinks. The new mayor planned to use the income to improve preschool education.
However, such an innovation very quickly became the most discussed topic not only in Philadelphia but also throughout the country.
Thus, according to Senator Bernie Sanders, such a tax will cause great damage to the poor. However, Hillary Clinton supported such an initiative.
Nevertheless, the tax was introduced. At the same time, Kenny noted that retailers do not have the right to unjustifiably increase the price of sugary drinks under the guise of a tax.
October 2017 was marked by the fact that our hero announced the return of city control over schools. Before, they were controlled by the state.
In addition, during the first tenure, Kenny engaged in the creation of a special target program. It was directed to combat the opioid epidemic in Philadelphia.
It is also worth noting that our hero actively worked to improve the environment. Thus, he instructed the city council to start the process of developing a mechanism to reduce air pollution. For this purpose, the mayor proposed various innovation projects for the transportation sector.
Pandemic tenure
As for Kenny’s second term as mayor, the central event was the spread of the coronavirus pandemic. Our hero announced a state of emergency.
Due to COVID, severe problems with the supply of products erupted in Philadelphia and disruptions in the agricultural sector also appeared. An increase in the level of drug abuse and violence among the local population was also noted.
Later, Kenney noted that the coronavirus had a very negative impact on Philadelphia and its population.