Today in ‘Will Councilman Jim Kenney run for mayor?’ news: Yes he will?!
It all started with a Tweet that Dave Davies sent out while we were all still coming to grips with the blizzard that wasn’t.
“A little birdy told me Jim Kenney announces for Mayor of Philadelphia Thursday,” Davies’ 7:32 a.m. Tuesday missive read.
In a landscape devoid of non-snow news, this was a noteworthy alert.
And by 11:39 a.m., that “little birdy” had blossomed into an email that reached inboxes across the Philadelphia-media ecosystem.
“Councilman Jim Kenney to Resign on Thursday and Deliver Farewell Address to City Council,” the email’s bolded title held, before going on to offer some more details.
After twenty-three years of service to the people of Philadelphia, Councilman Jim Kenney will attend his final session of City Council on Thursday and formally submit his resignation.
During his tenure in city government, Kenney championed progressive causes and stood up for working families.
He fought to protect the bargaining rights of police and firefighters, passed groundbreaking legislation that guaranteed broad protections for LGBTQ citizens, advocated for Philadelphia as a top destination for new immigrants to help stop our city’s population loss, and never backed down from confronting Philadelphia’s most pressing challenges.
The AP-style enthusiast in me cringed at how 23 was written out instead of presented numerically. (The wounds are still fresh from naming this here election blog.) And, it wasn’t lost on my eyes that the word “mayor” wasn’t once mentioned therein.
But we all know what this electronic jawn means, particularly on account of this afternoon’s press-availability at City Hall.
NinetyNine will be all over today’s and Thursday’s announcements, but in the meantime, let’s hearken back to Davies’ recent exploration of Kenney’s chances to win the race.
Whatever his level of appeal to voters, Kenney’s mayoral ambitions will depend to a considerable degree on his ability to raise the money he’ll need for an effective TV advertising campaign, which will cost a couple, maybe three million bucks.
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