City Councilman dreams of revitalizing Philadelphia

Asked to describe City Councilman-at-Large James Kenney, most people use the word "passionate." Kenney, who also teaches a class on government at Penn, is most passionate about Philadelphia -- so much so, in fact, that he has been mentioned as a possible future mayor. Kenney knows that his vision of making Philadelphia a cosmopolitan, vibrant city is a far cry from a place formerly known as "Filthadelphia," but he believes the status quo is meant to be challenged. "For me to... stay in the background and keep my mouth shut and be a good little boy -- that would bore me to death," said Kenney, a Democrat. During his nine years on City Council, refusing to be a "good little boy" has meant introducing gay-rights legislation for city employees and trying to make Philadelphia more of a destination for immigrants. "I've taken tons of criticism from my core constituency -- second and third generation Irish- and Italian-Americans -- about how bad immigration is," the Irish-American councilman said. "Well, I'm looking at them saying, 'You wouldn't be here without immigration.' 'That's different,' they say." Although Kenney has lived in South Philadelphia his entire life, he ventures out to West Philadelphia once a week to co-teach "How City Council Works" at Penn. "He has to worry about being re-elected but at the same time he worries about what's best for the city," said College junior Keith Zeuner, who is in Kenney's class and took the councilman's first government class last semester. "That's something most Poli Sci professors don't have to deal with." "He really wants to make the city better," said Mark Gaige, who co-teaches the class. "I think it's good that kids see him and know that there are elected officials like him out there." When Kenney speaks, nearly every other sentence is laced with ways to improve the city. "Philadelphians are too parochial, too close-minded about other cultures and other people," Kenney said. "That's why cities like New York and Boston have thrived when Philadelphia is having its economic and social problems." While Kenney considers his confrontational style to be one of his faults, his fellow council members seem to value his efforts. "As a councilman-at-large, if he wanted to he could just blend into the woodwork and just leave everything up to the district members, but Jim takes an active role all over the city," Councilman Frank DiCicco said. "Taxpayers certainly get their money's worth out of him." Last year, Kenney and State Rep. William Keller began inviting state legislators to spend a weekend in Philadelphia, hoping to change the view of Philadelphia as a "cesspool" -- a common opinion among those in Harrisburg. When a columnist for the Wilkes-Barre Times Leader wrote that such an event was essentially buying votes, Kenney and Keller drove up to meet him, hoping to change his misconception of big-city politics. Only they took the wrong highway exit, winding up in neighboring Scranton. "We're two South Philly boys -- we can't go past Washington Avenue or we get lost," Keller said. Kenney said that his time at St. Joseph's Preparatory School in North Philadelphia ingrained in him the Jesuit message of being in this life "not just to serve yourself, but to serve everybody else." After graduating from La Salle University in 1980, Kenney worked for State Sen. Vincent Fumo until deciding to run for Council in 1991. And Kenney's former boss said Kenney has what it takes to go all the way in city politics. "Eventually, I see him as mayor," Fumo said. Kenney has not ruled out the possibility. "It's a job that I think that I can do," Kenney said. "It's a job that probably would be very rewarding."