In This Biography

Jim Kenney Biography, Career, Spouse, Networth, Scandal, Bills.

Jim Kenney (7 August 1958-) was Mayor of Philadelphia (D) from 4 January 2016, succeeding Michael Nutter.

Biography

Jim Kenney was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1958, and he was the first in his family to graduate from college. He was elected to City Council in 1991 at the age of 32, and he was elected Mayor in 2016. Kenney supported a citywide soda tax and became a vocal opponent of President Donald Trump, maintaining that Philadelphia would continue to serve as a sanctuary city.

Who is Jim Kenney?

Jim Kenney is an American Democrat legislator serving as the 99th Mayor of Philadelphia. He took office on January 4, 2016, defeating Republican Melissa Murray Bailey. He was later re-elected in the 2019 Philadelphia mayoral election that was held on November 5, 2019. In his re-election, Kenney defeated Billy Ciancaglini, a Philadelphia defense attorney and fellow La Salle grad.

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Prior to being a mayor, Kenney had served as a member of the Philadelphia City Council for 23 years. He was a Councilman from January 1992 until he resigned from Mayor on January 29, 2015. In his first budget for the city, Kenney worked closely with the City Council to fund bold anti-poverty initiatives. Kenney will leave the Mayoral seat in 2014.

Kenney attended Saint Joseph’s Preparatory School from where he graduated in 1976. He later attended La Salle University graduating in 1980 with a political science bachelor’s degree.
Kenney has always taken a vocal stand against Donald Trump. He has also maintained that Philadelphia will continue to act as a sanctuary city despite threats that cities would stop receiving federal funding. He endorsed Elizabeth Warren on October 23, 2019, for President in 2020.

How Old is Jim Kenney?

Kenney, whose full name is James Francis Kenney is 61 years old as of 2019, having been born on August 7, 1958, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.

Jim Kenney Family

Mayor Kenney was born the oldest of four to Barbara Kenney and James Kenney. His father was a firefighter while his mother was a homemaker. He grew up in the Whitman neighborhood of South Philadelphia. Kenney’s parents worked second jobs for him and his siblings to attend private Catholic schools.

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Jim Kenney Wife

Kenney was married to Maureen to whom he has two adult-aged children, Nora and Brendan. The two separated in 2010 and later formalized their divorce in 2018.

Jim Kenney Engaged

Kenney got engaged to his girlfriend Letitia Santarelli in December 2019. Santarelli served as head coach of St. John Neumann and Maria Goretti Catholic School girls basketball team. She led the team to the state championship. Kenney and Santarelli began dating in 2015.

Kenney made their relationship official when Santarelli 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’s Net Worth

Kenney has earned his wealth through his political career. However, it is not yet revealed how much he is worth.

TEN FACTS ABOUT JIM KENNEY

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His Birthday: He was born on August 7, 1958, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Jim is a native of the city that he now leads. He is a homegrown politician who has lived his life in the area, making him aware of many of the issues that the city and its residents are challenged by. His parents named him James Francis Kenney, but he prefers the more informal nickname Jim. He is personable as well as approachable.
He knew the job before he ran for office: Jim spent 23 years of his life serving on the Philadelphia City Council. As a Councilman, he became keenly aware of the processes involved in successfully running a municipality. He made the decision to run for mayor and ran a successful campaign resulting in his election in November of 2015. He is a Democrat who defeated his Republican opponent Melissa Murray Bailey. Kenney won the election by a landslide vote. In November of 2019, he was re-elected and will serve throughout 2024.
He attended a private Catholic school: Jim Kenney was raised by both parents in the South Philadelphia neighborhood of Whitman. His mom was a homemaker who occasionally took on a second job, and his father was a firefighter who was also known to work two jobs. His parents did this so they could afford to put Jim along with the four other children in the family through a private Catholic school.
Kenney learned the value of hard work early: Jim started working to earn money when he was still in high school. He was inspired by his parents’ work ethic and as soon as he was able, he took on a few after-school jobs. He worked as a busboy and as a newspaper deliverer. He was the oldest of four children and he followed his mother and father’s examples modeling a strong work ethic for his siblings.
He was the first to graduate from college in his family: Jim Kenney completed his education at Saint Joseph’s Preparatory School and graduated with his diploma in 1976. He enrolled in classes at La Salle University and received his bachelor’s degree in political science in 1980. He didn’t waste any time because he understood the value of a college education. He became the first member of his immediate family to earn a college degree.
Kenney is respected in Philly’s African-American community: During the most recent election year, Mayor Jim Kenney received the endorsement for re-election from several of Philly’s most prominent faith leaders They joined forces to support and endorse his bid for re-election. These Bishops, Reverends, and Pastors shared the ways that Jim had worked with their communities to start projects that address the current issues that residents of the communities face, and that he’s off to a good start in accomplishing important goals for the people living in these areas. They shared their desire to see him remain in the position to complete the outstanding work that he began. This was a huge boost of confidence for voters who were on the fence. Mayor Kenney has a genuine concern for the people of the city and he works with local leaders to accomplish necessary goals to improve living conditions.
He recently became engaged: Jim has been leading the city as a single man, but he has had a special lady in his life. He and girlfriend Letitia Santarelli have dated for several years now. The announcement was made in January that he finally asked her to be his wife, and she accepted the proposal. The couple made the decision in December. They have not yet set an official date for the wedding, but they have made the engagement official. We also learned that if they do marry before Kenney leaves office they will make history as the first Mayor to get married while in office in Philadelphia.
Jim and Letty were involved in controversy: Letitia Santarelli served as the office manager for the 2016 National Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia. She was awarded a bonus of $13,000 which was part of a $1 million bonus package that was distributed to staffers. Governor Ed Rendell and Jim Kenney were co-chairs of the host committee for the convention. Jim was accused of calling in a special favor for his girlfriend, which led to a mild controversy over the matter.
Jim Kenney is a private person: It is rare that Jim Kenney discusses his personal life publicly. He has lived as a man who values his privacy and does not seek attention in personal matters. He was questioned about his relationship with Santarelli when she accompanied him on a 2017 trip to Iceland that was a part of the official business. He was obliged to disclose that he and Ms. Santarelli were in fact seeing one another and were in a relationship.
Mayor Kenney keeps Philadelphians updated on social media: Jim has an Instagram page that he keeps updated with relevant posts. He has about 29.6K followers and there are 738 posts on the site. This is a valuable resource for residents of the city to check to learn more about what’s going on in the city as well as viewing some great photos of community events. There are tons of links to important information sites about the Covid-19 virus and what is happening on that front. Jim is making sure to add relevant links that will help the Philly community to keep informed and to know which actions will help to keep them safe in uncertain times.