Kenney Sees Kenney-Sized Opening in Mayoral Race

Councilman Jim Kenney.

Now that Darrell Clarke and Ken Trujillo aren’t running for mayor of Philadelphia, will City Councilman Jim Kenney finally jump into the race?

He seems to be inching closer to that possibility.

Kenney tells us he is meeting Thursday and Friday for the first time with campaign consultants who had reached out to him previously. He also appears to be less worried about an issue that has kept him on the sidelines in the past.

Under the city’s “resign-to-run” rule, Kenney would have to step down from his Council seat if he ran for mayor. In the past, he has said repeatedly that he is concerned about finding a way to pay his bills during the campaign.

On Thursday, Kenney said, “That’s always an issue. But that’s something that can be resolved, and I’m trying to figure out how to resolve.”

Kenney says his main concern right now is whether or not he can win.

“Why would you get into something that you’re not going to win? You need to identify a path, a reasonable path, to success,” he says.

Kenney says he plans to make a final decision “soon.” He declined to provide a specific timeline.