PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Philadelphia City Council members and others unleashed outrage at Mayor Jim Kenney, and two of them even called for him to resign after his response to the Parkway shooting where two law enforcement officers were injured.
They were especially critical of the mayor’s statement that he can’t wait to not be mayor, so he can enjoy major events in the city like the Fourth of July and megaevents like the 2016 Democratic National Convention and the 2017 NFL Draft held in Philadelphia, all events which he said caused him only worry.
“I’m waiting for something bad to happen all the time,” Kenney said, “so I’ll be happy when I’m not here, when I’m not mayor, and I can enjoy some stuff.”
Though he walked back that aspect of his remarks later on Tuesday in a conversation with KYW Newsradio, critics are calling for something stronger.
In a tweet, City Councilmember Derek Green told the mayor to resign, even though he said he sympathizes with the mayor.
“I understand the challenges he’s been facing, but at the same point, people are looking for our leaders to lead them when we have these types of challenges,” said Green.
Councilmember Allan Domb joined Green in tweeting a call for Kenney’s resignation "for the good of the city and its residents."
Other Council members did not request the mayor's resignation, but still shared outrage at his comments early Tuesday.
“I think the mayor’s comments were asinine,” added Councilmember Cherelle Parker.
Council President Darrell Clarke said the bigger issue is the mayor’s constant complaint about state and federal laws that make it impossible to regulate guns in the city. Kenney made similar statements Tuesday.
“My frustration is with a legislature and a Congress and now a Supreme Court — ‘gun huggers’ — that control our destiny and at midnight, 1 a.m., with two officers injured and a situation that could have been much, much worse,” Kenney told KYW Newsradio.
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But Clarke said Kenney has to find a way to make the city safe anyway.
“We cannot give up. We cannot let them win,” said Clarke.
Councilmember Helen Gym also stated that when it comes to gun violence issues, “Jim Kenney may be defeated but this city won’t be.”
Councilmember Katherine Gilmore Richardson requested an apology and commitment to a future series of steps to solve the city’s gun violence issues.
"Mayor Kenney - abdicating your responsibility is not an option; waiting for your term to end while there is much work left to be done is not an option,” said Gilmore Richardson. “Leadership means bearing the collective weight of the challenges we face and finding a path forward."
“I was expressing frustration as a human being,” said Kenney, who has a year and a half left on his term. He acknowledged he should not have said it, though he did not apologize for what he said early Tuesday morning.
“It’s my personality. It’s who I am and who got elected twice with 80% of the vote, and who intends to stay in office until the last day and help the next mayor transition to be a great mayor too,” he added.
“I expressed a level of frustration that, again, I probably shouldn’t have expressed.”
But other critics, including City Controller Rebecca Rhynhart, said appearing not to like the job impacts his performance as mayor.
“What we needed last night and need now is for the mayor to be a leader, and express hope and work on fixing gun violence and the issues here in our city,” said Rhynhart, who also shared her criticism on Twitter.
Kenney noted that many of the critics are rumored to be interested in the office themselves. His tenure ends on Dec. 31, 2023.
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