A group of Northwest Philadelphia elected officials formally endorsed former City Councilman Jim Kenney for mayor Monday.
State Rep. Dwight Evans (D-203); State Rep. Cherelle Parker (D- 200); State Rep. Stephen Kinsey (D-201) City Councilwomen Cindy Bass (D-8); and City Councilwoman Marian Tasco (D-9) and, according to Evans, leaders from the 10th, 50th, 29th, 11th, 33rd and 22nd wards all endorsed Kenney.
“We feel he’s best on the issues about jobs and education and bringing people together,” Evans said. “We feel he will do best for the city of Philadelphia.”
Kenney is running against Lynne Abraham, Nelson Diaz, Doug Oliver, Milton Street and State Sen. Anthony Williams.
Some political veterans questioned the endorsement of Kenney by a prominent group of Black politicians.
“I’m not necessarily stunned and disappointed in people I consider my friends who would voluntarily give up a seat of power at the table of politics for African-Americans,” said George Burrell, a former City Councilman and former mayoral candidate. “The people that paved the way — people like Bill Gray, David Richardson, Lucien Blackwell, they would be disappointed that their legacy would be all for naught.”
“Not because they are supporting a non-African-American for mayor, it’s that they are supporting a non-African-American who has no record on the issues most important to the African-American community.”
Oliver, Street and Williams are Black, Diaz is Hispanic. Kenney and Abraham are white. Blacks make up 43.4 percent of Philadelphia’s population; whites 41 percent and Hispanics 12.3, according to the 2010 U.S. Census.
Those numbers also had attorney and community activist Michael Coard shaking his head about the Kenney endorsement.
“Can you image a group of influential Italians endorsing anyone other than Frank Rizzo?” he asked. “Can you image a group of influential Irish people endorsing anyone but Jim Kenney? So if the Italians know what’s good for Italians, and the Irish know what’s good for the Irish, then how the hell can some Black people not know what’s best for Black people?”
Despite the criticism, Evans stood by his choice.
“We, and by we, I mean Councilwomen Marian Tasco and Cindy Bass, over the last four months, went through the process of meeting with all of the candidates privately, and we had a public forum in January,” he said. “In our view, we believe that Jim Kenney would be the best Democratic candidate for mayor of the city of Philadelphia.
“That is what we think,” Evans added. “George Burrell can vote for whomever he wants to vote for.”
Kenney said he was “humbled” by the officials’ support.
“This is one of the most significant days in my political career,” he said. “To be able to cross over in different neighborhoods and make people feel they can trust me in moving this city forward helping their kids have a better life, providing opportunities for people to be employed, is overwhelming.”
Business and community leader A. Bruce Crawley said everyone is entitled to make their own political choices, but economics also are a factor.
“At the end of the day, for African-Americans to advance politically — which also implies advancing economically, which also implies advancing job creation for the African-American community, and which also implies access to contract opportunities for all and not just the privileged few — if this is ever going to happen, we need a mayor to support those things,” he said. “It makes people in the African-American community wonder about assurances that decisions like these are made with their best interests at heart.”
dwilliams@phillytrib.com
