U-Turn: Union elevates Kenney to circle of mayors
Kenney, who remains the Democratic nominee for mayor of Philadelphia despite the wishes of some journalists out there, was referred to as one of 14 mayors in a letter crafted by the CWA along with 13 east coast mayors.
Congratulations!
Once again, Jim Kenney has become elevated to the status of Philadelphia's mayor – this time courtesy of the Communication Workers of America (CWA) and 13 mayors.
Kenney, who remains the Democratic nominee for mayor of Philadelphia despite the wishes of some journalists out there, was referred to as one of 14 mayors in a letter crafted by the CWA along with 13 East Coast mayors.
A group letter sent last Thursday to Lowell McAdam, the Chairman and CEO of Verizon Communications, opened by saying, "As the Mayors of 14 major cities along the East Coast, representing over 12 million residents, we are writing to voice our concern at your company's failure to meet the needs of our constituents for access to state-of-the-art fiber optic cable service."
One problem.
There were only 13 mayors who signed the letter.
The 14th person who signed was Jim Kenney. Below his signature and name were the words "Democratic Candidate for Mayor." Below that was "Philadelphia."
Lots of fun questions emerge.
First, why was Kenney included in the count of 14 mayors? U-Turn put that question to Lauren Hitt, the communications director at Jim Kenney for Mayor. "I imagine it was a mistake," Hitt told U-Turn via a brief phone conversation.
U-Turn contacted the CWA, which acknowledged helping put together the letter, but otherwise had no comment.
Also, why wasn't Mayor Michael Nutter included in this letter? U-Turn posed that in an email sent to Desiree Peterkin Bell, the Director of Communications and Strategy/City Representative for the Office of Mayor Michael A. Nutter. This column will be updated with her response.
A reminder from U-Turn: Jim Kenney is not the mayor of Philadelphia. Not yet. He is not the mayor-elect. Not yet. And while some of the media and the local Democratic machine may rejoice in referring to Kenney as the "presumptive mayor," we at U-Turn would like to remind you that there still is a mayoral election, there are five candidates, and the election will be held on Tuesday, November 3.
Contact John Featherman at john@featherman.com