The Kenney coalition

James F. Kenney's impressive victory in Tuesday's Democratic primary puts him on the doorstep of the mayor's office, and not by accident. The longtime city councilman from South Philly by way of Old City crushed the competition with an expert campaign - one whose strengths could serve him well as the city's chief executive.

Kenney's most promising advantage lay in his sprawling coalition of supporters. Much attention has been devoted to his union support, which is indeed deep, broad, and not without pitfalls. But Kenney also claimed the endorsements of environmentalists and government reformers; local chapters of the National Organization for Women and the Realtors Association; the Philadelphia Gay News and the Nguoi Viet Daily News.

He defied the conventional wisdom about the city's racial balkanization by attracting significant support among African American and Latino leaders and voters. Whether drawn to him for similar reasons or sensing the inevitable, a parade of public figures joined the bandwagon in the last few days: City Council President Darrell Clarke, State Sen. Vincent Hughes, New York Mayor Bill de Blasio, and even local and virtual celebrity Michael Grant, better known as "Philly Jesus."

At the same time, Kenney's campaign was among the most substantial in the six-way race, with thoughtful positions on the issues and a vision for improving education and reducing poverty. Despite the candidate's reputation for tempestuousness, and even in the face of attacks by his flagging rivals, he and his organization showed the professionalism and discipline one would hope for in a man aspiring to lead one of the nation's largest cities.

Having emerged victorious from a competitive six-way primary, the nominee becomes the favorite for the mayoralty in an overwhelmingly Democratic city - though he will face the uncontested Republican nominee, Melissa Murray Bailey, and possibly an independent contender in the fall. The eventual winner will have a mandate to tackle the problems on which the voters and the candidates generally agree: the need for adequate funding, better performance, and local governance of public schools; the city's laggard growth and employment; and its complicated and ineffective tax structure.

The next mayor will succeed a man who remains remarkably popular after eight years in office for good reasons - and he or she should build on Mayor Nutter's successes in making government more ethical, the city greener and better planned, and its streets less dangerous.

The next mayor will also have to address the administration's flaws, chief among them its sour relations with City Council. That could be a job for a veteran councilman whose campaign bridged so many of the city's divides.