Sure, 2016’s been, let’s say, an interesting year. But, there have been some pretty amazing moments here in Philadelphia. Some big new ideas became realities, high profile events showed Philadelphia off to the world, and new programs united our neighborhoods and various communities — all in the first year of Mayor Jim Kenney’s Administration.

Here, in chronological order, are 10 of those moments.

1. A blizzard hits Philadelphia just weeks after Mayor Kenney takes office.

In January, Philadelphians experienced the fourth greatest accumulation of snow in the City’s history. During the storm, City workers came together to get the word out to residents, clear the streets, and ensure people who were homeless were sheltered during the storm.

2. Mayor Kenney delivers his first budget address to City Council.

For over 20 years, then-Councilman Jim Kenney listened to mayoral budget addresses from his seat on City Council. This March, he delivered the address to his former colleagues as Mayor. During the speech, he outlined his priorities to expand quality pre-K, bring community schools to Philadelphia, and invest hundreds of millions of dollars into the city’s neighborhoods through Rebuild, an initiative revitalizing Philadelphia’s parks, playgrounds, rec centers, and libraries.

3. The first ever Philadelphia International Unity Cup is announced and takes place over the course of 2016.

In April, Mayor Kenney announced that the City would hold the first Philadelphia International Unity Cup (PIUC). A partnership between the Office of Immigrant Affairs and Department of Parks and Recreation, plans for the Unity Cup included uniting and celebrating Philadelphia’s immigrant communities through a World Cup style soccer tournament. The Unity Cup quickly garnered national attention and interest from neighborhoods community across the city. Goya Foods became the event’s presenting sponsor, and the PIUC ended with an all-day festival at Citizen Bank Park where the two final teams, Liberia and Ivory Coast, squared off. The team representing the Ivory Coast won the cup in the final match, 1-0. Later, Mayor Kenney announced that, in part because of the initiative’s great success, the Philadelphia Unity Cup would become an annual event.

Mayor Kenney cheers while dribbling with a Unity Cup participant at the initiative’s opening announcement. (Photo by Samantha Madera.)

4. City Council passes the Philadelphia Beverage Tax.

In June, City Council passed the Philadelphia Beverage Tax, a 1.5 cent per ounce levy on the distribution of sweetened beverages. By approving the plan, City Council members showed their support for these critical investments in our neighborhoods: expanded quality pre-K, community schools,  and rebuilding the city’s parks, rec centers, playgrounds, and libraries.

5. The City and District Council 33, the City’s largest labor union, sign a four year contract.

In July, the City came to a four year labor agreement with AFSCME DC 33, the City’s largest union representing over 7,000 workers. After the contract’s announcement, DC 33 President Pete Matthews said, “I am happy to recommend this contract to our membership because it is a fair contract reached through an open and honest set of negotiations.” In August, DC 33 announced that union members overwhelmingly ratified the contract. Later in September, union members and Mayor Kenney celebrated the achievements of organized labor during the Labor Day parade.

6. The first nine community schools are announced.

In July, the City announced the first nine Philadelphia community schools, an initiative made possible thanks to the Philadelphia Beverage Tax; Mayor Kenney’s plan includes the formation of a total of 25 community schools over the next four years. The first community schools are William Cramp Elementary School, Murrell Dobbins CTE High School, S. Edmonds Elementary School, Edward Gideon Elementary School, Kensington Health Science Academy, Logan Elementary School, Southwark Elementary School, South Philadelphia High School, and Tilden Middle School. Pointing to the fact that community schools help meet the needs of their surrounding neighborhoods as well as their students, Mayor Kenney explained, “We cannot expect our children to succeed academically if they come to school too hungry, sick, or traumatized to learn.”

Mayor Kenney visits the new Community Schools Coordinators on a training in August 2016. (Photo by Samantha Madera.)

7. The Democratic National Convention shows Philadelphia off to the entire world.

In late July, thousands of people came to Philadelphia for the Democratic National Convention. Despite sweltering temperatures and a few thunderstorms, the event went off without incident, with the Philadelphia Police Department receiving wide praise both for keeping the city safe as well as its interactions with protesters expressing their First Amendment rights. At one point, an alpaca even made an appearance on Philly streets, proving that no matter how polished it might get, Philadelphia is still a little weird.

8. Philly Free Streets closes miles of Philadelphia’s streets so residents could walk, bike, and play.

A people-powered initiative of the City of Philadelphia, Philly Free Streets had its inaugural event on a cool September Saturday this year. At the event, over nine miles of streets were closed to cars and opened to bicyclists, walkers, and even speed-walkers! Organizations and artists performed along the route, and Mayor Kenney led a power-walk down South Street. After analyzing numbers from the event, the City’s Office of Transportation Systems (OTiS) found that over 30,000 people from 90% of Philadelphia’s zip codes participated.

9. PHLpreK begins enrollment.

Another initiative coming to the city thanks to the Philadelphia Beverage Tax, PHLpreK is the Mayor’s initiative that will bring thousands of free seats in quality pre-K programs to Philadelphia’s neighborhoods. In October, the Mayor’s Office of Education began accepting enrollment applications for the first 2000 seats, with classes set to begin January 2017.

10. Rebuild gets a digital home at rebuild.phila.gov and the William Penn Foundation announces it will give up to $100 million toward the Rebuild initiative.

In November, #RebuildPHL’s digital presence got a major upgrade by way of its own City site at rebuild.phila.gov. On the site, Philadelphians can learn about the plans to rebuild our neighborhood’s parks, rec centers, playgrounds, and libraries, the initiative’s timeline, and sign up to get more involved. Just as the Rebuild site was announced, the William Penn Foundation shared that it was granting up to $100 million toward the plan. The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Tricia Nadolny reported that the nonprofit foundation’s leadership says the grant “can be viewed as a sign of the foundation’s deep confidence in the plan and the people behind it.”

Mayor Kenney speaks to youth program participants at the Lawncrest Rec Center in March 2016. (Photo by Samantha Madera.)
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