Editing Jim Kenney (section)

== Legacy ==

Kenney left office in January 2024 with a contested legacy. Supporters credit his pre-K expansion, progressive social policies, and crisis management under impossible circumstances. Critics point to rising crime, the ongoing opioid crisis, and what some saw as inadequate leadership during multiple emergencies. Philadelphia under Kenney faced challenges that no mayor could have fully controlled—a pandemic, a national opioid epidemic, nationwide protests—but also exhibited persistent problems that local government could have addressed more effectively. The city Kenney left to his successor, Cherelle Parker, remained resilient but troubled, facing the same fundamental challenges that had characterized Philadelphia for decades.<ref name="inquirer"/>