AFL-CIO, PFT and LGBT leaders endorse Kenney

For former City Councilman James F. Kenney, Friday the 13th was anything but unlucky.

The aspiring Philadelphia mayor received one of the biggest endorsements a candidate can land - from the Philadelphia Council, AFL-CIO - plus the backing of some of the city's LGBT leaders, representing a growing voter bloc, and the teachers' union.

The AFL-CIO council is composed of more than 100 unions representing 130,000 workers in the public sector, private industry, and the building and construction trades. To gain the endorsement, a candidate must have the backing of at least two-thirds of the council's 41 board members, who are presidents of their locals.

"Jim Kenney is the right choice for Philadelphia. As a councilman, he stood up time and again to defend working families on everything from prevailing wage to the right to organize," the group's president, Patrick J. Eiding, said in a statement. "We look forward to working with Jim to create a city where everyone has access to fair, safe working conditions and a living wage."

Kenney, son of a firefighter, said in the statement, "As mayor, I'll fight every day for Philadelphians' right to a living wage, paid sick leave, and safe work sites."

Earlier in the day, Kenney was endorsed by some of the leaders of Philadelphia's gay and lesbian community.

At a Friday morning news conference, State Rep. Brian Sims, the first openly gay man to be elected to the legislature, said Kenney has been a "tireless advocate" for the LGBT community for more than 20 years.

Kenney was also endorsed by other LGBT leaders, including Mike Marsico, Kathy Padilla, SharRon Cooks, and Christina Kallas-Saritsoglou.

During his time on Council, Kenney was a champion of progressive economic causes and immigrant and LGBT issues. One of the last bills he saw through before quitting to run for mayor was making assaults on LGBT people a hate crime.

Finally, the 16,000-member Philadelphia Federation of Teachers tweeted that it also was endorsing Kenney, and that union president Jerry Jordan would make an official announcement Monday.