Mayor-elect Kenney has plans - for police, pre-K, port ...

The banner behind Jim Kenney was decorated with children's green and orange handprints and read, "Welcome, Mayor Kenney!"

A little premature, as Kenney won't become mayor until he is sworn in Jan. 4. But he made clear Wednesday that the planning and transitioning had already begun.

Kenney addressed reporters for the first time as mayor-elect at Jackson School in South Philadelphia, the morning after catapulting past his rivals to a historic victory.

He all but confirmed that Deputy Police Commissioner Richard Ross will succeed the popular Charles H. Ramsey as head of the Police Department, one of the most important appointments a mayor can make.

"I'm not prepared to say anything, but if you just connect the dots, you know," Kenney told reporters. "We're not looking outside the department; Commissioner Ramsey has made his recommendation clear; Deputy Commissioner [Kevin] Bethel has decided to move on. . . . Connect the dots."

In short remarks and 25 minutes of taking questions, Kenney offered some new specifics of his now-familiar campaign promises, including providing universal, free pre-K to 3- and 4-year-olds, a goal he says will be worked into his first budgeting process next spring and start to unfold next fall.

As for the projected price tag on that ambitious early-childhood-education plan, he outlined where he hopes to find $60 million.

"We're going to find the money within our current budget, and also go out to philanthropy and corporations and whoever else wants to help - cobble this together and make it happen," he said.

Kenney said he would hold town hall meetings throughout the city to get input on issues Philadelphians want him to address. He announced the launch of a website where people can send in feedback: KenneyForPhiladelphia.com. There's also a tab to apply for jobs.

Who gets top posts in a Kenney administration is officially still secret. He said he'd announce his picks by Thanksgiving for positions such as managing director and chief of staff.

A transition team and chair to help in the final two months of the switchover will be announced Thursday, Kenney said.

He described his plans for the next four years as neither lofty nor unattainable: "I'm not coming in with big promises, I'm coming in with promises that can be achieved."

In addition to the pre-K plan, Kenney has pounded the need to increase business at the port. He said he wants the volume of cargo handled by the Packer Avenue Marine Terminal to grow from 450,000 containers to a million - aiming to bring in the blue-collar jobs that would come with that.

He sees opportunity to lure businesses from the suburbs into the city but said he had no immediate plans for tax reductions.

"The key of being a mayor in a big city is balancing reduction of taxes with the level of service you provide. We could have a very low tax rate and terrible service provision, and people won't live here either," he said.

The Police Advisory Commission, the department's civilian oversight agency, deserves more resources and credibility, said Kenney, who also has vowed to end so-called stop-and-frisk tactics. "My aspirational goal is to have every parent tell their kids, 'Find a police officer if you need help,' " he said.

The fact that voters chose to make the city's Office of LGBT Affairs permanent was an outcome Kenney applauded. He commended the work Helen "Nellie" Fitzpatrick has done at the helm of that office, and said he wants to focus on the transgender community, which he said has been "totally ignored."

"We've had people murdered because they're transgender," Kenney said. "We've had people who feel disrespected and out of the circle of our community, and we're going to bring them in and make sure they understand we love them."

Asked how he plans to stay connected with everyday people once he becomes mayor, Kenney said his upbringing on Second Street in South Philadelphia will forever keep him humble.

That and lots of subway rides - like the one he took Tuesday to get to the school. He said he's already told the "potential commissioner" he wants a police security detail that's comfortable with riding public transportation.

Before leaving the school, Kenney, who is 57 and has two grown children, greeted kindergartners during their lunchtime, pulling up a child-size chair to chat. He struggled, understandably, to compete for attention with peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwiches and chicken nuggets.

Several pupils came up to shake his hand or tell Kenney their name. He asked how many spoke Spanish. Little arms flew up.

Then he headed to his own lunch, along with many a hug and handshake, at the Palm restaurant, where a key political ally, Electricians Local 98, holds its traditional postelection celebration.

Kenney rode up on the Broad Street Line.

jterruso@phillynews.com

215-854-5506@juliaterruso

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