A year after Kenyatta Johnson stood trial for bribery, he’s vying for City Council president

It’s been a rapid comeback for Kenyatta Johnson.

Last year about this time, the three-term City Council member was staring down the possibility of spending years in federal prison. Today, he is vying to spend years as Philadelphia’s top legislative leader.

Johnson announced his candidacy for Council president in February, less than four months after a jury acquitted him and his wife on charges that they accepted bribes and used his position of power to help a nonprofit maintain real estate in his district. It ended a saga that included two trials and a yearslong investigation.

The high-profile allegations could have made Johnson politically radioactive. But in many ways, he is more secure than ever.

» READ MORE: Kenyatta Johnson and Curtis Jones Jr. are front-runners in the Philly Council president race

He is cruising to a fourth term representing South and Southwest Philadelphia and has influential allies in City Hall and Harrisburg. The next Council president will have the power to shape the direction of city policies for years to come, and the fact that Johnson is among the contenders demonstrates that opponents are reluctant to weaponize his legal troubles against him.

Still, some in City Hall are quietly uncomfortable with the repeated scrutiny of Johnson’s land-use decisions in his rapidly gentrifying district. He again appeared in headlines last month when federal prosecutors charged a developer with leveraging his relationship with the Council member to illegally flip cheap parcels for huge profits.

In that case, prosecutors cast Johnson as a victim. But a trial could still be politically embarrassing.

Johnson said in an interview that none of his colleagues has expressed concern about last month’s indictment. Nor does he think his legal troubles are disqualifying.

“I wasn’t only just exonerated, but innocent. That’s the rules: innocent until proven guilty,” he said. “Through the grace of God, that process turned out in my favor. And I maintained my innocence from day one.”

» READ MORE: No-bid bargains: Developers bought low and sold high with the help of Philadelphia City Councilman Kenyatta Johnson

Johnson grew up in Point Breeze, where his mother and grandmother were neighborhood fixtures and where he founded an antiviolence program called Peace Not Guns. He worked as an aide to state Sen. Anthony Hardy Williams, and his first run for office resulted in a shock win.

In 2008, he ran against a 10-term incumbent state representative and the Democratic establishment and won, and his supporters rejoiced that a 34-year-old native son was victorious. Three years later, he won an open primary for a Council seat representing the 2nd District, which includes neighborhoods from Eastwick to the Navy Yard to Center City.

Johnson’s first two terms were at times contentious as the district gentrified, which inherently brought racial tension. Some pro-development forces thought Johnson stymied growth or sided too often with neighborhood groups who opposed change. He said his goal was to slow the increasing cost of real estate and keep residents from being priced out.

Johnson defeated strong primary challengers when he ran for reelection in 2015 and 2019. But this year — even fresh off two federal trials — no serious contender made a bid for his seat.

He said that’s because of “luck and the grace of God.”

It also might be because no one wants to be set up to lose. Johnson’s past challengers were soundly defeated, and private polling shows he remains popular.

Beating federal charges might have made him more well liked, said Bishop James Darrell Robinson of South Philadelphia’s Yesha Ministries, a close confidant of Johnson’s.

“I think he’s better off,” Robinson said. “When you go through something, it builds character.”

Johnson said he has been repeatedly stopped by supporters who said they were praying for him. Others nod and say “right on.”

“I knew his grandmother,” said Martha Holman, 77, who has lived in Grays Ferry for 40 years. “If Mr. Johnson took a dollar, he kept a penny and gave the rest of it to the community.”

Others said they’ll support him because of his office’s constituent services.

Al Gambone lives across from Stephen Girard Park in South Philly, which he’s advocated for years to beautify. He went to Johnson in 2014 when the park was in disrepair, and the city allocated more than $1 million to add Colonial-period lighting, new walkways, and other upgrades.

“We had some other really heavy-duty politicians, but nobody took an interest,” he said. “Mr. Johnson was the only person.”

» READ MORE: Meet the candidates running for Philadelphia City Council president

Johnson’s land-use decisions have been under scrutiny for the better part of a decade. That’s in large part because of “councilmanic prerogative,” the unwritten tradition that Council members wield exceptional control over development in their districts.

In 2014, two developers sued Johnson, saying he killed their chances at obtaining city-owned land either for political retribution or to steer parcels to preferred developers. One of the plaintiffs, Ori Feibush, unsuccessfully challenged Johnson for his seat the following year. In 2016, a jury sided with Feibush.

About the same time, The Inquirer reported that there were dozens of city properties in Johnson’s district that were sold in no-bid sales in violation of city policy.

Then, after years of speculation, federal prosecutors in January 2020 filed bribery and fraud charges against Johnson; his wife, Dawn Chavous; and two others. They alleged Johnson helped a financially struggling nonprofit maintain real estate, and accepted a payoff from the nonprofit executives in the form of a sham consulting contract for Chavous.

The first trial, in April 2022, resulted in a mistrial after the jury deadlocked. Federal officials immediately vowed to retry the case. In November, a jury acquitted.

Through it all, Johnson enjoyed strong support from his Council colleagues. None publicly called for him to step down. A half-dozen attended prayer vigils. Last fall, when Johnson returned to the chambers a day after the acquittal, members stood and clapped.

Johnson said the support is a testament to relationships he built.

“I’ve always operated with a sense of integrity,” he said. “Can’t no person in Council or in the administration say, ‘Oh, I dealt with Kenyatta and he said one thing, did the other.’ I’m always straightforward.”

As a district Council member, Johnson was largely focused on constituent services and neighborhood issues. He has not undertaken a controversial policy agenda or pushed legislation that would force his colleagues to take politically risky votes.

He is seen as someone who will reliably sign on to legislation, and he isn’t part of an ideological faction. Council staff and members say that they like him personally — he remembers birthdays, knows children’s names, and sends flowers when someone dies.

It also could have been politically problematic for members to come out against him, even before the acquittal. Others have been scrutinized for how they’ve used councilmanic prerogative, and they could have been seen as hypocritical.

City Council and Democratic politics in Philadelphia can also be insular, and leaders tend to protect their own. A similar dynamic played out after former City Councilmember Bobby Henon was indicted in 2019 on federal corruption charges. Just one of Henon’s colleagues called on him to step down.

Especially because Johnson was acquitted, few in Democratic politics have publicly questioned his ability to serve. Even political rivals have largely declined to publicly criticize him.

“When you’re found not guilty, you should be treated as if you’re not guilty,” said Ed Thornton, the Democratic leader of Southwest Philadelphia’s 40th Ward. “You have to give him the benefit of the doubt.”

But plenty of questions about the future of Council remain amid a wave of turnover in the legislative body. And whoever is picked as Council president will be in a position to shape how it evolves.

Johnson is one of five members interested in succeeding Council President Darrell L. Clarke, who did not seek reelection. At least one other contender, Majority Leader Curtis Jones Jr., is aggressively campaigning, and Councilmember Mark Squilla, of the 1st District, is also seen as a top contender. A candidate needs at least nine votes out of the 17-member chamber, and none has enough commitments from colleagues to meet that threshold.

Several factors are in play. Jones has twice served as Democratic majority leader, the body’s second highest leadership position. A few politically powerful labor unions are leaning toward supporting Johnson. Ultimately, members will vote for the person they think can elevate them and best support their agenda.

Some also see Johnson’s age as a factor. He’s just 49 and could be the Council president for the foreseeable future because there are no term limits (Jones is 66). Ambitious members may be reluctant to vote for Johnson because they see the role in their own future.

Either way, his longevity in Council depends on the continued support of his district. To be sure, plenty of critics remain, whether it’s over his politics or his principles. Johnson said some will always question his integrity.

“All I can do is continue to keep doing the work that I’m doing,” he said. “Somebody, somewhere, is always going to have an opinion.”

This story was updated to clarify the charges that were filed against Johnson and Chavous.