'I'll Be Happy When I'm Not Mayor' Jim Kenney Says After Officers Shot

PHILADELPHIA — Philadelphia's mayor cannot wait to leave office. At least that's what he said during a news conference regarding the shooting of two police officers Monday night at the Wawa Welcome America festival on the Ben Franklin Parkway.

"I'm waiting for something bad to happen all the time," Mayor Jim Kenney said. "I'll be happy when I'm not mayor, so I can enjoy some stuff."

Kenney in a soccer jersey made the statement to news cameras early Sunday morning at a conference with Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw.

Officials provided an update on the officers, who have since been released from the hospital after being grazed by bullets at about 9:45 p.m. Monday on the parkway. The gunman or gunmen have not been found.

In response to the comment, Philadelphia City Councilman Derek Green called on Kenney to resign.

"We are all exhausted by the level of gun violence in our City," he said on Twitter. "However, our City needs someone now with the passion and vision to lead us forward. Resign."

Kenney Tuesday reneged on the comment in a statement.

"In a late-night, overwhelming moment of frustration, I said I was looking forward to no longer being mayor," he said. "Let me be clear, I’m incredibly grateful to be mayor of this great city and for the people who elected me to lead."

Philadelphia City Councilmember Katherine Gilmore Richardson called on Kenney to take the "In or Out pledge."

The pledge has three points:

1. Apologizing to the citizens of the City of Philadelphia for his statement that he will be “…happy when I'm not here - when I'm not mayor and I can enjoy some stuff;”
2. Affirming his interest in serving as the leader of this city for the next 18 months or not;
3. Submitting to the City and members of City Council an operational plan for the next 18 months to address gun violence and quality of life issues in our City to serve the citizens of our great city.

"As I have said many times, I will not standby and do nothing as we lose our children to the unrelenting gun violence in this city," she said. "Mayor Kenney – abdicating your responsibility is not an option; waiting for your term to end while there is much work left to be done is not an option. Leadership means bearing the collective weight of the challenges we face and finding a path forward."

The mayor also spoke about firearms in the United States at the early morning news conference, saying on a recent trip to Canada he didn't fear shootings.

"The only people I knew who had guns in Canada were police officers and that is the way it should be here," he said. "But look, in my lifetime, it is never going to happen. A lot of goofballs out there with guns and they can get them anytime they want, so this is what we have to live with."