Lawyer Patrick Kennedy described himself as a rare City Council candidate because local business and labor groups are backing his campaign. Kennedy is endorsed by the Sacramento Central Labor Council and the Sacramento Metro Chamber.

“Both (organizations) have worked with me,” Kennedy said. “They see that I’m fair.”

The Sacramento Press is interviewing City Council candidates in advance of the June 8 election.

Kennedy, 42, is running against four candidates for District 5, the seat held by Lauren Hammond. She is running for Assemblyman Dave Jones' seat.

Oak Park, Curtis Park, Colonial Heights and Tahoe Park West are among the neighborhoods in District 5.

Kennedy, a fourth-generation Sacramentan, lives in Hollywood Park.

Kennedy has received tens of thousands of dollars in campaign contributions from plumbers and pipefitters unions in the state. In response to a question about those contributions, Kennedy noted that as a lawyer who represents management and labor, he has "the trust of organizations throughout the state.”

If elected to the City Council, he said he wants to focus funding on police, fire and youth programs.

“During these budget times, we’ve got to look at core missions, core values and core goals of what the city and local government is,” Kennedy said. Public safety is one of the city’s core missions, he said.

Youth programs are another priority for Kennedy. He said that youth programs are necessary to improve public safety. “We have to continue to find ways that we can do a better job of partnering with our school district,” he said.

Kennedy said he wants to boost the profile and potential of major boulevards in District 5. He said he wants neighborhoods adjacent to boulevards such as Broadway and Franklin — to work with the businesspeople to promote the thoroughfares. If neighbors and businesspeople work together to invigorate the boulevards, the neighborhoods and cooridors will flourish, Kennedy said.

"You can't just look at boulevards and neighborhoods (separately)," Kennedy said. "The two of them feed off each other and their success is interdependent."

Kennedy is on the Sacramento City Unified School District Board of Trustees and was on the city Planning Commission for 11 years. He has a bachelor’s degree in government from California State University, Sacramento, and a law degree from Lincoln Law School of Sacramento.

Kennedy has raised the most money in the District 5 race, $109,684, according to campaign records filed in March. Jay Schenirer has $82,712 in campaign funds, Terrence Johnson $9,430.

Leticia Hilbert has raised less than $1,000, said Assistant City Clerk Stephanie Mizuno.

Henry Harry has raised $808.

District 1:
A story on candidate Angelique Ashby can be read here.
Learn about candidate Efren Guttierrez here. 

District 3:
Read an article on candidate Shawn Eldredge here.
Candidate Chris Little’s plans are outlined here. 

District 5:
Candidate Terrence Johnson’s campaign is explained here.
Read about candidate Jay Schenirer’s goals here. 

Kathleen Haley is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press.