Rendell Denies Patronage in DNC Host Committee Hire of Kenney’s Girlfriend

The girlfriend of Mayor Jim Kenney, Letitia "Letty" Santarelli was apparently the only candidate for her job with the 2016 Philadelphia DNC Host Committee, according to Committee chair and former Gov. Ed Rendell, who said her hiring is not an example of patronage among city leaders.

"We actually had no applicants," Rendell told the Philadelphia Business Journal Tuesday afternoon. "The mayor didn’t say hire her. The mayor said interview her and if we had found she wasn’t capable, we wouldn’t have hired her."

"The mayor didn't insist she get hired," he added.

And the "unofficial first lady" of Philadelphia proved herself in the job, Rendell continued, glowingly describing her work as an office manager with comparisons to a Renaissance wonder.

"To say she is a receptionist is like saying Michelangelo is a house painter," he said.

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