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The Accidental Mayor Of Mobile City

May 5, 2023

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For 8.5 years, Kenny Phillips lived a life of luxury. As Alex Rodriguez’s personal chef, Kenny kept the baseball legend and all his famous guests fed. He had a big house near Dallas and apartments in New York City and Miami.

“The lifestyle was incredible,” Kenny says in this episode. “Even in Miami, golly, Coconut Grove and going to Miami Beach. To me, that that was the bomb, man. And I had a Jeep Wrangler, top down, driving down Miami Beach with Frank Sinatra, ‘Come fly away, come fly away with me.’”

Headshot of a man with grey hair and beard in a chef's coat.
Kenny Phillips' chef headshot.

But it wasn’t just the lavish lifestyle Kenny loved. Over the years, he grew close to the family. He helped Alex’s wife, Cynthia, with their daughters.

“She was like, ‘Boy, we're going to keep you around until the girls have gone through college,’” Kenny says.

So when Alex and Cynthia got divorced, Kenny’s whole life was upended. Not only had he lost a family of sorts, but he was also suddenly out his six-figure income. He moved back to Texas and was forced to begin downsizing.

This is how Kenny ended up in Mobile City.

Mobile City is a city in Texas made up exclusively of mobile homes. When he first decided to move there, Kenny wasn’t sure what to expect. But he was pleasantly surprised. Good amount of space. Nice neighbors. Affordable. When his own marriage ended, Kenny started dedicating his time to his community, pitching in at his church and joining the city council.

After he’d attended a few city council meetings, the mayor of Mobile City pulled him aside and said that she was going to retire, and that he could be the new mayor.

“And I went, ‘What?’” Kenny remembers. “She goes, ‘Well, nobody else wants to be the mayor.’ And she said, ‘So tag, you're it.’”

Man holding one hand up and one hand of Bible being sworn into office.
Kenny Phillips being sworn in as mayor of Mobile City.

To hear the full story, listen to “The Accidental Mayor Of Mobile City” now.

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Episode Transcript