On Tuesday, Aug. 15th, the Boston Ward 4 Democratic Committee overwhelmingly voted to endorse Mike Kelley for the District 2 city council race and Kim Janey for the District 7 city council race.
Kelley, a current resident of Bay Village and longtime South Ender, served as an aide to former Mayor Tom Menino, as well as his 2001 mayoral campaign manager, and directed the City of Boston’s Rental Housing Resource Center from 2002-2008. As an entrepreneur, he founded Hire Me Local, a startup dedicated to connecting local people to local services.
Kelley has been endorsed by Attorney General Maura Healey, Sens. Linda Dorcena-Forry and Joseph Boncore, and Reps. Aaron Michlewitz, Byron Rushing, Jeff Sanchez, Mike Moran, Liz Malia, and Sarah Peake. He has also received the endorsements of the Ward 3 and Ward 5 Democratic Committees, Planned Parenthood Advocacy Fund of MA, Mass Alliance, SEIU 1199, SEIU 888, State Council of Machinists (his former union), and Roofers Local 33.
District 2 includes all, or part, of Bay Village, the South End, Chinatown, Downtown, and South Boston; District 7, Fenway, the South End, Roxbury, and Dorchester.
“Mike represents the values and forward thinking District 2 needs in a city councilor,” said Jon Santiago, the committee’s vice chair and a resident of District 2. “Not only is he on the forefront of a progressive and inclusive agenda, his history of bringing people together to solve problems gives me confidence that he’ll serve each corner of the district well. We need a councilor who listens to and advocates for the community. Mike’s done that his entire life and will continue to do so if elected.”
Janey, a Roxbury-based education activist, has very strong ties to the South End community, as her great grandparents lived in the neighborhood for 60 years. She is founder and past president of the Historic Moreland Street Neighborhood Association, co-founder of MassVOTE, and executive board member of the NAACP Boston branch.
Janey has also received the endorsements of State Sen. Sonia Chang-Díaz, the Mass Women’s Political Caucus, Mass Alliance, and the Greater Boston Labor Council, among many other community leaders and organizations
Jonathan Cohn, the committee’s treasurer and a resident of District 7, commended Janey’s history of advocacy: “I know Kim Janey because of her years of fighting for racial and economic justice in Boston public schools–the exact type of experience we need on the City Council. Kim brings the understanding of a community organizer, the passion of an advocate, and the love for the neighborhoods in District 7 of someone born and raised here and continually fighting to make it a better place for all residents.”
Ward 4 spans the neighborhoods of Back Bay, Fenway, and the South End. Precincts 1, 2, and 3 of Ward 4 are located in District 2, and Precincts 4, 5, 8, and 9 are located in District 7.
The municipal preliminary election is Tuesday, Sept. 26, and the general election is Tuesday, Nov. 7.