Craig’s Commitment to Cambridge

Now 54 years old, Craig and his wife, Hope live in North Cambridge with their two sons, Robbie (20) and Cooper (17). The friendly neighborhoods, dynamic schools, bustling shopping areas, wonderful parks, super libraries and great people have earned Cambridge a special place in Craig's heart. After ten years of advocacy in his local neighborhood group, Craig was elected to Cambridge City Council in 2005 and he has been helping Cambridge meet the 21st Century’s economic, housing, transportation and educational challenges ever since.

Early education, Military, Environment

Born in Wellesley, Craig went to the University of Rochester on an NROTC scholarship, where he made Dean's list, received a BA in History and won the NROTC leadership award. Craig then served in the Marine Corps for four and a half years, seeing such faraway places as the Southern California desert, the Philippines and Malaysia. It was during these travels that Craig first became interested in environmental issues, realizing that reducing abject poverty and addressing environmental degradation would decrease the likelihood of military conflict in the developing nations where he served. Less than four weeks after resigning his Marine Corps commission, Craig was knocking on doors for Greenpeace.

Further education

From Greenpeace, Craig moved on to Boston College Law School, where he served as Chair of the Environmental Law Society, graduated cum laude in 1993 and earned the Susan B. Desmaris award for Public Service Achievement and Leadership for his work on environmental issues. A lifetime learner, Craig earned a Masters in Public Administration from the Harvard Kennedy School in 2015 where he is currently a Research Fellow in Metropolitan Resiliency and Democratic Institutions.

City Council

As a City Councilor, Craig chaired the Council's Traffic, Parking & Transportation Committee for his first three terms. He currently chairs the Council's Public Safety Subcommittee, where he has focused on surveillance issues, police oversight and legalizing and regulating short-term rentals like AirBnB. He has chaired the Veterans’ Committee and has also served on a variety of other Council and City committees, including currently chairing the Mayor’s Special Advisory Committee on Neighborhood-Based Resiliency. Without a car for the past ten years, Craig is the leading voice for cyclist safety on the City Council. He continues to promote safe bike-accessible infrastructure while thinking beyond that to the traffic safety impacts of the Delivery Economy and what Urban Mobility is going to look like as E-Bikes and similar personal electric vehicles become more popular. He has helped implement more expansive Inclusionary Zoning requirements and is working to protect hundreds or expiring use affordable housing units throughout Cambridge.

Writing

Craig maintains numerous email lists focused on City-issues and also publishes on his blog and LinkedIn. He has written and published an environmental novel and co-authored a book on environmental compliance.

Cambridge Public Schools

In addition to his City Council duties, Craig served for years on the Maria L. Baldwin School Advisory Council and, understanding the importance of the “A” in STEAM, he is an active supporter of all things having to do with visual and performing arts both in and out of the Cambridge Public Schools. He has also been a Cambridge School Volunteer at CRLS for several years.

Beliefs

Craig believes that vibrant local democratic institutions and the give-and-take of honest, robust dialogues, in person or on-line, are crucial to the health of not just Cambridge but the entire United States. Transparency, accountability and openness are the cornerstones of good government. In keeping with these democratic truths, Craig regularly attends public meetings, maintains dozens of topical email lists and is accessible to his constituents as he walks or bikes around town. He is renowned for his constituent services efforts and his ability to effectively and quickly communicate complex civic issues to the general public. Special interest money funneled into politics via PACs, whether in Cambridge or in Washington, DC, subverts the core values of democracy. Craig will not accept support from special interest PACs operating in Cambridge and has said ‘no’ to developer campaign donations.

Leisure activities

Besides playing board games with his wife and children, Craig enjoys canoeing, bicycling, hiking, reading and writing. See https://www.facebook.com/craig.kelley.967 for more.

2017 Campaign for City Council

Craig is eager to bring his experience and education to City Hall for another term. His focus will be:

• Help Cambridge create a better future for all of its residents, with special emphasis on equity, street safety and transparent, inclusive governance.
• Build a more collaborative City/school relationship.
• Develop safety programs that reflect address the social and climate change challenges we all face and which we must solve together.

Get Involved

Email Craig at Craig@CraigKelley.org.

CCTV candidate video (2017)

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