Craig Kelley
He/Him
- Currently
- City Councillor
- Election history
- 7th term in office
He/Him
First elected to the council in the 2005 election, Craig Kelley has lived in Cambridge since 1993.
He served in the marines from 1984-1989, and was a contractor for US Army Reserves for nearly 20 years as an environmental compliance specialist. He is an avid cyclist.
| Organization | Cambridge? | Union? | View |
|---|---|---|---|
| Massachusetts Voters for Animals | this cycle |
The Harvard Graduate Student Union-UAW's guide to municipal elections in Cambridge, Somerville, and Boston for City Council and Somerville Mayor.
The Harvard Graduate Student Union-UAW's guide to municipal elections in Cambridge, Somerville, and Boston for City Council and Somerville Mayor.
We want to make short term rentals in Cambridge safe, legal, and fair. But it's a huge issue! ... We wanted to make sure we incorporated as many as opinions as possible.
It’s illegal to smoke marijuana in public. We are struggling to figure out what that means... It’s not something most of us want to criminalize.
I opposed the misguided destruction of Inman Square’s Vellucci Plaza because it does not promote bicycle safety, removed numerous mature trees and continues to expand in cost.
It’s illegal to smoke marijuana in public. We are struggling to figure out what that means, because people are smoking it all over, and I’m regularly having people complain to me that they can’t go anywhere without someone lighting up near them and making the air less enjoyable to breathe. It’s not something most of us want to criminalize. It’s not something the police want to get stuck enforcing, and the optics of a lot of police enforcement stuff can be really, really bad; the cops don’t want to be arresting someone for smoking marijuana without the general public saying that’s what they want. I don’t think the general public’s there.
Nov. 1, 2017 — Sanjana NarayananIt’s illegal to smoke marijuana in public. We are struggling to figure out what that means, because people are smoking it all over, and I’m regularly having people complain to me that they can’t go anywhere without someone lighting up near them and making the air less enjoyable to breathe. It’s not something most of us want to criminalize. It’s not something the police want to get stuck enforcing, and the optics of a lot of police enforcement stuff can be really, really bad; the cops don’t want to be arresting someone for smoking marijuana without the general public saying that’s what they want. I don’t think the general public’s there.
Five years ago, Councilor Craig Kelley said wild turkeys “were sort of a novelty” in Cambridge.
Since then, they have become a problem.
“There’s a girl at church on Sunday who was telling me how she got chased,” Kelley said. “Her and her dog got chased by a wild turkey.”
Kelley and his fellow councilors voted Monday night to have City Manager Louis DePasquale work with the director of the Animal Commission to review policies regarding urban wildlife management, develop a plan responding to the reintroduction of native animals to the city, and to provide guidance to residents who are unsure of how to deal with the influx of wild turkeys and other animals.
Sept. 19, 2017 — Adam SennottFive years ago, Councilor Craig Kelley said wild turkeys “were sort of a novelty” in Cambridge.
Since then, they have become a problem.
“There’s a girl at church on Sunday who was telling me how she got chased,” Kelley said. “Her and her dog got chased by a wild turkey.”
Kelley and his fellow councilors voted Monday night to have City Manager Louis DePasquale work with the director of the Animal Commission to review policies regarding urban wildlife management, develop a plan responding to the reintroduction of native animals to the city, and to provide guidance to residents who are unsure of how to deal with the influx of wild turkeys and other animals.
Currently on Airbnb alone there are more than 1,600 active rentals in Cambridge, according to the research site Airdna. City rules require Cambridge homeowners to get permission to rent for less than a month, but few have secured such permits, said Craig Kelley, the city councilor who has been leading the regulatory push.
The ordinance, Kelley said, would remove a legal cloud that has hovered over Internet-based rental services even as their popularity has exploded.
“We wanted to legalize short-term rentals, which are a great option for so many people,” said Kelley, “and we wanted to regulate, to make sure it’s . . . safe, legal, and fair.”
...
But without a state law, Kelley said, Cambridge can’t tax short-term-rentals.
Aug. 6, 2017 — Andy RosenCurrently on Airbnb alone there are more than 1,600 active rentals in Cambridge, according to the research site Airdna. City rules require Cambridge homeowners to get permission to rent for less than a month, but few have secured such permits, said Craig Kelley, the city councilor who has been leading the regulatory push.
The ordinance, Kelley said, would remove a legal cloud that has hovered over Internet-based rental services even as their popularity has exploded.
“We wanted to legalize short-term rentals, which are a great option for so many people,” said Kelley, “and we wanted to regulate, to make sure it’s . . . safe, legal, and fair.”
...
But without a state law, Kelley said, Cambridge can’t tax short-term-rentals.
“It’s clear that the world is changing around us. It’s clear that technology is making surveillance or security devices, depending on which side of the fence you fall, smaller, cheaper, more powerful, [and] more ubiquitous,” Kelley said. “I think the larger question becomes, what do we owe our citizens, to our students, to whoever, to train them to be digitally safe in a world where stuff is just recorded all the time.”
April 26, 2017 — Adam Sennott“It’s clear that the world is changing around us. It’s clear that technology is making surveillance or security devices, depending on which side of the fence you fall, smaller, cheaper, more powerful, [and] more ubiquitous,” Kelley said. “I think the larger question becomes, what do we owe our citizens, to our students, to whoever, to train them to be digitally safe in a world where stuff is just recorded all the time.”
Councillor Craig Kelley contributed another of the three votes against the ordinance. “This isn’t perfect, and in its imperfections, it would be creating property rights,” he said. “Whoever comes down the pike, we can’t then go back and say, ‘Hey, we got it wrong last year or we got it wrong the year before, you can’t do this anymore.’”
Feb. 7, 2017 — Chloe ReichelCouncillor Craig Kelley contributed another of the three votes against the ordinance. “This isn’t perfect, and in its imperfections, it would be creating property rights,” he said. “Whoever comes down the pike, we can’t then go back and say, ‘Hey, we got it wrong last year or we got it wrong the year before, you can’t do this anymore.’”
Despite strong support among speakers at the council meeting for fast action on improving bike safety, council members sounded a note of caution about how fast the city could move.
“This is a much more complicated discussion than just ‘do it tomorrow,’” Kelley said.
Building safer bike infrastructure will involve many pieces, he said, and warned that in altering roads, traffic could inadvertently be diverted to other streets, causing new issues.
Oct. 9, 2016 — Joanna DuffyDespite strong support among speakers at the council meeting for fast action on improving bike safety, council members sounded a note of caution about how fast the city could move.
“This is a much more complicated discussion than just ‘do it tomorrow,’” Kelley said.
Building safer bike infrastructure will involve many pieces, he said, and warned that in altering roads, traffic could inadvertently be diverted to other streets, causing new issues.