Introducing John Kelleher

Enough is Enough: John Kelleher Announces He’ll Run as a Democratic Alternative to State Senator Wilkerson.


Statement of  John Kelleher:

Why would anyone declare their intent to run for State Senate in a write-in campaign against an entrenched incumbent with less than two weeks to the Democratic Primary election?

It is because enough is enough. It is because honor, integrity and respect for the law matter greatly to me and to the hundreds of my frustrated friends and neighbors I have talked to over the past months. I simply could not stand by without  doing something. I was taught by the Jesuits at Boston College that in a crisis if you are not part of the solution then you are a part of the problem

Today, I announce my intention to run to be the next State Senator of the Second Suffolk District. I will make the voters of Boston proud once again by giving them the leadership they deserve.

I will make some true sacrifices to take on this daunting task. I have taken a leave of absence without pay as a Detective on the Boston Police Department in order to run for this office. I will not take a dime in campaign contributions from anyone to undertake this expensive and complex job. I will use my personal funds and if elected will beholden to no one but the voters who have taken the effort to use my sticker or to write in my name. I will likely need to endure some personal attacks as well. I will work harder at the campaign than anyone in these last ten days to share with the voters of Jamaica Plain, Roxbury, Mission Hill, Beacon Hill, Mattapan, Dorchester, Chinatown, the South End, Back Bay and the Fenway my vision for a better Boston and new leadership..

While I hold an idealistic view of  what politics and our leaders should be, I am not naïve about what it takes to get elected and what it takes to be effective. In 1972 it was a time for political activism and I wanted to make a difference, so I got my name on the ballot, pulled together some hard working friends who also felt the need for a change, and took on the old political leadership in Jamaica Plain. The hard work paid off and I was able to win election to the House of Representatives as a Democrat. I was recognized as someone who was able to pull together people many diverse views and backgrounds and get things done. I was given a leadership position in my second term, serving as an Assistant Majority Leader and a member of the Rules and Transportation Committees.

As a Boston Police Officer for more than thirty years, I have seen a lot of tragedies in our neighborhoods. I am particularly outraged at the barrage of gunfire yesterday at the Dorchester Court House. I have seen what violence can do to a community. Not all the victims of crime end up in the hospital, as some of the victims are those who are afraid to leave their homes after dark, or are robbed of companionship because friends and family are afraid to visit, or are those who are violated when their apartment has been robbed and trashed. I will be their voice on Beacon Hill. Upon my election I will be the elected official with the most knowledge and experience in fighting urban crime. There will be no learning curve for me as I will fight for more funding for police on the streets, community policing, and fighting for laws that really deter crime and turn around those juveniles before it is too late. I have worked as a patrolman or detective in almost every neighborhood of Boston and I know what will really work to fight crime.  I have also been apart of legislative leadership so I know how to take this knowledge, translated it into more effective laws and get the funding for more public safety officers.

While fighting crime is of great importance and has been my career for more than thirty years, I view improving education as an equally important priority. I fought for education reform and more funding as the Democratic State Representative from Jamaica Plain in the 1970’s. I used my leadership post to help raise standards and teacher salaries. My commitment to education stayed alive, as I went back to school for graduate studies in education and was awarded a Masters Degree in Education by Boston University in 1982. Some of today’s challenges in education are the same; we need more money and the highest standards, but we must also expand after school programs, upgrade technology and facilities, recruit, reward and retain those excellent and inspiring teachers and build on the success of early childhood education. We, as a community have made a contract, of sorts, with parents and children. We will provide the inspiring teachers, the funding and the programs, but you must work hard and take responsibility for your actions. Serious, productive, responsible students with involved parents are answer to our crime problems and lay the foundation for the community’s future.

I present myself to the Democratic voters of the Second Suffolk Senate District because I too have a responsibility to the Community. There are no names on the Democratic ballot this year because Diane Wilkerson failed to comply with the law requiring signatures on Nomination Papers. I ask the voters to vote for me on Tuesday, September 19th, by using my sticker or writing in the name “John Kelleher”. The voters will soon be receiving in the mail information about my priorities and background as well as a sticker and voting instructions. Using the sticker is a little extra work but this will be the most important vote you cast this year if you want to be serious for a change.

John Kelleher  Biography:  the right experiance and Education
·       Boston Police officer for 32 years now serving with the rank of Detective.

·       Boston College, BA Business 1981

·       Boston University Graduate School of Education, Masters Degree, 1983

·       Massachusetts House of Representatives, 1973-1978, Assistant Majority Leader/Rules Committee, Transportation Committee

·       Successful local Businessman.

·       Recorder of the Land Court Division of the Trial Court of the Commonwealth, 1982-1984

·       Huntington YMCA, Board of Directors

·       Crohns and Colitis Foundation of America Member 25 years

·       Life long resident of Jamaica Plain, Residence at 59 Arborway.