Jack Kelly
Boston City Councilor Bill Linehan today announced on Tuesday that Jack Kelly has joined his staff of for the new term of 2016-2017. Kelly’s primary focus will be to develop funding and proper policy to help combat the effects of addiction.
Kelly worked for the Menino administration as the Mayor’s Neighborhood Services coordinator for Charlestown for five years, where he was instrumental in developing partnerships and programs to address the impacts of addiction on those who lived and worked in his neighborhood. He has extensive experience in City Hall as well as working with health service delivery organizations. Kelly serves on a variety of boards and task force panels, including Governor Baker’s Health Care Transition Team.
Kelly is the Founder and CEO of iRecover, an app dedicated to helping people with substance abuse issues. The app connects people in need with services and support.
“Jack will be a great addition to our staff. He will help lead the initiative to develop a strategy to raise revenue to combat the devastating effects of addiction,” Councilor Linehan said. “Given his experience in this field, he will help garner support and develop proper policy to help current efforts across the city and state.”
“The effects of substance abuse in Boston are crippling local neighborhoods and placing economic burdens on several resources, including public safety systems, police, fire, EMS services, and hospital emergency rooms,” Linehan added. “Boston needs a comprehensive coordinated effort develop solutions to address the situation.”
“I’m joining this initiative because I believe that it is important to raise revenue,” Kelly said. “Without revenue, many of the good faith efforts by the Governor, the Mayor, and the Legislature may prove challenging to successfully achieve our mutually shared goals.”
“Additionally, as Founder and CEO of a mobile app to help combat addiction, it’s imperative that this issue is incorporated into digital health initiatives that both the Governor and the Mayor are pioneering,” Kelly added. “I see this revenue generating proposal as a positive health care solution to a negative and destabilizing health crisis.”
A native of Charlestown, Kelly is a graduate of Matignon High School. He received his Bachelor of Science in Political Science from the University of Massachusetts in 2013.
