Danny Kelly: Delivering for Ward 11
Safety
Danny knows that above all, residents MUST be and feel safe in their homes and neighborhoods.
As a councilman, he is leading the charge to find solutions that keep Cleveland neighborhoods safe. Danny and his colleagues on City Council worked with the mayor, Cleveland Police as well as, local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies to launch the Cleveland RISE Initiative and the Operation 216 Task Force. These new innovative programs have removed hundreds of violent criminals, guns, and dangerous drugs from our streets.
Councilman Kelly also supports community policing and crime prevention programs. He was recently appointed to a first-of-its-kind advisory committee that will allocate $10 million in neighborhood safety fund grants to address underlying causes of violence, like poverty.
Danny has supported funding to provide stability and support for women, families, and children in crisis, and has backed measures to increase EMS service throughout the city. Danny has also supported additional funding for traffic calming to make sure people driving through Ward 11 are protecting and respecting their fellow drivers, pedestrians, and cyclists.
Neighborhood Revitalization & Quality of Life
Forever a union construction worker in his heart, Councilman Kelly has made building throughout Ward 11 a top priority.
Forever a union construction worker in his heart, Councilman Kelly has made building throughout Ward 11 a top priority. Danny has helped to fund or oversee major renovations in Ward 11 at Halloran Ice Rink, the Variety Theater, the 99th Street Affordable/Veteran Housing Project, and Sister’s Haven. He secured $5 million to build 50 new Habitat Humanity homes citywide, with over $1 million coming directly to Ward 11. In addition, Danny is working to improve neighborhood quality by tearing down the most blighted and abandoned properties in Ward 11.
Beyond that which we can build, Councilman Kelly understands that improving the quality of life is an essential function of a city councilman. He has voted and acted to support measures that cancelled millions of dollars of crippling medical debt and helped pay overdue utility bills — programs that help families and seniors make ends meet.
Good Jobs
There is no greater advocate for workers than Councilman Danny Kelly. As an active, dues-paying member of Laborers’ Local 310 for nearly five decades, Danny honors the dignity of work in everything he does.
Danny sponsored the Fair Wage Employment Law which passed earlier this year - ensuring that city workers and contractors will be paid at least $15 an hour, with yearly adjustments for inflation. As Councilman, he helped bring a first-of-its-kind Union Job Fair to Ward 11, helping connect his constituents to union jobs that pay more than $30 an hour with good benefits.
Danny's Background
Councilman Danny Kelly’s life has been a mission to serve and care for others.
A life-long champion of workers’ rights, Danny is their go-to voice on Cleveland City Council. Danny worked as a laborer on jobsites for years and knows first-hand what it is like to put in a hard day of work. He has been a proud member of Laborers’ Local 310 for nearly five decades and a past delegate and elected trustee to the North Shore AFL-CIO Federation of Labor.
Not only does he have hands-on experience at building sites across the city, Danny has always fought for fair, family-supporting wages and benefits. For him, it was the union book in his back pocket that allowed Danny - a single dad - to provide for his four kids on the West Side. With Danny, a life-long union member has a seat at the table.
Over the past decade, Danny continued to serve our community as a student-family recruiter for the Cleveland Metropolitan School District. A grassroots organizer on countless campaigns, he tirelessly advocated for Cleveland’s children to receive a quality education. The district bestowed him the H.E.A.R.T. Award (Hear, Empathize, Apologize, Respond and Thank) in recognition of his kindness and dedication to students, staff, and community members.
Danny has also dedicated his time to serving on the Alcohol, Drug Addiction and Mental Health Services Board, helping to deliver mental health support and recovery programs to Cleveland residents. He enjoys spending time with his adult children, six grandchildren, and two grand dogs.
