Meet Kelly
Kelly Garcia – Chelsea City Councilor at Large
Kelly Garcia is a proud Chelsea native, raised by her parents, Socorro and Roberto Garcia, in a bustling home with five siblings and her beloved dog, Beamer. Inspired by her family's deep-rooted commitment to service—especially her aunt, civil rights leader Gladys Vega—Kelly developed a lifelong passion for advocacy and community empowerment.
As a Chelsea City Councilor-at-Large, Kelly has worked tirelessly to advance policies that promote affordable housing, educational equity, and public health initiatives. She has championed efforts to expand tenant protections, improve access to city resources, and ensure that Chelsea families have a voice in local government. Her leadership has been instrumental in shaping policies that prioritize the well-being of residents and create long-term opportunities for growth and stability.
Before joining the City Council, Kelly served as the Chairwoman of the Chelsea School Committee, where she fought for increased educational funding, student support services, and equitable learning opportunities for all children in Chelsea. Her firsthand experience as a public school educator for eight years gave her a deep understanding of the challenges students and families face.
Kelly holds a B.A. in Psychology from the College of the Holy Cross and a Master’s Degree from Boston University.
Now seeking re-election, Kelly remains dedicated to amplifying community voices, advocating for economic fairness, and ensuring a brighter, more equitable future for Chelsea residents.
Accomplisments
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• Currently serves as the Chairwoman of the Chelsea School Committee.
• Currently serves as a Special Education administrator in Excel Academy Charter High School.
• Currently serves as an Organizing Captain for Latinos for Education.
• Co-founded the Equity Committee for Chelsea Public Schools.
• Co-founded the College and Career Awareness Advisory for Chelsea Public Schools.
• Served as Vice Chairwoman for the Chelsea School Committee for two years.
• Served as a former Chair for the following subcommittees on the Chelsea School Committee: Budget & Finance, Policy & Procedures, Curriculum & Instruction, and Human Resource.
• Served as a Teach for America corp member in 2015.
• Served as a judge for the Puerto Rican Pageant.
• Recognized by the Chelsea City Council as a National Hispanic Heritage Month Latinx Trailblazer for the endless advocacy and commitment to all students across the district.
• Received El Mundo Boston Latino 30 Under 30 for making an impact on the Massachusetts Latino community in the areas of business, sports, community service and fine arts.
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• Advocated for the distribution of approximately 5,200 chromebooks, hotspots and meals to students in Chelsea during the school closure because of the COVID 19 pandemic.
• Organized a Student Advocacy Day where over 100 students were mobilized to advocate for more educational funding at the State House.
• Led a “Let’s Talk Series” for faculty, staff and students to express areas of concerns, strengths and recommendations for ways to improve DEI PDs, college and career counseling, mental health supports, and extracurricular activities.
• Implemented changes to the district wide calendar: Columbus Day to Indigenous Peoples Day and added Juneteenth as a holiday.
• Created and implemented the first free little library in District 7 providing free books for all residents in the neighborhood.
• Spear-headed and passed over ten resolutions supporting the overall well-being of students across the district; Safe Safe Haven Resolution, Student Opportunity Act Resolution, Resolution to Declare Black Lives Matter, Resolution on State Funding for COVID 19 Expenses, and Resolution to Support Implementation of SOA Funding.
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• Led a city-wide donation drive for Hurricane Maria survivors; sent over 300,000 pounds of food, clothes, and medical resources to Puerto Rico.
• Led a city-wide toy drive collecting and donating over 5,000 toys for children across the city of Chelsea.
• Led a city-wide Easter Basket drive collecting and donating over 5,000 baskets for children across the city of Chelsea.
• Served as one of the few elected officials to volunteer as an essential worker during the pandemic providing food to residents of Chelsea in La Colaborativa’s food pantry.
• Championed equity and inclusion throughout the district by bringing awareness to and making adjustments for families to feel safe and welcomed in all meetings and advocating for a Diversity Equity and Inclusion Director for the district.
Thank you for your Endorsements
