John was born the fourth of seven children of Philip and Loretta Keenan. His father worked in the mailing room of the Record American, and then the Boston Herald, while his mother worked at Filene’s department store and then CNA Insurance. John was raised in Quincy and attended the Quincy Public Schools, graduating in 1982 from North Quincy High School. He went to Harvard University, earning his way through by working in the athletic department equipment room. He also worked the Saturday overnight shift at the Herald. John graduated with honors from Harvard in 1986, with a government concentration. Three years later, he graduated from Suffolk University Law School. A lifelong learner, in May 2019 John graduated from the Harvard Kennedy School with a Masters in Public Administration.
As a former City Councilor, I know firsthand that it is at the local level where essential services are provided. Residents look to their local police and fire departments to deliver public safety, to local schools to educate their children, to public works departments to plow and maintain roads, and to libraries, parks, senior centers and public works departments to maintain a high quality of life in our communities.
During budget deliberations over the last several years, I have fought for additional local aid funding for our cities and towns. As a result, the communities of Abington, Braintree, Holbrook, Rockland and Quincy have all seen increases in Chapter 70 (school funding) and in general local aid.
I am a strong supporter of Chapter 90 funding, which supports local road maintenance and repair, and have advocated for a multi-year funding bill that would give greater stability and predictability to municipal leaders. I will continue to advocate for a longer-term vision in this area.
In addition, I worked closely on an economic development bill with resources and tools for cities and towns to strengthen their economic activity. The municipal modernization bill, which was crafted after gathering input from cities and towns across the state, updated out of date laws, eliminated obsolete requirements, removed unnecessary red tape and increased local independence, allowing more flexibility for municipalities to pursue policies that best fit their communities’ needs.
This legislation also gave our cities and towns additional tools for responsible budgeting, including increasing the amounts municipalities can borrow for emergencies and the amounts they can appropriate into reserve funds for unforeseen expenditures. An additional provision permits municipalities to use parking revenues for a wider array of transportation-related projects than previously allowed.
I played a role in passing legislation to increase funding for the repair of small bridges less than 20 feet, which are ineligible for federal aid due to their size. This grant program will target bridges that are at risk for closure due to safety conditions and assist municipalities with their public safety and transportation needs.
As your Senator, I will continue to policies that support our municipalities, fight for predictable local aid, and will continue my efforts to make the state more accountable to our local property taxpayers.