Preceded by Michael W. Morrissey Role State senator Political party Democratic Spouse Jeanne Keenan | Occupation Legislator Party Democratic Party Name John Keenan | |
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Website www.senatorjohnkeenan.com Residence Quincy, Massachusetts, United States Education Harvard University, Harvard Law School | ||
John F. Keenan, (born 1964) is a member of the Massachusetts State Senate for the Norfolk and Plymouth district.
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Prior to being elected to the Massachusetts State Senate he served on the Quincy City Council from 2003 to 2012. He finished his term on the Quincy City Council in January 2012 and did not seek re-election. He was sworn in on January 5, 2011. Senator Keenan ran unopposed in the general election on November 2012.
Early life
John F. Keenan was born, as the fourth of seven children, in January 1964 to 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 and CNA Insurance. Keenan was raised in Quincy, Massachusetts, and attended Quincy schools. John graduated with honors from Harvard in 1986, with a government concentration. Three years later, he graduated from Suffolk University Law School. In May 2005, he received a certificate of recognition upon completion of a nine-month seminar program on municipal governance and policy at the Rappaport Institute at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government. He began working as a litigator, and later as a lawyer.
Quincy City Council
In 2003, John was appointed to the Quincy City Council to fill a vacant seat, and was elected Councilor at Large in 2004. He was re-elected Councilor at Large four times, the last time topping the ticket. He served as Chairman of the Council’s Finance Committee for eight years.
2010
In 2010, John F. Keenan ran for the Massachusetts State Senate, for the Norfolk and Plymouth district. He beat a Democratic Party primary challenger, Arthur Steven Tobin, with 9,539 to Tobin's 8,146, well over 55% of the vote. In the general election, Keenan defeated Republican Daniel M. Dewey and Independent Laura Innis, 29,982 votes to 18,582 for Dewey and 5,152 for Innis.
2012
In 2012, Keenan, running for reelection, was unopposed in the Democratic primary, receiving all 5,309 votes cast. In the general election, he was unopposed, but garnered about 75% of the vote, with over 16,000 blank votes being submitted. His second term began in January, 2013.
2014
In 2014, Keenan faced republican challenger Les Gosule. A resident of Quincy, Massachusetts who is the father of a murder victim and one of the 'Three Strikes Activists', who worked over a decade to pass "Melissa’s Law" since his daughter Melissa Gosule was murdered in 1999. On November 4, 2014, Senator Keenan won reelection to a third term which will start in January 2015.
Tenure
Senator Keenan's campaign website shows he is working on pension reform, veterans' affairs, and a reform of the budget. He is advocating for a balanced budget, by reducing spending, while raising taxes. He supports renewable energy, and giving more control, stability, communication, and funding to local communities, cities, and towns.
Keenan is a strong advocate for reforms to Medical Marijuana, saying Massachusetts needs a common sense approach to legalization of medical marijuana. He urged voters to vote "No" on Massachusetts proposition 3, and since its passage has said the law is subject to exploitation, and should be changed to include guards against non-medical use. He also supports "taking a look" at gun laws, and possibly proposing new gun control legislation, in wake of the recent Newtown School shooting, in nearby Connecticut, and other mass shootings.
Senate Committees
Personal life
John is married with three children. He is a member of the Merrymount Association, the Ward One Democratic Committee, the Quincy City Club, Friends of the Thomas Crane Public Library, and the Harvard Club of Quincy. He served for seven years as a member of the Zoning Board of Appeals, and also coached in the Sacred Heart Youth Basketball Program for several years.
Keenan is also a practicing Catholic.