Brian Keith
Brian Keith was a nonpartisan candidate for District 7 representative on the Boston City Council in Massachusetts. Keith was defeated in the primary election on September 26, 2017.
Biography
Keith graduated from the John D. O’Bryant School of Mathematics & Science and received a bachelor's degree in aviation business administration from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.[1] Keith became the vice president of charter sales for Skyjet in 2014. He served as director of charter sales from 2012 to 2014, trip manager from 2009 to 2012, and did aircraft sourcing from 2006 to 2009.[2]
Elections
2017
The city of Boston, Massachusetts, held elections for mayor and city council on November 7, 2017. A primary election occurred on September 26, 2017. All 13 seats on the city council were up for election. The filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was May 23, 2017.
The following candidates ran in the primary election for District 7 on the Boston City Council.[3]
| Boston City Council, District 7 Nonpartisan Primary Election, 2017 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 Kim Janey |
25.00% | 1,534 |
| Rufus Faulk |
11.72% | 719 |
| Deeqo Jibril | 9.86% | 605 |
| Domonique Williams | 9.66% | 593 |
| Charles Clemons Muhammad | 6.89% | 423 |
| Roy Owens | 6.03% | 370 |
| Jose Lopez | 5.92% | 363 |
| Brian Keith | 5.67% | 348 |
| Joao DePina | 4.87% | 299 |
| Hassan Williams | 4.64% | 285 |
| Carlos Henriquez | 4.29% | 263 |
| Angelina Camacho | 4.03% | 247 |
| Steven Wise | 1.04% | 64 |
| Write-in votes | 0.37% | 23 |
| Total Votes | 6,136 | |
| Source: City of Boston, "Official District 7 election results," September 26, 2017 | ||
Campaign themes
2017
Keith participated in Ballotpedia's 2017 survey of municipal government candidates.[4] The following sections display his responses to the survey questions. When asked what his top priority would be if elected, the candidate made the following statement:
| “ | My top priority will be to ensure opportunities exist throughout the district for those in need. Supporting seniors, supporting those searching for affordable housing, and supporting programs which have proven successful in treating those with opioid addiction.[5] | ” |
| —Brian Keith (July 13, 2017)[2] | ||
Ranking the issues
The candidate was asked to rank the following issues by importance in the city, with 1 being the most important and 12 being the least important: city services (trash, utilities, etc.), civil rights, crime reduction/prevention, environment, government transparency, homelessness, housing, K-12 education, public pensions/retirement funds, recreational opportunities, transportation, and unemployment. This table displays this candidate's rankings from most to least important.
| Issue importance ranking | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate's ranking |
Issue | Candidate's ranking |
Issue |
| Housing | Homelessness | ||
| K-12 education | Environment | ||
| Crime reduction/prevention | Civil rights | ||
| Government transparency | Recreational opportunities | ||
| Transportation | City services (trash, utilities, etc.) | ||
| Unemployment | Public pensions/retirement funds | ||
Nationwide municipal issues
The candidate was asked to answer questions from Ballotpedia regarding issues facing cities across America. The questions are in the left column and the candidate's responses are in the right column. Some questions provided multiple choices, which are noted after those questions.
| Question | Response |
|---|---|
| Important | |
| Local | |
| Increased economic opportunities | |
| Focusing on small business development | |
| I am proud of the resilience of our residents and their willingness to stand up and express themselves effectively when challenged with unjust practices. | |
| I would like to change the ability residents have to affect change using a standard process as opposed to protest |
Keith's website highlighted the following campaign themes:[6]
Development
- Excerpt: "As City Councilor, I want to ensure that development brings about community benefits. Negotiated community benefits from development include linkage payments, job training, jobs during the construction phase, jobs within completed projects, and new businesses that are within our district."
Housing
- Excerpt: "Currently, middle class populations are being squeezed and have the least access to sustainable housing opportunities. Given the metrics for who qualifies as middle class or working class this is extremely problematic. I plan on introducing a new gold standard, or as I call it, The Unburdened Rule, should be a split of 30/40/30 for low income/working class-middle class/market rate for all governmental developments and encourage private developers to sign a pledge in which they will abide by The Unburdened Rule."
Education
- Excerpt: "[T]eaching STEAM (Science Technology Engineering Arts Math) is integral for global success and should be a part of every curriculum. In a changing economy where STEAM job growth outpaces the national average, we need to prepare BPS students to take advantage of every opportunity. Extending STEAM education beyond the exclusive domain of charter and specialized schools is a critical step in positioning BPS students to become globally competitive."
Jobs
- Excerpt: "Ensuring that everyone within District 7 has access to quality jobs will be one of my top priorities as your City Councilor. Similarly to everything else, this requires a multi-pronged approach: advocating for and fostering businesses and projects that will bring employment to the District and working to ensure that people have the necessary skills and credentials to obtain those jobs."
Opioids
- Excerpt: "More resources need to be allocated to long-term treatment and cures, not just to detox. As more and more people are falling victim to the opioid crisis we do not need to close facilities we need them opened and serving the community."
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Brian Keith Boston City Council. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
| Boston, Massachusetts | Massachusetts | Municipal government | Other local coverage |
|---|---|---|---|
 |
 |
 |
 |
External links
- Boston City Council
- Campaign website
- Social media
Footnotes
- ↑ Brian Keith campaign website, "Meet Brian," accessed July 13, 2017
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Ballotpedia's municipal government candidate survey, 2017, "Brian Keith's Responses," July 13, 2017
- ↑ City of Boston, "Election Department Certifies Candidates For Municipal Election," June 5, 2017
- ↑ Note: The candidate's answers have been reproduced here verbatim without edits or corrections by Ballotpedia.
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Brian Keith campaign website, "Policies," accessed July 13, 2017
 |
State of Massachusetts Boston (capital) |
|---|---|
| Elections |
What's on my ballot? | Elections in 2025 | How to vote | How to run for office | Ballot measures |
| Government |
Who represents me? | U.S. President | U.S. Congress | Federal courts | State executives | State legislature | State and local courts | Counties | Cities | School districts | Public policy |
