February 21, 2013

By Kenneth Miller

LAWT Staff Writer

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Pasadena City Council 3rd District candidate John J. Kennedy will have 30 years of community leadership experience by the time ballots are cast in the March 5th primary. Hailing from a family of 10 he was a graduate of Blair High School where he honed his leadership skills as president of the student body.

“I feel that my entire professional and volunteer life has prepared me for service to the city I love and the people and businesses that make it such a special place in which to live, work and raise families,” said Kennedy.

After graduating from Blair he attended USC where he earned his degree in international relations and economics. He later attended Howard University Law School in Washington DC which began a journey towards a most distinguished career. Kennedy currently serves as senior vice president of Government and External Affairs with the Los Angeles Urban League, acting as a liaison on government and public policy issues on the federal, state and local levels and has been instrumental in the civil rights organizations fundraising efforts. He also was responsible for increasing the Pasadena branch of the NAACP membership from 300 to 2,000 members while tackling unemployment, housing, and discrimination.

Previously he worked for Southern California Edison as senior project manager for community involvement ensuring that local organizations made good use of SCE’s grants for education, health, human services, the arts and environment. It was Kennedy who launched the Pasadena Police Foundation and served as its first secretary. His experience in city government in both Pasadena and Richmond, VA as deputy chief of police for administrative services has earned him a stellar reputation with law enforcement agencies.

“I intend to bring 30 years of law-enforcement, corporate, civic, and foundation experience and leadership to bear on the issues that face us all in Pasadena,” he explained.

District 3 is bounded by the 210 Freeway, Colorado, Lake, El Molino, Orange Grove, Los Robles, Fair Oaks, Marengo, Mountain, Jackson, El Molino, Landera and Washington. Its has been Kennedy’s mission for as long as he can remember to become an ambassador of good will and he has achieved that here in the United States where he has received countless accolades throughout his career. He serves as a board member on the National Finance Committee for the President of the United States and is also the vice chairman and former chair of the Community Health Alliance of Pasadena.

However, the greatest achievement for Kennedy is yet to come. He is not asking what Pasadena can do for him as another famous John F. Kennedy once stated. This African American, John J. Kennedy is poised, ready and willing to do whatever he can for Pasadena, he said.

Category: Community