Meet The South Bay Teen Running For City Council

PALOS VERDES, CA – Ben Kelly is an 18-year-old passionate about politics. He works with a non-profit organization that encourages young voters to engage in the political process, he's studying political science and economics at El Camino College in Torrance, and is now a candidate for Rancho Palos Verdes City Council.

He has lived in the city since he was six years old, and graduated from Palos Verdes Peninsula High School. After growing up in Rancho Palos Verdes, Kelly said it's important to him to protect and maintain the qualities that made the city such a great place for him to grow up in. His age is a "real conversation starter" and it may make people "suspicious" at first, Kelly said, but that changes as the conversation progresses.

"When people learn about how far my campaign has progressed, that's when people realize I’m serious about what I'm doing and how much I know about the city," he said. "I don't think my age is something negative, because not many young people would take that initiative."

Environment

Kelly is running for City Council because he believes there needs to be a young, fresh perspective in order to represent younger families and young adults like himself that have grown up in the area, he said. With that, he believes it's important to preserve the city's natural landscapes.

He firmly opposes over-developing the semi-rural environment of the city, he said, because it threatens the low-density population and quality of life.

"I agree with those who want to keep Rancho Palos Verdes a quiet bedroom community with a high standard of living," Kelly said on his campaign website.

Budget

Kelly doesn't intend to raise taxes – he envisions continued investment while maintaining fiscal responsibility, according to his campaign website. He believes the council should spend based on needs, rather than wants, and always consider the burden that taxes place on the community.

Currently studying political science and economics, Kelly thinks his approach to learning is different from his competitors. As a young student, he has more free time than someone with a family and full-time job, so he's able to research issues to the fullest extent, he said.

"I have definitely an impartiality with what I’m learning," he said. "Since I have more time to research, I think my perspective will be less opinionated than it would be if I was older."

Public Safety

Due to rising crime rates, Kelly supports expanding on-the-ground law enforcement presence in order to ward off and apprehend criminals, according to the campaign website. Through an increased presence of officers and using community programs such as Neighborhood Watch, Kelly hopes the combination of the two will reinforce the importance of public safety.

Voter Engagement

Voter engagement and retaining the powers of local governments are two issues Kelly said are important to protect. As more issues are delegated from city to state governments, the worse of a deal it is for residents, he said.

"I want to personally outreach to the community," Kelly said. "Democracy only works for the people that show up at the end of the day, and I know that Rancho Palos Verdes residents care about what's happening in their city."

Kelly has set up a GoFundMe for campaign donations. To learn more about his campaign and vision for Rancho Palos Verdes, visit his website. You can e-mail Kelly at kellyforcouncil2017@gmail.com.

Photo courtesy of Ethan Louie