Steve Collicelli Announces City Council Run

Steven Collicelli, Marketing Director for The Chicken & Rice Guys Restaurant / Food Truck Group, has announced that he is running for Medford City Council. Though walking for Council might be more accurate.

“I walk to work in Medford Square most nice days and often even when New England’s famously fickle weather proves not so nice. It’s allowed me to really appreciate the geography and the amazing people that call Medford home. I moved here from Boston soon after my company chose to open our second restaurant in Medford Square and quickly fell in love with the city’s unique combination of urban amenities, storied history, and natural beauty.”

If elected, Collicelli will seek out and engage new voices, especially among local small businesses. “For many folks, including many of the recent immigrants who’ve added so much to Medford’s already vibrant rainbow of diversity, the American Dream means being your own boss, whether you own a restaurant or rideshare your car. Our City Council can play a huge role in welcoming new, socially-responsible businesses committed to growing our local community, even if by doing nothing other than simply helping guide entrepreneurs through the city’s regulations. If elected, I’ll bring my business experience to the table and speak up for both small business owners and those who want to start their businesses here in Medford.”

Better communication is key, according to Collicelli, who served as Communications Director of the Young Democrats of Utah prior to moving to Massachusetts. “We need to engage those who feel unengaged and ignored,” said Collicelli. “Like over 40% of Medford residents, I rent. Yet, renters are often left out of conversations about housing development. That needs to change. Likewise, I don’t own a car, relying instead on the MBTA and my own two feet to commute. Better, more reliable buses and trains are the silver bullet that can alleviate Medford’s worsening traffic congestion while breathing new life into our city’s retail stores, restaurants, and businesses. It only makes sense that Medford has someone on its City Council directing our transportation infrastructure who actually uses it on a daily basis.”

As Marketing Director of The Chicken & Rice Guys, Collicelli has worked to raise funds along several Medford nonprofits including PAWS4Medford, Arts Collaborative Medford, Medford Community Gardens, and the Medford Youth Center. He helped create the ChickenStock Eating + Music Festival which raised donations for the Women’s Lunch Place last fall at the Condon Shell. Outside of Medford, he volunteers as a member of the Allston Village Main Streets Promotions Committee, which helps creates collaborations between and among Allston’s business owners and residents. Collicelli has been endorsed by the progressive group, Our Revolution Medford, and is running as part of a slate of Our Revolution City Council and School Committee candidates.

Collicelli is the youngest of three boys raised by two dedicated public school teachers. He graduated Magna Cum Laude from Cornell University, majoring in both history and anthropology. He has a master’s degree from the University of Southern California in history with a focus on political and media history during the Cold War. He can be found most days either at The Chicken & Rice Guys in Medford Square, the Fellsway apartment he shares with his significant other, Felicia, and their cat, Jean-Luc Picat, or walking about Medford talking to neighbors about his campaign for City Council.

For more information, check out SteveForMedford.com, Facebook.com/steveformedfordor email Steve directly at steveformedford@gmail.com