Kimberley Driscoll is an American politician from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. She is currently the mayor of Salem, and is a member of the Democratic Party. Driscoll graduated from Salem State University in 1989, and subsequently served as deputy city manager of Chelsea, Massachusetts for five years. She was elected mayor of Salem in 2005, taking office in January 2006 at City Hall. She was re-elected to the position in 2009 with over 80% of the vote, and won again in 2013 and 2017. Driscoll has considered running for higher office, including the United States Senate, U.S. House of Representatives, or Governor of Massachusetts. As a result of her leadership, Salem became one of 110 cities and towns in the state of Massachusetts designated as Commonwealth "Green Communities." This status made the city eligible for municipal renewable power and energy efficiencygrants from the state. In 2013, Salem received eight stations where drivers can charge their electric vehicles; four are located at the Museum Place Mall, near the Peabody Essex Museum, and the other four are located inside the South Harbor parking garage across the street from the Salem Waterfront Hotel. Also in 2013, under the leadership of Driscoll, the city moved to a mandatory recycling program for trash pick up in Salem. Driscoll obtained a federal grant to cover 90% of the cost of "Nathaniel Bowditch", a $2.1 million 92-foot high-speed catamaran that travels from Salem to Boston annually from May to October. The maiden voyage took place on June 22, 2006. The ferry is named after Nathaniel Bowditch, who was from Salem and wrote the American Practical Navigator. A major point in the waterfront development occurred in 2016 when Driscoll set up for the City of Salem acquisition and redevelopment of the parcel at 289 Derby St. into a gateway park along the waterfront. As of 2017, a $1 billion transformation of the Salem waterfront is well underway. The project was originally proposed in 2006, and involved dredging to make the waters deeper for larger boats. In 2016, the city acquired the vacant parcel at 289 Derby Street for redevelopment as gateway park along the waterfront. The Salem Harbor Power Station, an old 1940s coal-powered facility was replaced with a smaller and cleaner natural gas powered plant, occupying one-half of the original footprint, allowing for additional waterfront redevelopment in the future. 40-acres of prime waterfront land is up for sale, the largest deal in the city's modern history.
