Kevin F. Kelley Jr A Respected and Admired Public Servant Retires

February 1, 2021

The former State finance and budget expert, mayoral candidate, 20-year member of City Council and current City Parks and Recreation Director will leave government service on February 5

Wilmington Mayor Mike Purzycki today announced, with regret, the retirement from public service of his one-time rival and long-time friend Kevin F. Kelley, Sr., who has decided to end a 40-year government career on February 5. Kelley, who had recently informed the Mayor of his decision to retire from public service, is currently the City’s Parks and Recreation Director. Mayor Purzycki said Deputy Parks and Recreation Director Wayne Jefferson will manage the department until a decision is made on the Director’s position.

Kelley took the parks position in January of 2017 at the invitation of Mayor Purzycki after he and the Mayor competed in an eight-person Mayoral primary in September of 2016. Kelley is best remembered as a 20-year member of City Council from the 6^th District. While Kelley proudly represented the Browntown/Hedgeville neighborhoods, his personality and interest in City issues resulted in him making many friends throughout Wilmington, where he is well-known and respected.

“Kevin is completing a tremendous career in government and with a solid record of service to the people of Wilmington and state of Delaware and we owe him much thanks and appreciation,” said Mayor Purzycki. “Kevin has become a trusted City government manager who is respected by his peers and employees. I personally owe him a debt of gratitude for his support in the last election. I greatly appreciate his commitment to the goals of my Administration and I have learned what others around the City have known longer than I—Kevin cares deeply about our City and its people and he is a person of high integrity and honor. We wish him well.”

Mayor Purzycki credited Kelley with skillfully managing Administration plans to refurbish most of the City’s parks and in many cases replacing playground equipment, courts, lights and other amenities, making Wilmington’s parks more comfortable and enjoyable for children, young adults, and adults and families. The Mayor said among the Administration’s most cherished achievements over the last four years are the newly refurbished William “Hicks” Anderson Community Center; reconstruction of Eden Park, its pool facilities, and new athletic turf field; the redevelopment and beautification of Rodney Square; and the new life given to the aging and worn Baynard Stadium, which is today known as Abbesinio Stadium, an athletic complex managed by Salesianum School and available to young athletes and teams around the City. In each of those cases, said Mayor Purzycki, Kevin Kelley played an extremely important role.

Kevin Kelley’s career also includes 35 years with the Delaware Department of Health and Social Services in various financial management and budgeting positions, including serving as the Director and Deputy Director of the Division of Management Services where he helped to craft a $2.3 billion department-wide budget. Prior to that, he was Manager of Budget and Program Analysis for the Department’s Revenue Management Unit. He retired from state employment in 2017.

Kevin’s loves, in addition to the people of Wilmington, include his family, Delaware Park, and the Boston Celtics.