CAMBRIDGE — Cambridge activist and attorney Mike Connolly launched his campaign for the City Council last week with a kickoff event at the Lilypad in Inman Square.

Speaking before a packed crowd of friends and supporters, Connolly called on the City of Cambridge to begin work on an affordable housing plan. “I am running to help lead the call for a comprehensive housing plan that keeps Cambridge affordable, sustainable, and livable for all residents,” Connolly said.

“As city councillor, I will work to preserve Cambridge’s progressive identity as a city that is open, accessible, and welcoming to people of all backgrounds and income-levels,” Connolly added.

Drawing on his personal experience of being raised by a single-mother in a government-subsidized public housing project, Connolly said that government has to play a more active role in keeping the city affordable, and he touted his experience working in City Hall and as the organizer of 2013’s net zero emissions petition campaign as examples of his own commitment to public service and the community.

The event was attended by more than 75 Cambridge residents, including City Councillors Dennis Carlone and Nadeem Mazen.

Connolly was introduced by Mid-Cambridge resident and campaign chairwoman Phyllis Bretholtz. “Mike has incredible integrity, capacity for follow-through, great intelligence and the ability to listen carefully,” Bretholtz said. “He will be a Councilor for the whole city because he’s truly a man of the people; that’s why I’m giving Mike my number one vote,” she added.

Also speaking at the event was Fresh Pond Residents Alliance President and fellow council candidate Jan Devereux. “I can’t think of anyone I’d want to work with more on the City Council than Mike; he just gets it done,” she said. “Mike is determined, dogged, creative and a great problem-solver; as a former athlete, he understands hard work, team-playing, strategic thinking and perseverance,” Devereux went on to say.

Connolly, Carlone, and Devereux will next appear together on Saturday, September 19, at a 2 p.m. open house at the home of Janet Lloyd, 235 Lexington Avenue. The rain date for that event is Sunday, September 20.

For more information on the Connolly for Cambridge campaign, contact campaign manager Reina Kota ([email protected]) or visit the campaign webpage, www.mikeconnolly.org.