in 2024 Driscoll 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. During Driscoll's time as mayor, 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 efficiency
grants 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, 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. In 2016, Driscoll set up for the 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 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. == Lieutenant governor of Massachusetts ==