He is retired firefighter who served numerous Southern California communities during a career that spanned 35 years. He began his career as a Firefighter/Paramedic for the Inglewood Fire Department and retired at the rank of Battalion Chief from the Los Angeles County Fire Department in 2015.

In 1991, Kelly and his wife Denise moved to Murrieta. Kelly was first elected to the Murrieta City Council in 1997 and served through 2006. Choosing to spend more time with his family and focus on his career in the fire service, Kelly declined to run for reelection in 2006 but returned to serve the City of Murrieta again in 2016 after he retired. He served as Mayor four times during his tenure on the City Council.

In addition to his public service over the years, Kelly has been a community leader and advocate for nonprofit and community organizations which included serving on the Board of Directors for the Boys and Girls Club. He also represented the City as a Board member of the League of California Cities Public Safety Committee, the Western Riverside Council of Governments, the Riverside Conservation Agency, the Riverside County Habitat Conservation Agency, The Riverside County Transportation Commission, and served as the President of the California League of Cities Mayors and Councils Department in 2020.

Kelly obtained his Associates of Science in Fire Science from Mt. San Antonio College, a Bachelor's of Science in Fire Administration and Technology from CSU Los Angeles, and a Master of Public Administration degree from CSU Long Beach.

Kelly and Denise have been married since 1987 and they have three daughters.