One of the more interesting races in the upcoming Sept. 6 primary election is for the open District 8 Governor’s Council seat. There are four Democrats running to fill the seat vacated by former Mayor of Springfield Mary Hurley. Of the contending candidates, I am voting for the one choice who is not an attorney, Tara Jacobs. Tara is a community leader from North Adams who is ready for the challenge of being dedicated to the role of being a true impartial representative.
What Western Massachusetts needs is a councilor who can objectively consider a nominee’s qualifications. The other three candidates, who are all attorneys, assume that they can take politics out of this position. In reality, that would simply not be possible. This is due to the fact that any attorney has a professional and personal interest to appease any current judges, as well as soon to be judges. It’s basic human nature to ease one’s own professional path, especially if these attorneys are also practicing law full-time while holding such an important position.
Besides, judges and Parole Board members don’t work only with lawyers, they work with community members, elected officials, crime victims, the incarcerated and the children, and families of all aforementioned. Given the overwhelming number of attorneys already involved in the nomination and confirmation of those candidates, there needs to be an objective voice on the Governor’s Council that represents the more than 800,000 residents of the district who are not part of the legal community.
If all the attorney candidates are active partners in their own private law firms and hold other positions in the community, how can they absorb the additional workload of responsibilities, including more than just the time they spend meeting in Boston? I’m not saying that it cannot be done. It can, but just how much commitment can be sacrificed when compared to a candidate that is solely focused on the duties of the role of a Governor’s Council member.
I know that Tara Jacobs would be able to dedicate a far more time and energy to this very important role. So much more than any other candidate seeking this position. I’ve spoken to Mrs. Jacobs and looked at her website, tarajacobs.com, and I know she has the education and experience to be the best choice to represent all of Western Massachusetts in Boston.
Vote for Tara in the Democratic Primary on Sept. 6. We deserve a representative that will be dedicated to serving the needs and goals for our often-overlooked half of Massachusetts. We deserve Tara Jacobs on the Governor’s Council.
Carl Salters
Holyoke
This letter was originally published on MassLive.com on August 27, 2022: https://www.masslive.com/westfieldnews/2022/08/tara-jacobs-will-represent-the-rest-of-us-on-governors-council-letters.html
