I recently took the oath of office to begin a new two-year term in the Massachusetts State Senate. Thanks for letting me serve. Trust me: I’m there, right in the middle.
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New Thermo Fischer HQ in Waltham
Thermo Fisher Scientific supplies scientists with cutting-edge tools — things like gene sequencers to map DNA. The company will be coming up with the latest breakthrough tech. at its new global headquarters in Waltham. Here, welcoming Thermo Fischer alongside Senior VP Alex Stachtiaris; Mayor Jeannette A. McCarthy; Travis McCready, President & CEO of the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center and State Rep. Tom Stanley.
Waltham Welcomes Wolverine
Wolverine makes great shoes (my wife and I love our Merrells). Very happy the company’s New England operations are now in Waltham. Here I am, cutting the ribbon with the Guv, his wife Lauren, Waltham Mayor McCarthy, and the Wolverine team.
3rd Middlesex Area Dems multi-task
The pillars of 3rd MAD — 3rd Middlesex Area Democrats, the folks who keep my Senate district on the progressive up and up — really know how to eat breakfast and talk at the same time. Can be messy! But always fun.
Chelmsford leaves no pooch behind
My dog Juno and I joined local leaders and their pets for the grand opening of Chelmsford’s gorgeous two-acre dog park.
Targeted by hate in Orlando
“The attack in Orlando was on gay people. The attack was on Latinos. The attack was on immigrants. The attack was on Americans. The attack was on all of us as human beings. How to repel the attack? In the U.S., the pace of change is painfully slow in the short run — but reaches farther than we ever dreamed in the long run. That’s OK. We’ll take it. For the hard work of making our country a better place, each of us has signed up for the long run.”
— State Sen. Mike Barrett, June 15, 2016, vigil in Lexington, MA after the Orlando massacre.
Chelmsford rallies to fight opioid addiction
Under a hard rain, 360 runners hit the pavement for a Mother’s Day 5K for opioid addiction awareness. Proceeds go to Healthy Chelmsford, a local partnership. Here, with Run founders Nancy and Don Patch and Chelmsford Chief of Police James Spinney. Learn more about their efforts.
Marking the 50th anniversary of a win for gender equality
In 1966 Roberta “Bobbi” Gibb became the first woman to finish the Boston Marathon. The rules restricted the competition to men, but Bobbi jumped in at the starting line to join the male runners. She completed the course in an impressive 3 hours and 21 minutes. To mark the 50th anniversary of her trail-blazing, the State Senate honored her. Here, with Sen. Jehlen, Sen. Lewis, our honoree, and Sen. Lovely.
Taking carbon pricing statewide
From Newton to Roslindale to Springfield, people are coming together to call for a price on carbon in Massachusetts, as I’ve proposed.
Librarians educate legislators
Each year, Massachusetts residents borrow 6.5 million items that happen to be unavailable at their local libraries. This, thanks to resource sharing among communities. I recently chatted about funding for this initiative and others with Sudbury librarians Megan Statza Warren, Esme Green and Marie Royea.
