John Barrett (Massachusetts politician)

John Barrett III
Member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives from the 1st Berkshire District
In office
2017 – Present
Preceded by Gailanne Cariddi
Mayor of North Adams
In office
1984–2009
Personal details
Political party Democratic

John Barrett III (b. 1947) is an American politician serving in the Massachusetts House of Representatives.[1] He was elected to the post on November 7, 2017, filling the vacant seat previously held by Gailanne Cariddi, who had died of cancer in June 2017. He represents the furthest north and west district in the state, the Massachusetts 1st district, which encompasses Williamstown, North Adams, Adams, Cheshire, Clarksburg, Florida, Hancock, Lanesborough, New Ashford and Williamstown.[2] Barrett serves on three committees in the chamber: the Joint Committee on Marijuana Policy, the Joint Committee on Health Care Financing, and the Joint Committee on Election Laws.[1] Barrett is running for reelection to the House of Representatives in 2018.

Barrett previously served as the mayor of North Adams for 26 years, from 1984 to 2009, making him at the time the longest-serving mayor in the state. As mayor he was noted for his efforts to revive the city's economy after the closure of a leading employer, Sprague Electric, and as a supporter of the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art (MASS MoCA), which opened in the former Sprague facility in 1999.[3] In his 2009 bid for a fourteenth term, he was defeated by council member Dick Alcombright. He won a term on the city council in 2011, then lost to Alcombright in another run for mayor in 2015.[4]

He attended North Adams State College, now known as Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts (MCLA), from which he received bachelor's and master's degrees as well as an honorary doctor of public service degree and the distinguished alumni award, and in 2016 he was named to MCLA's board of trustees.[5]

References

  1. 1 2 "Representative John Barrett". malegislature.gov. Retrieved 2018-03-08.
  2. ↑ "John Barrett III wins 1st Berkshire District state representative seat". The Berkshire Eagle. November 7, 2017. Retrieved 2018-03-08.
  3. ↑ Christopher Eaton Gunn (2004). Third-sector Development: Making Up for the Market. Cornell University Press. pp. 124–131. ISBN 0-8014-3991-4.
  4. ↑ "John Barrett III sets sights on 1st Berkshire District seat". The Berkshire Eagle. July 22, 2017. Retrieved 2018-03-08.
  5. ↑ "MCLA Announces Appointments to Board of Trustees", MCLA, April 2016 (accessed 2018-03-08).
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