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Date: 8/21/2023
There are dozens of former legislators who stepped away from the spotlight and returned to private life. While some have retired, most have resumed the career they were pursuing before their public service, and few others have branched out into new directions.
We asked those who responded what they missed about their service, and what they didn’t miss.
Eric Lesser
Eric Lesser served in the state Senate between 2015 and 2023 representing his hometown of Longmeadow, and neighboring communities in the Greater-Springfield area. In 2022, he ran an unsuccessful race for lieutenant governor. He is currently senior counsel with the global law firm WilmerHale, but he also still teaches at the University of Massachusetts, performs volunteer work in Longmeadow and does pro bono civil rights work.
Since leaving office, Lesser has missed working with the community groups and was especially proud of his work to help communities overcome the hurdles they faced during the coronavirus pandemic.
While politics has always been rough and tumble, he said politics has become “crazy.”
“The politicization over the last eight years is more strident than before,” he said.
He doesn’t miss the overnights he spent at the Statehouse, but fondly remembers the conversations he had with fellow legislators during the long nights and early morning votes.
Don Humason Jr.
Don Humason Jr. served in the state House of Representatives between 2003 and 2013 as the representative for the 4th Hampden District before being elected as a state senator in 2013. He served as a state senator, representing the 2nd Hampden and Hampshire district, until 2020 when he resigned to run for the mayor of Westfield.
He won the election in 2019, but lost to current mayor Michael McCabe in 2021.
He currently is the town administrator for Chester.
Since leaving the statehouse, he said he most misses his colleagues.
“I also miss advocating for the issues that were important for the entire state,” Humason said.
As for what he doesn’t miss: the driving.
“With 11 cities and towns in my senate district, I wasted a lot of time in my vehicle,” he said.
He also doesn’t miss the “legislative pace” in the Statehouse, which he described as “glacial.”
As one of only a handful of Republicans in the legislature, he said the Democrats “control just about everything.”
Mike Knapik
Mike Knapik began his public service career in the mid-1980s serving on the Westfield School Committee, before serving briefly as a legislative aide to House Minority Leader Steve Pierce.
From 1991-1994 he served in the state House of Representatives representing the 4th Hampden District, which included Westfield and Montgomery.
From 1995 to 2013, he served in the state Senate, representing the 2nd Hampden-Hampshire District, which included 11 communities.
Currently, he serves as the vice president for Government and Community Relations for Baystate Health.
Knapik said he misses the personal connections with those he served with, and those he served, while in the State House.
“I miss the daily interaction with constituents, including seniors, veterans and local officials — most of whom were committed to making their communities better places to live, work and raise children,” he said.
He also enjoyed interacting with the business community to understand their needs to assist with economic development and job creation for his constituents and district.
“I was also fortunate to have a great staff over my years in public life who shared my enthusiasm for public service and supporting the citizens of my district. It was also an honor to work with great colleagues across the region and state who were committed to moving Massachusetts forward,” he said.
And what doesn’t he miss?
“It goes without saying, I don’t miss the commute and traffic on the trip to Boston. I hold out hope our west-east [passenger] rail will be a reality some day! I also don’t miss how some of the platforms of social media have provided an outsized voice for critics of the government process,” he said.
“I was extremely fortunate and honored to serve the citizens of Western MA and am eternally grateful for that opportunity,” he added
Aaron Vega
Aaron Vega served in the state House of Representatives representing the 5th Hampden District from 2012 to 2020.
He is currently serving as the director of the Office of Planning and Economic Development for the city of Holyoke.
“My position is really the front lines of local government, where the rubber meets the road, so to speak, on policy, budget and initiatives. often supported through state grants,” Vega said of his current service.
He described being the 5th District representative as an “amazing experience.”
“I got to learn so much and work with so many great people. I definitely miss the people, not just my colleagues in the House but also the passionate advocates and the administrative staff under each secretary that work hard every day to better the commonwealth.
“In addition to the people, I miss looking at the ‘Big Picture’ in regard to policy and being able to work on large transformative policies in state government,” he said.
However, there is plenty he doesn’t miss.
“Even though I enjoyed the campaigning activities, I don’t miss having to raise money for my campaign,” Vega said.
James Welch
James T. Welch served in the Statehouse from 2005 to 2011 before successfully running for state Senate in 2011 and serving until 2021 representing the 6th Hampden district, which includes West Springfield, Springfield and Chicopee.
He is currently working as CEO/executive director for the Associated Subcontractors of Massachusetts.
When asked what he missed the most about his tenure, it was the people: “All the great people I met and worked with over the years.”
He doesn’t miss all the “outlandish conspiracy theories that were developed by the prevalence of Facebook and other social media.”
Stan Rosenberg
Stan Rosenberg served in the state House of Representatives for Amherst and Pelham from 1991 until he won a special election for the senate seat vacated by former U.S. Rep. John Olver. He served in the state Senate until 2018 where he served as president between January 2015 and 2018.
He is currently principal of his firm New Horizons Consulting.
Joseph Wagner
Joseph Wagner served in the State House representing the 8th Hampden district from 1991 until 2022 when he announced he would not seek reelection. Wagner said when announcing he would step away that it was time to look forward and to embrace new challenges in the next chapter of his life.
Ben Downing
Ben Downing served in the state Senate from 2007 to 2013. He represented the Berkshire, Hampshire and Franklin district until 2013, before it was redistricted to the Berkshire, Hampshire, Franklin and Hampden district, which he represented until 2017.
In February 2021, he announced his campaign for governor in the 2022 election, becoming the first candidate to enter the race. He later withdrew from the campaign.
Downing is currently the vice president for public affairs at The Engine, a Boston-based venture capital firm that specializes in breakthrough inventions.
Linda J. Melconian
Linda J. Melconian served as the first woman Majority Leader in the history of the state Senate. A member of the Democratic Party, she represented the greater Springfield area as its state Senator from 1983-2005.
She is a senior fellow at Moakley Center for Public Management at Suffolk University. Melconian teaches and develops program opportunities connecting business students with government on campus.
Reed Hillman
Reed Hillman served in the state House of Representative from 1991 to 2004. In the House, Hillman represented the First Hampden District, consisting of the towns of Brimfield, Holland, Palmer and Wales, all in Hampden County; precincts B and C in the town of Ware, in Hampshire County; and the towns of Sturbridge and Warren, both in Worcester County
He declined to seek re-election to the seat in 2004, and was succeeded by Palmer Board of Selectmen Chairman Todd M. Smola, a fellow Republican and Hillman’s former aide.
Hillman is currently an adjunct professor on the criminal justice faculty at Mt. Wachusett Community College.
Stephen Brewer
Stephen Brewer of Ware was a member of the state House of Representatives from 1987 to 1997 before serving in the state Senate until he retired in 2015. While in the state Senate he represented the Worcester, Hampden, Hampshire and Franklin District.
He is retired.
Gale D. Candaras
Candaras served in the state House of Representatives from 1996 to 2006, when she successfully ran for the state Senate. She served there until 2014, representing the First Hampden and Hampshire District, which covered her hometown of Wilbraham, a portion of the city of Springfield, the towns of Longmeadow, East Longmeadow, Ludlow, Granby, Hampden, Belchertown and a portion of the city of Chicopee.
She was succeeded by Eric Lesser.
She has retired as a practicing attorney.