Chip Harrington announces state rep. bidDate: 3/7/2022 GREATER SPRINGFIELD- With current state Rep. Jacob Oliveira set to seek election in the state senate, Ludlow’s James “Chip” Harrington put his name in the ring to run for the upcoming vacancy.
Harrington said he decided to run due to his experience in local politics and love for the work.
“I have a real, true passion for public service and have been involved at the local level for 32 years, I have always had this desire to serve. I think the legislature the way it is currently made up really needs a commonsense approach, a commonsense voice and we need some balance in the Massachusetts legislature,” he said.
Harrington said he has lived in Ludlow his entire life and raised his two children in town.
“I started my career in 1992 as a corrections officer at York Street jail back in the day and then we transferred here over to the Ludlow facility and worked there for a number of years. Currently I work for the Massachusetts Department of Corrections as a program manager, so I help create programs and curriculum for offenders preparing for release,” he said.
Harrington added that he is a part time police officer in Ludlow as well and has a long list of experiences getting involved with Ludlow.
“I have been a recreation commissioner, a golf commissioner, a member of the Board of Selectmen and for the past 18 years I have been a member of the School Committee and that has been wonderful but also challenging. I created the Ludlow Football Association many years ago and that organization is still going on, I established the Ludlow Boys and Girls Club Triathlon, I created the energy committee in Ludlow and we put solar panels on the old landfill that we have in town,” he said.
With changes due to redistricting, the 7th Hampden seat now covers towns in Worcester, Hampshire and Franklin counties in addition to Ludlow and Belchertown. Harrington said it provides a unique challenge with different needs for each town.
“I look at Ludlow and our mill project that we have taking place is a high priority for this community and it is going well but requires state support and I have been involved since it first came together so I am familiar of their goals,” he said. “Belchertown has a lot of state property in addition to state roads along with the development of the state school property. Broadband connectivity and fiberoptic connectivity are important for rural areas in ensuring people who are in New Salem and Petersham have the ability to have reliable high-speed internet because more people are working from home.”
If elected, Harrington said he wants to be a bigger voice for Western Massachusetts to try to bring people together.
“One thing we have in Western Mass. that we always have trouble with is getting our fair share of the pie when it comes to state funding. You do not need a passive legislator, but you need a legislator that is willing to step up and fight hard for those funds and working with all sides,” he said. “Whether it is Democrats, Republicans and Independents, it does not matter who they are, we should all be advancing the commonwealth forward,” he said.
Rather than using this position as a stepping-stone, Harrington said he wants to work on what needs to be done and not worry about political advancement.
“I am not interested in what can the leadership in the state house do for me and advance me and my career, that does not matter to me. It is what matters to the people of this district. I will not be there 30 or 40 years, I am looking to do the job the best I can and move on,” he said.
One skill Harrington said he should be able to translate to the position is his communication skills.
“It is really important to have somebody who understands how to communicate with people, a lot of times people will call a school committee member, a board of selectmen or a state representative with an issue and it may be something small but for that person it is very important, and you have to be open minded and listen,” he said. “You need to listen and make them feel valued.”
Harrington added his experience gives him a leg up on any other candidate in the race.
“It comes down to experience, between life experience and experience at the local level in this region being involved in local government for the last 32 years. There is no learning curve whatsoever, I know exactly who the players are, what the issues are and have a good sense of how to approach them and solve those problems,” he said.
Former Ludlow Selectmen Aaron Saunders also announced his intentions to run for the seat on Feb. 25.
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