Sen. Anne Gobi, a fifth-term state senator from Spencer, plans to go away her legislative place in June to function the director of rural affairs for Gov. Maura Healey, in accordance with a supply aware of the search.
Healey introduced the brand new put up in March, pitching it as a method to make sure that rural communities in Massachusetts are higher represented in state authorities. The function shall be housed underneath the Executive Office of Economic Development and accountable “for cultivating rural economic development.”
Gobi plans to imagine the brand new function on June 5 and step down from her Senate put up the day earlier than, in accordance with the supply.
Filling Gobi’s seat at that time within the legislative session would require a particular election for the Worcester and Hampshire Senate district. In her bid for reelection in November, Gobi beat out Republican challenger James Amorello by greater than 5,000 votes.
The Healey administration beforehand mentioned the agricultural affairs director shall be tasked with conducting a assessment of all state grant alternatives to make sure that “barriers for rural and small towns are mitigated.”
“They will also be instructed to host dedicated office hours for rural towns to receive technical assistance to identify and explore grant opportunities,” the administration mentioned in an announcement saying the put up.
In a March assertion, Healey mentioned the agricultural affairs director represents the primary time a employees member is devoted to “coordinating across state government to support economic development.”
“We want to send a clear message to every single person who calls rural Massachusetts home – we see you, we value you, and we’re going to work every day to ensure you have the representation and support you deserve,” Healey mentioned.
Gobi co-chairs the Legislature’s Agriculture Committee
Source: www.bostonherald.com”