Cariddi's Top Legislative Aide Seeks to Fill Out Rep's Term
LANESBOROUGH, Mass. — Kevin Towle knew that the Monday after Gailanne Cariddi had died, she'd want her staff reporting to work.
And they did. The top legislative aide for the late Cariddi pulled the staff together, hung a white board and listed every piece of legislation, local projects, and budget priorities on it and the group began planning for the next steps. For days, Towle reported to work and looked at that white board with fear that everything the staff has worked on for the last year would all be for naught.
"If the next person who comes in doesn't share the priorities, there is a chance these project wouldn't get accomplished," he said.
After staring at that wall for weeks, he's now decided that he'll try to become that next person so that doesn't happen.
Towle has joined the race in the special election to fill out Cariddi's term. Towle said he knows the issues facing the district and had crafted much of Cariddi's legislation already.
Now he doesn't just want to make sure her work is accomplished, but also that the office continues to place an emphasis on economic development, education, the environment, and family.
"It is also important that new ideas come forward," Towle said when asked about his focus on finishing Cariddi's work.
Specifically, Towle is looking to shift Massachusetts to 100 percent renewable energy, create green banks, change the foundation formula for rural school districts, implement paid family leave, address transportation issues, and push for single-payer health care.
"In addition to being state representative, I want to be an ambassador for the Berkshires. At a time when young people are moving away, my wife and I chose to move here and start a family. We came here to be near family, to be near work, and for the high-quality schools. I want this to be a more frequent narrative," Towle said.
"Demographically, the Berkshires are aging. It is important that we provide critical services for older residents who gave so much to their communities.This is by no means a one-or-the-other scenario. We can provide services for our friends and neighbors as they age, but we can also reach out to young people to bring them here — we have a big tent here in the Berkshires."
The Lanesborough Democrat has been involved in politics for a decade and has a bachelor's degree in political science from the College of St. Rose. He is just weeks away from finishing his master's degree in government from John Hopkins University. For the last year, Towle has been Cariddi's top aide and at one point oversaw both the local office and the Boston office.
"I was researching and drafting legislation the representative would later file," Towle said.
The job entails first responding to concerns constituents have and then secondly helping form the agenda to address the needs of the district. Towle would handle issues for constituents as well as review thousands of pieces of legislation to help determine which ones Cariddi would co-sponsor.
"It was very dynamic and we accomplished a lot," Towle said.
Towle had an interest in eventually running for public office, and had even discussed with Cariddi the idea of succeeding her. But, he didn't expect that his time would come so quickly. Cariddi's unexpected death pushed him to weigh a campaign. Ultimately, he determined that he was the most qualified to finish out Cariddi's term.
"I feel I have the most experience dealing with the issues we are currently facing," Towle said. "I would like to see the most qualified person take over that position from Day 1."
As Towle feels he can hit the ground running if elected, he's already hit the ground running when it comes to campaigning. It was only a week ago that he fully committed to running for the seat and he has already crafted an agenda spanning a dozen pages outlining his priorities and how he plans to accomplish them. He's putting the final touches on that document now and in the coming days, he plans to push it out for public consumption.
"Within the next day or so, I will have a comprehensive agenda for addressing the issues in the district," Towle said.
The Southwick native moved to the Berkshires after college with his wife, who has family in the area. He got involved in local politics, including recently being a member of state Rep. Tricia Farley-Bouvier's re-election campaign.
Towle becomes the third to publicly announce a campaign for the seat. Democrats Stephanie Bosley and Lisa Blackmer have both launched campaigns. The preliminary election is on Oct. 10.
Republican Christine Canning-Wilson has indicated that she, too, plans to run for the seat. The general election is on Nov. 7.
Tags: 1st Berkshire, Democratic Party, election 2017, special election, state representative,
