NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — North County's new representative said he's still getting used to the slow pace of state government. 

 

State Rep. John Barrett III, D-North Adams, joked how when he was mayor he could tell people to get it done. "Now, it's wait and wait and wait," he told the Greylock Together group on Sunday at the Eclipse Mill.

 

He described himself as just a "back bencher" at this point, with little pull yet to really push anything through despite his many years in public service. Coming in halfway through the session, he hasn't had a chance to file his own legislation, rather working with other representatives and signing on to their efforts.

 

"I've already begun preparing bills, we've looked at five for next year, to see what we can do," he said. "I'm confident that we will get some good things."

 

Barrett said he will be concentrating on education and workforce development, as well as addressing transportation. 

 

This time around, there is some development money for McCann Technical School and BerkshireWorks, and he is working on getting funding for the Susan B. Anthony 200th anniversary in 2020. 

 

Barrett also said he was supportive of a recent bill for "extreme risk protection" to allow authorities to remove firearms from those believed to be a danger to themselves or others and another bill on police training.

 

Barrett also said he was able to sign on to the Senate side of a bill for same-day voter registration and had spoken to Secretary of the Commonwealth William Galvin about supporting it. 

 

"I do think it's got an excellent chance of passing, possibly this session," he said, but thought a push for a voting holiday (asked about by a GT member)  would not be easy because of how it would affect businesses. It was important not, he added, to not only get people registering but actually casting votes. "We're getting more people registered to vote but we're not getting more people to the polls."

 

The House is also working on an environmental bill and a housing bill, which may not offer much for the Berkshires. Barrett said there are also some bills from the Berkshire delegation he's trying to help with, such as opioid legislation by state Rep. Paul Mark and farming relief by state Rep. William "Smitty" Pignatelli. 

 

He had put forward a proposal to add $8.4 million — 1/10th of the one penny of the sales tax that goes to the Massachusetts Bay Transit Authority — to the budget for Regional Transportation Authorities, but the House only added $2 million. The RTAs have been funded at a flat $80 million the last few years and say another $8 million is needed to prevent cutbacks. 

 

"One penny of our sales tax goes to the MBTA to pay off their debt for the Big Dig and everything else," he said. "Every year they don't raise enough money to cover their operation but they don't cut back."

 

Still, the freshman lawmaker said some important actions have taken place since he was sworn in after winning last November's special election. 

 

"It's amazing the crime bill was passed," he said. I think it's a monumental piece of legislation."

 

The major overhaul of the criminal justice system included raising the age juveniles can be charged from 7 to 12; setting reasonable bail; restricting the use of solitary confinement; and eliminating mandatory minimum sentencing for low-level crimes. 

 

Barrett said it was even more surprising that the governor had signed it, with many legislators believing he would veto at least parts of it. 

 

"I continue to receive hundreds of emails about it," he said. "But it took nearly 17 months from beginning to end to get it to that point."

 

It can be frustrating for citizens who don't understand how the legislative system works, he said. 

 

"I've come out very publicly on some bills but I continue to get emails," Barrett said. "They're preaching to the choir." 

 

Barrett suggested that citizens invested in getting legislation passed should be working those districts where the representative they should be working in those districts that have representatives who aren't offering support. And make it personal, he said.

 

"When a representative sees a form letter coming in, well, they usually delete it," he said. "I get close to 200 emails a day. ... Some of these others get a lot more."

 

He said he's also trying to improve communications with constituents. Some had complained early on that they had trouble finding him. 

 

"We were having trouble finding ourselves," Barrett said. He has one aide now, M. Katherine Eade, and some volunteers and getting an office set up in Adams. Citizens can also follow him through Facebook and contact him by email or his home phone, which is listed. 

 

"We're trying to be accessible as possible and get out there meeting with people," he said. "We'll try to get into the communities this fall through town hall and office hours."