In response to the recent article highlighting Berkshire County endorsements of the challenger in the Governor's Council District 8 race, allow me, the incumbent, to offer some corrective context.

 

The principal role of the Governor's Council, provided in the constitution of the commonwealth, is to advise and consent to the governor's appointments of judges, clerk magistrates, and other important posts in the justice system.  

 

The council has no authority over budget priorities or court staff levels. It does not even initiate its own work. For most members, the council is a part-time responsibility, to review the governor's requests, attend confirmation hearings, and vote.

 

Yet political context matters. The council's veto power is a check and balance on the governor. Because of the council's power over appointments that can involve political patronage and influence, there is an unfortunate history of bad actors and corruption.

 

The position has long been held by powerful politicians from Springfield. The two District 8 Governor's Councillors before me were former mayors of Springfield. 

 

Four years ago, my predecessor, Mary Hurley, selected my current primary challenger to be her successor, and he was endorsed by Congressman Richard Neal. His victory was considered so secure that on that first election night, before all the results were in, he gave a modified victory speech, "The people have spoken!" Since my upset victory, the Springfield political establishment has wanted to regain this seat.

 

I am the first woman from Berkshire County ever to hold this position. Indeed, I am only the second Berkshire resident to serve on the Governor's Council in its entire 400-plus year history. The first was a member of the Dalton Crane family 70 years ago.

 

I have re-envisioned this role since taking office in 2023. I dedicate more than full-time hours serving all 102 cities and towns in Western Massachusetts in a way that is active, engaged, and present. Where I go to connect with the community — including the courts — I consistently hear how I am the first Governor's Councillor to ever show up and participate. I have visited and observed in every type of court in the commonwealth. I have visited every jail in Western Massachusetts, toured the institutions, and spoken with the sheriffs, their staff and incarcerated people. 

 

I have similarly visited most of our prisons. I have regularly returned to MCI Norfolk, MCI Shirley, MCI Framingham and NCCI Gardner, to continue to connect with the incarcerated population, often educating on the pathway to commutation and pardons. I engage with everyone involved and impacted by our justice system: bar associations, CPCS staff attorneys, Community Legal Aid, DAs, and community organizations advocating on behalf of survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, high conflict divorce, evictions and foreclosures. And I visit senior centers, housing authorities, and addiction recovery centers. 

 

I do this because I am passionate and focused on working towards a fairer and more just system of justice. I take the work seriously. I vet the governor's nominations thoroughly and deliberately, reading the applications, resumés, writing samples, and written testimony, and sitting down one-on-one with every nominee. Most come out to North Adams to meet with me for in-depth discussions.

 

Choosing the right people to be judges makes an enormous impact on the justice served. Western Mass has always struggled to fill its judicial vacancies. While in eastern Mass there are regularly hundreds of judicial applications, in Western Mass the number of applicants for consideration is usually in single digits.

 

Our courts deserve local residents of our community to sit on the bench in our courts. I dedicate enormous energy and attention to generating judicial applications from attorneys in Berkshire County and the other four counties I serve. My efforts have paid off.

 

For the first time ever, the Western Mass Superior Court circuit has no vacancies. That is an achievement that I am very proud of. The Berkshire Eagle ran an article when I stood up at the Governor's Council Assembly, with the governor in the chair, and called on her to nominate the four Superior Court judges we urgently needed. My plea was joined by state senators and state representatives from across Western Mass, and some from outside my district as well.

 

Within months the governor sent four exceptional nominations that filled every vacancy. 

 

Gov. Healey has nominated a steady stream of judges and clerk magistrates for our courts in Western Mass and I applaud her and the Governor's Legal Office for working with me to address our urgent needs and overcome historic obstacles to filling vacancies.

 

Perhaps, through my efforts, I have raised the bar on what people have come to expect from their Governor's Councillor. Perhaps some who chose to endorse my opponent feel disappointed or neglected. The most important factor, though, is probably the political context that was revealed at this week's press conference.

 

Tara Jacobs of North Adams is running for a third two-year term representing District 8 on the Governor's Council.