Anne Gobi to leave Senate for job as Gov. Healey's rural affairs chief

Long a champion of rural and agricultural interests, Sen. Anne Gobi, D-Spencer, was named to a new position created by the Healey/Driscoll administration and will start to oversee Massachusetts' rural and agricultural interests starting June 5.

Gobi, an avid sportswoman and outdoor enthusiast, is a former teacher and lawyer. She was first elected to represent Central Massachusetts interests in 2001 and later campaigned and was elected to the Senate in 2014.

Gobi co-founded the legislature's Sportsmen's Caucus, a group of legislators who champion hunting, fishing and outdoor recreation in Massachusetts. She also currently serves as the Senate chair of the Agriculture Committee, vice chair of the Higher Education Committee and the co-chair of the Commission on 21st Century Farming in the Legislature.

She co-chairs the Rural Caucus and the Regional School Caucus, and serves on the East-West Rail Commission.

The salary for the new position starts at $117,000.

"I am thrilled to take on this important role and grateful to the Healey-Driscoll Administration for elevating our rural communities,” Gobi said in a prepared statement. "While I will miss the Legislature, I look forward to continuing to work for the needs of small towns throughout the Commonwealth as their advocate in state government."

The executive director of the Franklin Regional Council of Governments, (FRCOG), Linda Dunlavy, said everyone is "super excited," with the naming of the long-time senator to such an important post.

"We are grateful to Gov. Healey for creating the position," Dunlavy said, explaining that the Rural Policy Advisory Commission, created by the Legislature in 2018, had suggested the governor find a way to address the needs of the state's small and rural communities. Creating the office Gobi will be filling in just two weeks, was the commission's top policy advice to the new governor.

"It's a really good thing overall to have a constant voice in Boston to address the needs, issues and challenges of the state's rural communities," said Dunlavy. "Anne brings a knowledge of the Legislature, and how the system works, and a knowledge of rural issues to state government."

In her new role, Gobi will help cultivate an economic development plan for the state's rural areas and ensure that the needs of the rural and regional economies are incorporated into the overall economic plan in Massachusetts. Gobi will also coordinate with the administration's secretariats and state agencies to ensure the needs of the state's smaller municipalities are met.

“We are building an economy that benefits all communities, businesses, and people in Massachusetts, particular those that are too often overlooked and underrepresented like rural and small towns,” said Gov. Maura Healey, in a news release. “Senator Gobi’s fierce advocacy of rural equity, agricultural and small businesses, and conservation initiatives makes her the ideal candidate to help our rural towns across the state succeed.”

Gobi will join the economic foundations team in the Executive Office of Economic Development, where she will work to review all state grant opportunities. Gobi will review the Community One Stop for Growth program to mitigate application and eligibility requirements for rural and small municipalities as well as to ensure all communities receive the technical assistance needed to identify and explore all grant opportunities.

Gobi will also start to serve as a member of the Rural Policy Commission, an organization that advocates for the vitality of rural communities.

The Rural Policy Advisory Commission was created to enhance the economic viability of rural municipalities; to review the funding formulas serving rural Massachusetts and ensure communities are not omitted from accessing state money.

Dunlavy said the state must address the housing crisis which differs significantly in the state's rural districts from the needs identified in more urban communities. Western and central Massachusetts communities have more infrastructure issues; lack of municipal water and sewer, lack of roadways, as well as a rapidly aging population.

"Land may be less expensive in rural communities, but the cost of developing a parcel can be greater," Dunlavy said. She believes Gobi's work will be cut out for her. "We don't want to scare her off."

Colleagues also wished her the best.

"I am thrilled that Senator Anne Gobi will serve as director of Rural Affairs for the Healey-Driscoll Administration," said Senator Jo Comerford (D-Northampton). "As much as I will miss Anne's steadfast leadership and partnership in the Senate, this appointment is a win for every single rural community in the commonwealth. I look forward to working with her in this new capacity."

In welcoming the senator to the administration team, Lt. Gov. Kimberly Driscoll complimented her knowledge of the needs of rural Massachusetts and her understanding of the challenges communities face.

“Senator Gobi brings to this new role decades of experience serving the people of our state,” Driscoll said. “We are excited to welcome her to our administration and look forward to working with her to better reach rural communities and help them grow.”

The senator has yet to file her letter of resignation. Once that is filed, the Senate can call for a special election to fill her seat. It takes 300 signatures to be nominated.

Once the Senate calls for an election, usually done in a formal session, candidates have some time to collect signatures and arrange financing. While many towns in Massachusetts have already held their municipal elections, cities like Worcester and Gardner hold their elections in November. A special election could be scheduled to coincide with municipal elections as a cost-saving measure for the communities.

According to the secretary of state's office, the cost of printing ballots is borne by the state, however the cost of election workers, police and incidentals is borne by the community.

The Worcester and Hampshire district Gobi represents, which was redrawn in the latest round of redistricting, stretches across much of the state's middle, from Gardner in the north to Brookfield in the south and from the westernmost part of Worcester out to Ware.

At least four state representatives live in Gobi's district: Republican Reps. Kimberly Ferguson of Holden, Donald Berthiaume of Spencer, and Peter Durant of Spencer, and Democrat Rep. Jonathan Zlotnik of Gardner. In Worcester, Gobi's constituency overlaps with the House districts represented by Democrats Reps. John Mahoney and David LeBoeuf.

Former Rep. Kate Campanale, who ran unsuccessfully for the Republican lieutenant governor nomination in 2022, lives in Spencer, and the Democratic Party's nominee for Worcester County sheriff last year, David Fontaine, lives in Paxton. Campanale and Durant are married.

Gobi has handily defeated a string of challengers over the years, but joined the House and Senate after a pair of close contests.

First elected as a state representative in a 2001 special election that she won by 17 votes, Gobi won election to the Senate after defeating Republican Michael Valanzola by 398 votes, 50.3% to 49.6%, in the 2014 election.

Gobi serves as Senate chair of the newly created Joint Committee on Agriculture and her departure will require Senate President Karen Spilka to tap another Democrat to fill that role. Sen. Jo Comerford is the Senate vice chair of that panel.

Amid a power struggle between some House and Senate joint committee chairs, Gobi told the State House News Service last week that the "grass is truly greener in the agriculture committee," where she said she enjoys working with co-chair Rep. Paul Schmid and they have already finished holding hearings on every bill in their custody.

The State House News Service contributed to this report.

This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Sen. Anne Gobi selected to be Gov. Maura Healey's rural affairs chief