Cape Cod to remain important, says elected Falmouth delegate as military deployment nears

Walker Armstrong, Cape Cod Times
·3 min read

The Falmouth representative to the Barnstable County Assembly of Delegates announced he will be deploying with the Massachusetts Army National Guard on Jan. 25 as part of the U.S. military’s Operation Inherent Resolve.

Dan Gessen, 23, a second lieutenant infantry platoon leader for the Army National Guard, said he will continue serving as Falmouth’s delegate remotely during his deployment. He said balancing the duties of his deployment with the Assembly of Delegates will “not be without its complexities,” but will be doable.

“I definitely want to emphasize that the priorities that exist, whether it's housing, wastewater, the cost of living on the Cape, or the environment, they're going to remain the same for me, whether I'm here or I'm there,” Gessen said. “And I'm fully committed to making sure I speak for Falmouth on these issues, and I continue the effort that I've been pursuing thus far.”

Operation Inherent Resolve is targeted operations to defeat the Islamic State group in Iraq and Syria areas of influence, according to the U.S. Dept. of Defense.

Barnstable County Assembly of Delegate Dan Gessen, representing Falmouth, will deploy with the Massachusetts Army National Guard on Jan. 25 as part of the U.S. military’s Operation Inherent Resolve. “I definitely want to emphasize that the priorities that exist, whether it's housing, wastewater, the cost of living on the Cape, or the environment, they're going to remain the same for me, whether I'm here or I'm there,” Gessen said. He was photographed Jan. 18 at Falmouth Town Hall.

A Falmouth native

The son of refugees from the former U.S.S.R., Gessen was born and raised in Falmouth.

“My parents came during the 1980s when there was an opportunity to escape the U.S.S.R.,” he said. “I know, that's allowed me a lot of opportunities here in the U.S. and I believe it's an individual responsibility to make sure these opportunities continue to be available to others. I kind of see my service in the military and on the Assembly of Delegates as a way of meeting that responsibility.”

He said he enlisted in the Army National Guard when he was still in high school at the age of 17. He was then awarded the national R.O.T.C. scholarship and attended the University of Massachusetts Amherst.

In 2022: 21-year-old Dan Gessen will represent Falmouth in Assembly of Delegates

In 2020, Gessen ran for the Falmouth seat on the Assembly once state Sen. Susan Moran stepped down to run for her current Massachusetts Senate seat. Though initially unsuccessful — coming in second behind former Falmouth delegate and Falmouth Select Board member Douglas Brown — Gessen said he was appointed to the Assembly after Brown resigned in March 2022.

“In November that year, I ended up being reelected for another full-term and I’ve been serving ever since,” Gessen said.

What is the Assembly of Delegates?

The Assembly of Delegates is the legislative branch of Barnstable County government and responsible for adopting new regulations and maintaining checks and balances over the executive branch, known as the Board of Regional Commissioners. The delegates are elected from each of the Cape's 15 towns and serve for two years.

Among the issues Gessen said he has focused on during his tenure, housing remains a critical priority.

“The housing crisis is super significant for pretty much all Cape Codders, I don't think there's a bigger issue that affects Cape Cod on an individual level, but also just the businesses on the Cape and the community on the Cape,” he said.

How long will the deployment last?

It is uncertain how long the deployment will be or where he will be stationed, but Gessen said he expects to be back on the Cape by mid-fall. He intends to remain accessible via email at daniel.gessen@capecod.gov .

“Without a doubt, this isn't going to be the easiest and the most straightforward thing, to balance this deployment and with the Assembly of Delegates, making sure I'm representing my constituents fairly,” Gessen said. “But I think it's very doable, I'm far from the first person to ever have done it.”

Walker Armstrong reports on all things Cape and Islands, primarily focusing on courts, transportation and the Joint Base Cape Cod military base. Contact him at WArmstrong@capecodonline.com. Follow him on Twitter: @jd__walker.

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This article originally appeared on Cape Cod Times: Elected Falmouth delegate called for deploy intends to work remotely