Hamilton woman to run against Mirra for 2nd Essex District House seat

Jun. 16—HAMILTON — Kristin Kassner, a political newcomer, will appear as a Democratic candidate on the Sept. 6 primary ballot, running for state representative of the new 2nd Essex District.

The state reorganized its legislative districts last year and the newly redistricted 2nd Essex District will include Ipswich, Hamilton, Rowley, Newbury, Georgetown and Topsfield's first precinct.

Lenny Mirra, a Georgetown Republican seeking re-election, represents the current 2nd Essex District, which includes Georgetown, Groveland, Merrimac, Newbury, and West Newbury, as well as parts of Haverhill and Boxford.

Mirra said he welcomes the potential competition from Kassner in November.

"I don't think it's good when voters go to the polls and don't have choices in an election," he said. "It's always good for democracy when voters have choices."

Kassner is a married mother of a 6-year-old son and has lived in Hamilton for the past 13 years. There she serves as vice chair of the Master Plan Committee. She spent the past two decades working for the town of Burlington, where she has been the planning director for the past 10 years.

The Winchester native said she is running her first race for elected office because she believes her contacts and experience as Burlington's planning director will help her as a state legislator.

"I really want to bring my energies to where I live in my district and be able to do what I do best, which is understanding the needs of a community while creating goals and strategizing how to meet them," she said.

The 43-year-old holds a bachelor's degree in geography and urban planning, with a minor in fine arts, from Miami University. She also earned a masters of fine arts in public policy and planning from Tufts University.

Kassner said she is an advocate for allowing communities to gain their own consensus on critical issues, such as economic recovery, housing, the environment, education, and protecting democracy, which she counts as her key priorities.

"I am a brand-new candidate in my first race. I have been behind the curtain for a lot of years as a planner. Stepping out front is an interesting place to be and I'm happy to be here," she said.

The health of the Ipswich, Parker and Merrimack rivers are very important to Kassner and the area, she said. and she would like to see more conversations held regionally on storm water improvements, while local communities continue to explore new sources of energy.

"Some of our towns have their own water and electric, while others do not," she said. "How do we bring community utilities together to make sure that we have a robust network, so that we can be looking into alternatives more? How can we invest in that electrification and/or independent solutions, so that we can be living off fossil fuels?"

An advocate for universal, free and full-time kindergarten, Kassner said state educational funding should be equal for all Massachusetts children.

"We have a mix of school districts here and I hope that we can directly support options for early childhood education, as well as ask how we, as a community, can help to develop community education outside of the school walls," she said.

Kassner also expressed an interest in providing more accessible and affordable options for child and elder care.

"I had cared for two parents who had recently passed away and this is something that I want to support while supporting others who are in a similar situation," she said.

Kassner also pointed to recent concerns over the potential Supreme Court overturn of Roe v. Wade, and the national discussion on gun control legislation as timely examples of the importance of state's rights.

"We are seeing more and more decisions go to the states, so I believe it is critical for us to be involved at the state level," she said.

Democrat Jamie Belsito was elected to succeed Republican Brad Hill as the state Rep. in the 4th Essex District (which includes Hamilton, Ipswich, Rowley and Topsfield) during a special election last November.

Kassner wanted to let people know that she is not running against Belsito.

"A lot of people think I'm running against her but I am not. She was out-districted from the area," she said.

Staff writer Jim Sullivan covers Amesbury and Salisbury for The Daily News. He can be reached via email at jsullivan@newburyportnews.com or by phone at 978-961-3145. Follow him on Twitter @ndnsully.

Staff writer Jim Sullivan covers Amesbury and Salisbury for The Daily News. He can be reached via email at jsullivan@newburyportnews.com or by phone at 978-961-3145. Follow him on Twitter @ndnsully.