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Bosley To Stay In The HouseBy Susan Bush
12:00AM / Tuesday, January 09, 2007
 | | State Rep. Daniel E. Bosley will not vacate the First Ferkshire District House of Representatives seat to take a post offered last month by Gov. Deval Patrick. |
North Adams - State Rep. Daniel E. Bosley D-North Adams will not vacate the seat he's held for 20 years to accept a post as special economic development advisor to Gov. Deval Patrick.
Bosley made the announcement this afternoon during a press conference at his 57 Main St. office.
 FLASH VIDEOS
•Announcement by State Rep. Daniel E. Bosley
•Panel comments
Bosley's announcement means an end to any plans for a special election that would have been necessary had Bosley stepped away from the House seat.
Bosley announced that he would accept Patrick's offer last month, and that announcement spurred several individuals, including former Williamstown Selectwoman Margaret J. Ware, Adams Selectmen's Chairman Edward MacDonald, and Heath Selectmen's Chairman Thomas Lively to publicly proclaim their candidacy for the First Berkshire District Representative.
City Councilor Richard Alcombright had also expressed interest in a possible run for the seat, but today said Bosley's decision is great news for the district's constituency.
"It is selfishly motivated, but I think it's great news," Alcombright said. "My first reaction is it is great for us, great for the district. Someone with Dan's experienceis such an asset. He brings a lot to Boston, and he brings a lot back."
City Council President Gailanne Cariddi said last month that she was planning to seek election to the seat but would hold off on making a formal announcement until Bosley officially resigned.
Today, she said that she was disappointed to miss an opportunity to launch a campaign but is looking forward to working with Bosley.
"You never know what is going to happen and I am glad that i waited for the process," she said. "I am disappointed but I am comfortable that Dan will continue to lead as the senior member of the [Berkshire] delegation."
The situation did allow Cariddi to find a more precise focus for her energies, she said.
"My interests lie in the economic development of the region and I am looking forward to working with Dan on that," she said.
Bosley, Patrick, and Speaker of the House Salvatore Dimasi D-Boston released statements, which are posted below.
Rep. Daniel E. Bosley Statement
On December 18, 2006 I accepted an offer from Governor Patrick to join his cabinet as the Special Advisor for Economic Development. As we spoke further we realized that, in terms of public policy development, the most effective role I could fulfill was to remain as a member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives. Consequently, I have decided to remain as the State Representative for the First Berkshire District.
While working in the Administration would have been a wonderful opportunity, my true passion has always been serving as the State Representative for the First Berkshire District. Remaining as a State Representative will allow me to continue working on the many outstanding issues impacting the First Berkshire District, including such priorities as the Berkshire Compact, the Berkshire Wireless Initiative, the construction of a state-of-the act science building at Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts and the Greylock Glen project. Moreover, in remaining as a State Representative I look forward to my continued service as a member of House Speaker Salvatore DiMasi’s leadership team and to working with the Speaker, my fellow members of the Berkshire legislative delegation as well as all my colleagues in the Legislature on matters of significance to both the First Berkshire District and the Commonwealth as a whole.
In conclusion, I want to add that I look forward to working closely with the Patrick-Murray Administration on the issues and matters that we care deeply about and on improving the lives of all of the citizens of the Commonwealth.
Governor Deval Patrick Statement
After further discussion with Representative Dan Bosley, he and I have agreed that the most effective role he can play in fostering economic growth and advancing our agenda for business development in Massachusetts is in the Legislature. He will therefore remain in the House rather than join my staff.
I have enormous respect and admiration for Dan. I look forward to continuing to work closely with him on a broad range of economic issues.
Speaker of the House Salvatore Dimasi Statement
Dan Bosley’s decision to keep his seat is a tremendous benefit to me and the House of Representatives. His expertise cuts across a range of public policy issues and his work has been invaluable to the legislative process. Dan played an instrumental role in the success of last session’s economic stimulus package and I look forward to the contributions I know he will continue to make as the state representative from the First Berkshire District.
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