Governor Names Agricultural Resources Commissioner

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BOSTON — Energy and Environmental Affairs (EEA) Secretary Rebecca Tepper announced the appointment of Ashley E. Randle to the role of Commissioner of the Department of Agricultural Resources (MDAR). 
 
Randle starts on March 6, 2023, as the twenty-first Commissioner and the first woman appointed to lead the Department.
 
MDAR supports, regulates, and enhances the diversity of the Commonwealth's agricultural community to promote economically and environmentally sound food safety and animal health measures and fulfill agriculture's role in energy conservation and production.  
 
"As we build our leadership teams in the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs, I'm glad Ashley is joining the Healey-Driscoll Administration," said Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Rebecca Tepper. "Having been raised on a dairy farm, Ashley deeply understands and appreciates the agricultural industry. Her experience will be critical to guiding agricultural policy for our state, supporting our farmers and fisheries, and promoting access to nutritious foods in every community." 
 
Ashley Randle currently serves as Deputy Commissioner of the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources, where she oversees legislative and policy affairs. Prior, Ashley was the Member Services Director for Northeast Dairy Producers Association, Inc. and the Marketing Specialist/Special Projects at the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation, and Forestry. She graduated from Cornell University with a Bachelor of Science in Applied Economics & Management and Animal Science and received her Juris Doctorate from Western New England University School of Law. She currently serves as a Trustee to the Massachusetts 4-H Foundation Board and was named to Worcester Business Journal's 40 Under Forty class in 2022. Ashley was born and raised on her family's fifth-generation dairy farm in South Deerfield and resides in Sterling with her husband. 
 
"I'm grateful for the opportunity to continue my service to the Commonwealth as a member of the Healey-Driscoll Administration," added Randle. "We will continue to work to ensure a safe and secure food supply while building a more equitable, robust, and resilient local food system. Agriculture has laid the foundation for my career, and I have a deep appreciation for the dedicated members of our Massachusetts agricultural sector. It's truly a privilege to work with our MDAR team, farmers, fishers, and stakeholders in this new role." 

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Letter: Is the Select Board Listening to Dalton Voters?

Letter to the Editor

To the Editor:

A reasonable expectation by the people of a community is that their Select Board rises above personal preference and represents the collective interests of the community. On Tuesday night [Nov. 12], what occurred is reason for concern that might not be true in Dalton.

This all began when a Select Board member submitted his resignation effective Oct. 1 to the Town Clerk. Wishing to fill the vacated Select Board seat, in good faith I followed the state law, prepared a petition, and collected the required 200-plus signatures of which the Town Clerk certified 223. The Town Manager, who already had a copy of the Select Board member's resignation, was notified of the certified petitions the following day. All required steps had been completed.

Or had they? At the Oct. 9 Select Board meeting when Board members discussed the submitted petition, there was no mention about how they were informed of the petition or that they had not seen the resignation letter. Then a month later at the Nov. 12 Select Board meeting we learn that providing the resignation letter and certified petitions to the Town Manager was insufficient. However, by informing the Town Manager back in October the Select Board had been informed. Thus, the contentions raised at the Nov. 12 meeting by John Boyle seem like a thinly veiled attempt to delay a decision until the end of January deadline to have a special election has passed.

If this is happening with the Special Election, can we realistically hope that the present Board will listen to the call by residents to halt the rapid increases in spending and our taxes that have been occurring the last few years and pass a level-funded budget for next year, or to not harness the taxpayers in town with the majority of the cost for a new police station? I am sure these issues are of concern to many in town. However, to make a change many people need to speak up.

Please reach out to a Select Board member and let them know you are concerned and want the Special Election issue addressed and finalized at their Nov. 25 meeting.

Robert E.W. Collins
Dalton, Mass.

 

 

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