AMHERST – A candidate to become the next representative for the 3rd Hampshire District has won the endorsement from the current 2nd Hampshire District representative.
Sarah la Cour, the executive director of the Amherst Business Improvement District, Tuesday was formally endorsed by Rep. John Scibak, D-South Hadley, who represents Easthampton, South Hadley, Hadley and Precinct 2 in Granby.
“I think she has the right skill set and temperament to be a solid successor for Ellen Story,” Scibak said in a phone interview.
Story announced in January she would be retiring, and la Cour is one of six Democrats who are seeking to succeed her when voters cast ballots in a primary Sept. 8.
The other candidates are Lawrence O’Brien, a former member of both the Massachusetts Teachers Association board and the Amherst School Committee and a social studies teacher at Belchertown High School; Vira Douangmany Cage, member of the Amherst School Committee, former organizer for the ACLU of Western Massachusetts and member of the state Asian-American Commission; Eric Nakajima, former executive director of the Massachusetts Broadband Institute; Bonnie MacCracken, a professional property title examiner and member of Amherst Town Meeting and the Democratic State Committee; and Solomon Goldstein-Rose, a former member of the Amherst School Committee and recent Brown University graduate.
Scibak said la Cour will be able to begin her work right away and that she is committed to jobs, schools and the environment.
“Her background and experience are focused on generating revenue that is important for Amherst and Granby,” Scibak said,
He also points to her town-gown work and her familiarity with the natural gas moratorium imposed by Berkshire Gas, which has impacted local development.
“I would be pleased to share Granby with Sarah,” Scibak said.
La Cour said in a statement that she appreciates the endorsement.
“John’s example of courageous progressive leadership, guided by a commitment to improving the lives of our families, is the attitude I look forward to bringing to Beacon Hill,” la Cour said.
Other candidates are beginning to receive and solicit endorsements.
Goldstein-Rose said he has received endorsements from a number of prominent Amherst-Pelham school educators, including Mark Jackson, high school principal, retired math teacher David Mullins, and English teacher Sara Barber-Just.
MacCracken said she became the first candidate to receive a labor and a political action committee endorsement. Last week, the Amherst Firefighters Local 1764 endorsed her and Wednesday she was endorsed by Mass Voters for Animals, the state’s animal protection political action committee.
In an email, the group wrote “we are endorsing your candidacy in the upcoming elections since we feel that you stand out as a person who truly cares about animal welfare and someone who would be a strong state house advocate for animal protection and the prevention of cruelty.”
Nakajima this week announced that he had won endorsements from both both secretaries of Housing and Economic Development who served under former Gov. Deval Patrick, Dan O’Connell and Greg Bialecki.
“Eric was an effective leader working with business and academic communities on the state’s Advanced Manufacturing Collaborative and in the development of the Massachusetts Green High Performance Computing Center in Holyoke,” Bialecki said in a statement.
O’Connell called Nakajima a leading voice for western Massachusetts. “He was unfailingly positive, hardworking and insightful, and I’m confident he’ll bring those same qualities to the legislature as state representative,” O’Connell said.
Douangmany Cage said she will be coming out with a list of individual endorsements in the coming days. In addition, she said she has interviewed with the Massachusetts Teachers Association, Mass Alliance and Service Employees International Union Local 509, will soon meet with Planned Parenthood and the Mass National Organization for Women and has responded to questionnaires from Mass-Care and the Massachusetts AFL-CIO.
O’Brien said he is in the process of seeking endorsements from various organizations, including Mass Alliance, the Massachusetts Teachers Association, SEIU Local 509, SEIU Local 1199, the Massachusetts AFL-CIO, the Massachusetts chapter of the National Organization for Women, Planned Parenthood of Massachusetts, Clean Water Action and the Environmental League of Massachusetts.
Scott Merzbach can be reached at smerzbach@gazettenet.com.
