WHATELY — Touting his 14 years of experience in local government, Whately Select Board member Jonathan Edwards announced Wednesday his candidacy as a Democrat in the crowded race for retiring state Rep. Steven Kulik’s seat covering the 1st Franklin District.
So far, six others have announced similar bids, but Edwards is hoping his longevity on Whately’s Select Board will set him apart from the others who want a seat in the state House of Representatives.
“Experience really does matter. The shoes of Representative Kulik are huge. And the person who can best fill those shoes as quickly as possible, from day one, is someone with experience in local government,” said Edwards, a Skidmore College graduate who also holds a master’s degree in public administration from the University of Massachusetts Amherst.
“Someone with my experience is in the best position to make this region shine going forward,” Edwards said.
Expanding economic growth in the 19-town region’s agricultural and educational industries, clean energy technology, and precision manufacturing are challenges that he’d like to tackle, he said.
Since moving from New Hampshire in the 1980s, Edwards has held senior management positions with SmartPower, a nonprofit marketing firm, and Tech Foundry, a non-profit tech training agency. In 1992, he was a staff member on U.S. Sen. Paul Tsongas’ presidential campaign against President Bill Clinton.
The 1st Franklin District towns — Ashfield, Buckland, Chester, Chesterfield, Conway, Cummington, Deerfield, Goshen, Huntington, Leverett, Middlefield, Montague, Plainfield, Shelburne, Shutesbury, Sunderland, Whately, Williamsburg and Worthington — face a number of issues as the region’s population continues to decline, a changing climate impacts local farmers, and rising school costs squeeze municipal budgets ever tighter.
“Broadband is primary among them. But broadband is just an example of our need for economic development. Rural communities in western Mass. are struggling to create revenue streams,” Edwards said.
Strong regional collaboration, which Edwards called the “linchpin of a successful region,” is a practice that rural towns must learn to move forward.
“When towns work together — when towns partner with each other, that’s when you see movement on issues. Broadband has made strides, but it needs to take many more strides in the future,” Edwards said. “We need to work as a unified force — we’re only as strong as our weakest link.”
He cited his past work as a Whately selectman collaborating with Deerfield and Sunderland to create South County EMS and the South County Senior Center, both of which have dramatically improved services offered in all three towns, he said.
If he makes it to Beacon Hill, Edwards vowed to fight for school funding, dial back state carbon emissions, and advocate for local farmers as the Cannabis Control Commission introduces state marijuana laws.
“I see marijuana — both medical and for personal consumption — as an economic engine for the region. It’s a new line of business for our farmers, and we’re heavily depending on a thriving agricultural community. For farmers who want to get into marijuana, it’s a way for them to maximize their crop potential,” Edwards said.
There’s no easy solution to relieve the impact that rising school costs have on municipal budgets, but Edwards said increased state funding for special education and complete funding of full-day pre-kindergarten and kindergarten would be a step in the right direction.
“I get weary of people who just throw up their hands because something is hard. I’m a big believer that government exists to tackle society’s hardest problems. If it was easy, government wouldn’t be necessary,” Edwards said.
When it comes to climate change, Edward wants to see Massachusetts become a carbon-free state.
“We need to continue to drive toward a zero-carbon society. Climate change is killing this Earth. And no one should make the mistake that it’s not. We need to kick our fossil fuel habit, and invest in clean energy,” Edwards said.
Edwards lives with his wife, Katie, and children Maxwell, 13, and Margaret, 10.
Since Kulik declared last month that he won’t seek re-election after 25 years, six others have thrown their hats into the ring: Cummington farmer and lawyer Christine Doktor; Natalie Blais, executive director of the Franklin County Chamber of Commerce; 20-year-old Casey Pease, chairman of Worthington’s Democratic Town Committee; Kate Albright-Hanna, a journalist from Huntington; Francia Wisnewski, chairwoman of the Hampshire and Franklin Commission on the Status of Women and Girls; and Elizabeth Swihart, an assistant district attorney at the Orange District Court.
State primaries are scheduled for Sept. 4.