As incumbent Donald F. Humason Jr. seeks a third term in the state Senate, he faces opposition from Democratic candidate J.D. Parker-O’Grady, who is making his first run for elected office.
The 2nd Hampden and Hampshire Senate district represents 11 communities — Southampton, Easthampton, Agawam, Southwick, Granville, Tolland, Russell, Montgomery, Holyoke, Westfield and a part of Chicopee.
Both candidates ran unopposed during the Republican and Democratic primaries.
After former state Sen. Michael Knapik of Westfield left office in 2013, Humason, 49, was elected to the seat in a special election. The following year, he was re-elected to a full two-year term when he ran against Democrat Patrick T. Leahy, of Holyoke.
Humason described himself in an interview as the “quintessential townie” who has lived in Westfield his entire life.
“It’s my own backyard,” Humason said of the district.
He graduated from Westfield State College in 1989 with a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice and said he initially wanted to be a police officer.
“I liked the idea of protecting and serving,” he said.
He recalled turning to politics after an incident involving a traffic stop. Humason said he was pulled over for failure to yield at a stop sign and was issued a ticket. When he went to appeal the ticket at Westfield District Court, he said, he noticed a help wanted poster for a trial court security officer.
Through that job at Westfield District Court, he became connected with Knapik and was hired to serve as his legislative aide from 1991 to 1994 when Knapik was a state representative. Knapik was elected state senator in 1994 and Humason served as his chief of staff until 1999.
In 2002, Humason was elected to the Massachusetts House of Representatives serving the 4th Hampden District before being elected to the Senate in 2013.
During his time as senator, Humason asked the state to increase the number of liquor licenses in Easthampton, which resulted in eight over-quota liquor licenses, a move designed to boost economic development in that city.
“I look at what communities need and work with them to make it happen,” he said.
Humason has also taken stands on the legalization of marijuana (Question 4) and raising the cap on charter schools (Question 2), two of four state ballot questions facing voters Nov. 8.
Humason opposes ballot Question 4. He said there are issues associated with the proposed legislation, such as how to determine if someone is operating a vehicle while high and how to regulate marijuana products. Humason said he believes the retail pot industry can push other businesses out of an area.
He noted that the state’s Special Senate Committee on Marijuana, appointed by Gov. Charlie Baker, traveled to Colorado to have a firsthand look at legal marijuana. Before the trip, seven members were in favor of Question 4, but they all came back in opposition, he said.
Humason supports ballot Question 2 on raising the state cap on charter schools, allowing 12 new charter schools, or the expansion of schools, each year in any city or town. He said it’s important to make sure children have options and are offered the “best possible education.”
Regardless on whether the legislation passes or fails, Humason said there is still room for improvement in public education.
“I really like this job,” Humason said. “And I’d like to serve another two-year term.”
Parker-O’Grady, 32, of Southampton, has never held public office, but says he is eager to serve constituents in the district with new ideas.
“Bringing a fresh, young and new perspective is something I think is important to bring to the table,” Parker-O’Grady said.
For many years, Parker-O’Grady has spent time working at his parents’ law firm, Parker & O’Grady, in Southampton, including as far back to his teenage years when he helped his mother at the law firm with researching and drafting material.
In 2007, Parker-O’Grady earned a bachelor’s degree in political science from St. Michael’s College in Vermont. He spent a year after college working as a sales representative and delivery driver for Yianni’s Distributing Co. in Southampton. He got involved with politics in 2008 when he became a field organizer for Obama for America in Dover, New Hampshire, knocking on doors and making phone calls. Later that year, he worked as a consultant for David Sullivan’s campaign for Northwestern district attorney.
If elected, he plans to tackle the opioid crisis and said addiction should be treated through long-term programs.
“It’s a public health crisis,” Parker-O’Grady said.
Parker-O’Grady supports Question 4 for the legalization of marijuana. He said the state should look at a possible correlation of lower opioid deaths in states that have legalized marijuana. He said the new revenue brought in by the legalization of marijuana could be used to fund opioid programs, for example.
He said he is against Question 2 on raising the cap on charter schools. Parker-O’Grady said the proposed legislation would take control away from local school boards.
He went to Williston Northampton School in Easthampton and said the city is completely different now than it was 20 years ago and almost unrecognizable with artists, small businesses, breweries and restaurants. He said there is more mill building space that can be converted and rehabilitated. He said the city’s downtown area could use parking such as a small garage to bring in people from outside the city.
As for Southampton, more jobs outside the city could contribute to growth as many people who live in Southampton commute out of town for work.
“The more jobs you create, the better off Southampton will be,” he said.
Parker-O’Grady is enrolled in law school at Northeastern University, but is taking a break from his studies for the election. He holds a master’s degree in law and public policy from the same university.
In addition to his studies, he worked for nine months as a legislative director for Knapik, while he was still a state senator in 2013. He said he also spent three months as a legal counsel intern for the office of Senate Minority Leader Bruce E. Tarr and two months as a judicial intern for U.S. District Court Judge Timothy S. Hillman.
During the campaign, Parker-O’Grady’s fiancee, Cynthia Lewis, a program coordinator for the Massachusetts Environmental Police, was the subject of an incident involving alleged political bullying.
Gov. Charlie Baker’s administration launched an investigation after Lewis claimed she was transferred to the agency’s Fall River office after Parker-O’Grady launched his campaign to unseat Humason. Investigators found no conclusive evidence that the transfer was politically motivated, but uncovered inappropriate and unprofessional conduct, and two state employees lost jobs over the incident.
Baker stated that Humason had “absolutely no involvement” in the matter, as did Humason, who praised the state’s investigation and its outcome.
Caitlin Ashworth can be reached at cashworth@gazettenet.com.