DEERFIELD — Corinne Coryat, staff director at state Rep. Natalis Blais’ office and former legislative aide to Blais, announced this week that she plans to run for representative of the 1st Franklin District, following in the footsteps of her mentor and friend.
Speaker of the House Ronald Mariano opted not to call a special election to replace Blais, who resigned on Jan. 19. Without a special election, her seat will remain open until this November’s election. The winner of that election will be sworn in next January to represent the 1st Franklin District.
“It’s a big decision, it’s a huge responsibility, and I had to really think about if I could step up and do this in its fullest capacity, because this is a big job,” Coryat, 27, said in a phone interview Monday.
The staff director said her personal connection to the 1st Franklin District and experience working in policy convinced her to take the leap.
Growing up in Williamsburg, discussions about politics filled family dinners. Inspired by the political advocacy of her grandmother, as well as the rise of politicians like U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Hillary Clinton’s run for president, Coryat decided to pursue politics.
“Regardless of her politics, it was transformational for me to see a woman run for president. That changed the game for so many girls and women at that time,” Coryat said. “It’s been pretty impossible to grow up in this country and not be impacted by the political shifts that have happened, and leaning into it has really helped me have a better understanding of what we can do to make change for the better.”
Coryat earned a political science degree at Clark University in Worcester. While in college, she worked for Mass Audubon and interned with U.S. Sen. Ed Markey’s 2020 campaign. After graduating, she got involved with the Franklin Regional Council of Governments (FRCOG), researching housing plans and the best paths to secure state support.
After graduating early, Coryat moved to Deerfield, about 16 miles from her hometown, to return to a community close to her heart.
“I’ve always loved western Massachusetts; it’s a really special place. It’s this wonderful combination of natural beauty, close-knit communities. … We really care for one another and we put in the time to develop relationships with our neighbors; it’s increasingly rare, I think, in this time, and I’ve been really lucky to have those relationships from when I grew up here and also develop new relationships in Franklin County,” Coryat said, going on to describe a network of supporters having her back as a legislative aide and locals checking in after hearing the news of Blais’ resignation.
In Deerfield, she started her work as a legislative aide for Blais, whom she described as a mentor and friend. As her staffer, Coryat said she saw the same commitment to showing up and following through in Blais’ work.
“She’s one of the most compassionate, thoughtful people I’ve ever met, and her drive for public service and truly making sure that each and every person in this district is being represented, is being seen, and that their needs are met, is unmatched,” Coryat said. “Everyone knows this, that she has been ever-present in the district, and it certainly has inspired me to be that way as well.”
With Blais, Coryat said she visited more farms, wastewater treatment plants, schools and town halls than she can count, learning about causes in the 1st Franklin District at nearly every stop. For Coryat, this learning was a constant and critical part of the job.
“As staffers and as legislators, we’re really generalists — people who cover a lot of topics and know a little about a lot of things, but not necessarily a lot about those specific topics that we rely on experts for. It’s really amazing to be able to learn from people who have been doing that kind of work,” she said, listing climate energy and river conservation as two examples of issues she learned about with the help of experts’ decades of knowledge.
If elected as the 1st Franklin District’s representative, Coryat hopes to continue learning while acting on the lessons she learned from Blais.
In her five years as a senior aide to Blais, she worked with the representative and state Sen. Jo Comerford on ensuring the needs of the district’s rural communities were heard on Beacon Hill, a “first priority” that she said would guide her own work if elected. Coryat plans to ensure rural communities are represented in funding formulas and “have a seat at the table” for program and policy decisions.
“I think regional equity is a part of every corner of this conversation,” Coryat said.
She added that collaboration among legislators, agencies and communities helps amplify the voices of rural communities as they call for regional equity.
In Franklin County, she listed partnerships between organizations offering domestic violence, senior and school support services, and the regionalization of public safety as examples of critical collaboration.
“When we are able to organize together, to prioritize issues together, we can really make change, and I certainly want to center that in my work,” Coryat said.
If elected, she also said she would help the 18 towns in the 1st Franklin District expand clean energy as the state approaches its 2050 net-zero goal.
“We’re on track right now in Massachusetts to be net-zero by 2050, but there still needs to be a lot of work for that to happen, and we have a really important responsibility in rural areas of the state to protect our natural lands, our working lands and our waterways, and continue to build toward net-zero,” Coryat said. “To be able to do that, we really need rural communities at the table.”
Coryat is currently finishing a law degree with a concentration in public interest law at Western New England University. Along with her connection to the 1st Franklin District and her professional experience, Coryat said she decided to run for state representative to bring the perspective of a younger generation to the State House.
“I’m really excited to see across the country new, young democratic leadership coming up, and I would be honored to be a part of that movement,” Coryat said. “We’re at this point where a lot of people are really disinvested in our democracy, and the best thing that I can do in this moment is step up and offer a new perspective and a new generation of leadership for this region.”