An eastern Massachusetts man is trying to unseat the Democratic state senator who represents 57 communities throughout Berkshire, Franklin, Hampden and Hampshire counties.

David Rosa, a Republican from the Bristol County town of Dighton, is running against incumbent state Sen. Paul Mark, a Becket Democrat, in the Nov. 5 election. Rosa said he threw his hat in the ring because he feels Mark is “a rubberstamper for the Democratic Party right now.” According to the Secretary of State’s Office, the state Constitution requires that a state senator be a resident of the district in which they are elected, by the day of the election.

“This is different from the office of state representative, which has a one-year residency requirement prior to Election Day,” Debra O’Malley, that office’s communications director, wrote in an email to the Greenfield Recorder. “The Massachusetts Senate has the authority to be the judge of its own members. In January, when the Senate is sworn-in, that body can decide if a senator-elect meets the constitutional requirements. They may choose not to seat a senator-elect if they determine that person doesn’t meet the requirements to hold the office.”

Rosa, 70, said he is looking for a residence in Pittsfield “but it doesn’t happen overnight.” He said he is running for election in western Massachusetts because the area is “in desperate need of a champion for the cause.”

He is a U.S. Air Force and Army National Guard veteran and worked as a math teacher at a vocational school before his time in the military. Rosa has held various committee positions in Dighton, spent time as the town’s parks and recreation commissioner, and served on the Taunton River Watershed Alliance board, but has never held state office.

“I think on a national level, and certainly on the state level, there’s ... a lot of active defense of our republic needed desperately,” Rosa said.

He said he is opposed to the gun control bill that Gov. Maura Healey signed into law over the summer.

Rosa, who earned a master’s degree in business administration from Western New England University, said he wants to stand up for other rights, including freedom of speech, “because they can all disappear with the stroke of a pen, as the governor is demonstrating right now.”

Rosa is also opposed to the state spending $1 billion — three times what was budgeted — on emergency shelters for homeless families and migrants last fiscal year. The Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities estimates the state will spend $915 million on emergency housing in fiscal year 2025.

But Paul Mark, whose first two-year term as state senator is wrapping up, said any migrants assisted with housing are in this country legally and Massachusetts is a right-to-shelter state.

“The state of Massachusetts cannot turn away a person with legal status,” Mark said.

Mark, 45, served six two-year terms in the state House of Representatives before running to replace Adam Hinds in the state Senate, which he found has provided a greater opportunity to help his region. He said he and other legislators worked to triple — from $5.5 million to $16.5 million — the money allotted for rural education.

“I think we’re making really good progress,” he said. “I think the state is moving in the right direction.”

Mark has also worked to get additional funding for the Franklin Regional Transit Authority (FRTA) and other transportation agencies in the state, regarding them as lifelines for rural areas. He said he would like to explore the feasibility of establishing, in towns like Hawley or Rowe, a microtransit program similar to the TriTown Connector in Berkshire County. Microtransit is a public transportation service that uses smaller vehicles such as vans to provide on-demand shared rides within designated routes.

Mark said he looks forward to gaining more seniority in the state Senate if he is reelected, and he wants to focus on advocating for higher education, the environment, and utilities and energy issues. Mark worked as a lineman for a phone company before attending Suffolk University Law School in Boston.

He mentioned he is chair of the Joint Committee on Tourism, Arts and Cultural Development, a position that in turn is also the chair of the Special Commission on 250th Anniversary Celebration of the American Revolution. Mark said he has overseen the commission for two years “and now we’re heading into game day.”

The anniversary of the Battles of Lexington and Concord is coming up in April and will be commemorated by the commission, starting a series of major events that go into 2026.

Reach Domenic Poli at: dpoli@recorder.com or
413-930-4120.