Dudley selectman Marsi enters race to fill 6th Worcester seat vacated by Durant

A second Republican has declared their intention of running to capture the 6th Worcester district seat left vacant by Peter Durant, R-Spencer, who moved over to the Senate in November. Durant, sworn in on Nov. 29, filled the vacancy left by former senator Anne Gobi, who accepted a position as director of rural affairs in the Healey/Driscoll administration in June.

House leaders have set the date for the special election to fill the unexpired term for March 6, with a primary scheduled for Feb. 5 if needed. Representatives from the Secretary of the Commonwealth William Galvin distributed nomination papers to municipal clerks in Charlton, Dudley, Southbridge and Spencer on Thursday. Only Precinct 1 residents in Spencer are included in the district, and residents of Precincts 1, 2, 3 and 4A in Charlton are also to vote in the special election. The unexpired term concludes at the end of 2024.

Candidates have until Dec. 26 to collect the necessary signatures and present them to their clerks to be included on the March ballot.

Dudley Selectman John Marsi has signaled his intention to run for the vacant seat. His formal kickoff, scheduled for Dec. 14 at the Heritage Country Club in Charlton, comes the day after his 52nd birthday.

“I thought long and hard about whether I should run, and decided I can do this,” Marsi said of his decision to throw his hat in the ring.

He based his final decision on his 12 years of experience as a selectman in Dudley, serving as its chair three times and vice chair seven times, and his ability to collaborate, negotiate and work with everyone for the good of the whole.

Marsi, a single father of two, with a son at Providence College and a daughter at Shepherd Hill Regional High School, works in the technology field. He shares his life with a longtime girlfriend, Lucy DelRossi, a Rutland resident. He will be facing fellow Republican Dave Adams, a Southbridge councilman and the veterans agent for Oxford.

Adams signaled his intention of running for the seat the Sunday before the special election in November that saw Durant’s win and move to the Senate. If Durant had remained in the House, Adams said in November that he would have challenged him for the seat in the regular election cycle.

Worked closely with Durant

Marsi said he has worked closely with Durant on legislative issues important to his and surrounding communities. And he has earned the former representative’s endorsement for the position.

“I’m very thankful for his support, and his help and guidance over the last decade,” Marsi said.

The biggest issues for Marsi are those that matter most to his constituents, the topics people talk about the most.

“In Dudley, the topics have been public safety, economic development and quality of life,” Marsi said.

The issues, Marsi said, do not change significantly in the wider community from the legislative perspective. Public safety is still front of mind for most Massachusetts residents. Other issues include the affordability of Massachusetts, education, local aid from the state, economic development to bolster local economies and reducing the local tax bite.

The great-grandson of immigrants, Marsi indicated that the migrant crisis reflects a failure to plan on a federal and state level, and to find ways to pay for the cost of housing and servicing Massachusetts’ newest residents.

“The problem will exert downward pressure on municipalities, and they will be called upon to make up the shortfall” in funding, Marsi predicted.

Aid to local communities and quality of life

The $3.1 billion supplemental closeout budget passed earlier in the week by legislators included “a big chunk of money,” $250 million, to fund the state’s emergency shelter system, now filled to overflowing by both established residents and migrants. It has been capped by the administration due to the lack of space for new families and service providers to address their short- and long-term needs.

“There will be funds in the next budget next year for the same issue,” Marsi said.

He is a staunch supporter of the Second Amendment and balks at the thought of outside forces telling his constituents what they can and can’t do. However, he believes he will be able to work with the majority Democrats while still representing his values.

“We (Republicans) may not win the vote, but we can get concessions,” Marsi said. As a selectman, he said, he didn’t just represent Republicans but all residents of the municipality. “The way I live my life dictates how I will approach the work in the House. We will work together, that’s how things get done.”

This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Two Republican candidates have already declared for vacant House seat