We all have an important choice to make for the Second Franklin District on Nov. 3, and I am asking that you strongly consider casting your vote for Will LaRose for state representative.
Will LaRose is a young leader here in the North Quabbin who has made service to others his life. A graduate of Athol High School, he has earned degrees in International Service and Spanish from Acadia University. He also holds a Master’s Degree in Public Administration from Cornell University. He has served with distinction as an officer in the United States Army for over six years and continues to serve in the National Guard.
I know Will, I know his Dad, Bill — a terrific Athol teacher and coach, and I know his mom, Tracy, a dedicated and heroic nurse. I’ve had the entire LaRose family in my school classes and plays here in Athol. They don’t make kids or adults any better.
Will is a true leader who is committed to the welfare of others. You can easily discern that from his military service for our country, which he still continues in the National Guard. Anyone who saw him speak at Athol High School or the Middle School on Memorial Day knows that! He is that next generation of leadership that we’ve all been waiting for — smart, creative, committed to service and to the citizens of this area. He approaches the job of state representative with not only honesty and integrity, but also with solid ideas, with vision. He believes in having a strategic plan to confront and attack the very real problems that impact families throughout our District. He has already developed important policy plans which will help to improve the lives of men, women and children in ways that really matter to all our families. His will be a voice that will focus on what he accurately calls the “pillars of a rural community: education, infrastructure, and economic development.”
Will LaRose, with your support, plans to hit the ground running. He has emphasized that his rural revitalization plan — designed specifically for the needs of our Second Franklin District — is an ambitious plan that will help our families in countless way by setting up a Massachusetts Service Corps to put young people back to work in their own communities. It will focus on regional economic development. It will expand broadband, and it will recommit our communities to providing vocational and technical education in schools. Will identifies problems, seeks out and finds solutions, and works really hard to implement those solutions to better all our lives.
He will be a legislator who will not only show up in all our towns — large and small, east to west, but he will be a leader in Boston — one who works for all of us out here west of 495 and along the Route 2 Corridor by bringing practical solutions to real problems that impact each of us in our daily lives.
Those who saw him speak at Saturday’s major rally in Athol could see a brave, young man who has a keen knowledge of both history and the way the world actually works. He showed his courage and integrity to all those in attendance, not only when he spoke so eloquently, but also when he approached the Trump group who were disrupting the rally, and sought to bring about a peaceful, respectful dialogue with them. Moreover, he knows how the state House of Representatives works, and the importance of the our newly elected state representative working as a driving force to initiate, introduce, and promote legislation which will target and help to address the very real concerns of people in our District. If you are looking for a state legislator who will actually work for you; who will come to your town to speak to you and, more importantly, listen to you; who will carry your concerns to the State House in Boston, and press for action to address your concerns, then that person is Will LaRose. He will truly represent you and your family. He will be a fixture in your town as a representative who will meet with and to listen to you, but he will also be your voice in Boston. He will stand up for you, and he won’t let you down.
I know Will, I can vouch for Will. I encourage you to vote for a new generation of leadership — Will LaRose for Massachusetts state representative.
Mitchell R. Grosky is a resident of Athol.