Editor’s Note: This is the first in a series of profiles introducing the Democratic candidates seeking the nomination to represent the 8th District on the Governor’s Council. A profile of Republican candidate John Comerford was published earlier this month.
NORTH ADAMS — Of the Democrats seeking their party’s nomination to represent the 8th District on the Governor’s Council, North Adams School Committee member Tara Jacobs is the only one without a law degree.
That, however, is not deterring Jacobs in her effort, as her campaign website states, “to bring the voice of all of western Massachusetts to the Governor’s Council,” and to dismantle “systemic injustice throughout our state.”
The Governor’s Council approves nominations made by the governor, including lifetime appointments to judgeships and clerkships. Other nominations the council votes on include Parole Board members, Department of Industrial Accident judges and other administrative quasi-judicial positions.
The 8th District encompasses much of the four westernmost counties in the state, as well as parts of Worcester County. Council terms run for two years, and the position pays $36,025 yearly.
“The work the Governor’s Council does is so important,” Jacobs said in an interview. “Representation from western Mass. in that process is so important. Judges matter; who sits on the bench matters. And equally important to me is who sits on the parole board.
“That’s only two of an entire slate of important and society-impacting positions that that council makes,” she continued. “They are the least well-known, most important position in government, as far as I’m concerned.”
Jacobs, 51, wants to use the position to level the playing field of the justice system.
“One reason I’m running,” said Jacobs, “is because I want to do that work and I want to do it from the standpoint of being at the table where the decisions are made; where I can be a lever in dismantling systemic injustices and promoting equity in the work that they do.
“Coming from the most western part of the district and traveling this whole district, equity is a significant issue. It’s not just a buzzword. The equity-oriented solutions coming from Boston often miss us in terms of truly understanding what our challenges are and what the makeup of our communities are, and the algorithms they create to try to effect positive change work for some communities, and some communities do get lifted up. But it doesn’t work for a majority of western Mass. We just get left out of that algorithm.”
Jacobs said there’s a second motivating factor behind her decision to run.
“The secondary motivator for me,” she explained, “is that access to the State House as an opportunity to advocate for western Mass. and all of our issues on a weekly basis — with the governor, the lieutenant governor, the legislators. Western Mass. needs a voice to fight for what we need, and that includes the work of the Governor’s Council.”
If elected, Jacobs also wants to work to increase the visibility of the council and its importance.
Jacobs said she was one of many who pushed to return cameras to the council’s meeting room after they were removed following the loosening of COVID-19 restrictions. Prior to their removal, Governor’s Council meetings could be viewed live online or on YouTube.
“I’m also advocating for access through that technology. Coming from western Mass., if you want to — on any given issue — share, as a community member, your feelings about someone who is up for a judicial confirmation, a parole board appointee, if you have commentary you want to add, you have to have the time and the transportation to get to Boston and wait for whenever your turn might come up during that day,” she explained. “Why can you not share your views from your home in western Massachusetts without having to get in your car and drive there?”
A native New Yorker, Jacobs became familiar with western Mass. at a young age. Her parents owned a home in Lanesboro that they would visit every weekend during the summer. She earned an associate’s degree from Bard College at Simon’s Rock in Great Barrington, then transferred to Tufts University, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology and English. She also has a master’s in business administration from New York University’s Stern School of Business.
In addition to serving on North Adams’ School Committee, Jacobs is also chair of the city’s library trustees. She previously served on the Berkshire County Commission on the Status of Women and the North Adams Cultural Council.
Jacobs currently runs a marketing consulting business. Her husband, Ross, is a software engineer who also chairs North Adams’ Zoning Board of Appeals. The couple have a daughter who just completed eighth grade.
Also seeking the Democratic nomination are Springfield attorney Michael Fenton and attorney Jeffrey Morneau of East Longmeadow. John Comerford of Palmer, a former veterans agent, is the only candidate on the ballot for the Republican nomination. A primary will be held in September in advance of the November election.
Greg Vine can be reached at gvineadn@gmail.com