GREENFIELD — Criminal defense attorney, cinema owner and former City Councilor Isaac Mass announced Friday that he is dropping out of the race for sheriff of Franklin County, nearly a year after he launched an exploratory committee to evaluate a potential run.
Mass started the committee last February following the resignation of Franklin County Sheriff Christopher Donelan at the end of January 2025. A special election is set to take place in November to determine who will fill the remaining two years of Donelan’s term, followed by a 2028 election for a six-year term.
“I wanted to make a decision in time for someone else, for other candidates, to be able to step forward and run,” Mass said in an interview Monday morning. “It just didn’t work out to be good timing for me and my family. No one expected Sheriff Donelan to resign when he did. … It was a sudden vacancy that gave rise to an opportunity. We looked at it, but at the end of the day, made the decision that the timing wasn’t right for me and my family.”
Mass, a 49-year-old Republican who owns the Garden Cinemas, previously said he ran with the intent to continue some of the progressive initiatives Donelan implemented during his 14-year tenure as sheriff. Donelan, a Democrat, prioritized treatment of mental health and substance use disorders and supported the establishment of Franklin County’s Community Justice Support Center in conjunction with the state Office of Community Corrections.
The Franklin County Sheriff’s Office operates the jail and house of correction but also focuses on inmates’ re-entry into society, the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office Regional Dog Shelter and the TRIAD Program, a crime prevention and wellness initiative aimed at protecting local senior citizens.
“I am deeply grateful for the outpouring of support I received and will continue to look for opportunities to serve my community,” Mass wrote in a statement.
Gov. Maura Healey selected Lori Streeter to serve as interim sheriff following Donelan’s resignation. Streeter announced last March that she plans to run for sheriff and seek the Democratic nomination on the November ballot.
In an interview Monday afternoon, Streeter commended Mass for his work to better his community as an attorney and business owner. She added that no one has stepped forward yet to run against her for sheriff and that her campaign is moving “full steam ahead.”
“I don’t know Isaac personally, but I respect the fact that he was stepping forward to serve our community. As a local attorney and business owner, he’s made meaningful contributions to our county, and I appreciate anyone willing to put themselves forward in the process,” Streeter said. “I’m personally just moving forward full steam ahead with my campaign, which is focused on strong leadership, public safety and, especially, expanding effective programming and re-entry efforts within the Sheriff’s Office. That’s what I’m focused on and I’m energized by the support I’m seeing across the county.”