Isaac Mass forms exploratory committee for Franklin County sheriff campaign

ISAAC MASS
Published: 02-04-2025 6:45 PM |
GREENFIELD — A local attorney and business owner has launched an exploratory committee to evaluate a potential run for Franklin County sheriff.
Isaac Mass is considering throwing his hat in the ring for the November 2026 special election that will decide who fills the final two years of an unexpired six-year term. Christopher Donelan chose to retire at the end of January and Gov. Maura Healey selected Lori Streeter to serve as interim sheriff until the 2026 election.
Mass, who has filed organizational paperwork with the state Office of Campaign and Political Finance, said forming a committee is the first step to gauging public support for a possible candidacy.
“It allows the public to know and reach out and talk to me, as well as for people to know why I’m reaching out to them,” he said. “Obviously, the phase I’m in now is listening before I make any decisions. I really want to hear from the community what they want.”
Mass, a 48-year-old Republican, said he is interested in continuing some of the progressive initiatives Donelan implemented during his 14-year tenure as sheriff. The 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. Mass said 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 think the Sheriff’s Office provides a tremendous opportunity to serve the people of the county,” Mass said. “It is a very large institution [that] serves many, many people across the county.”
Mass has been an attorney focused primarily on criminal defense since 2011 and served as a Greenfield city councilor for six terms. He has also owned the Garden Cinemas since November 2019.
“I think I sort of have a broad background,” he said.
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Mass said he wants to help reduce prison recidivism and believes in a data-driven approach to what works.
“I do believe there is some additional programming that is possible. I think there could be more work done with the families of incarcerated individuals to connect them with resources, because the families are, in many ways, victims themselves,” he said. “I think family support is an area that can be strengthened.”
Maria Burge, a Democrat, agreed to serve as chair of the 45-member exploratory committee, which includes members not just from Franklin County, but individuals with law enforcement backgrounds across the state.
Burge said a candidate’s qualifications mean more to her than party affiliations.
“I’ve known him for many years. He’s honest, has integrity — very persistent,” she said of Mass.
Burge, a U.S. Marine Corps veteran with 43 years of law enforcement experience, said she and Mass have had conversations about the criminal justice system and its failings.
“Having a realistic understanding of the system will only enhance his ability to strengthen the programs that [Donelan] implemented,” she said.
Mass spent his early years in Washington, Vermont, and Brockton before his family moved to Greenfield. He lived at the Oak Courts housing complex, not far from the Sheriff’s Office. He graduated from Greenfield Community College and the University of Massachusetts Amherst before attending the Western New England University School of Law in Springfield.
He has served in various roles in local and state government for the past 27 years. He was appointed by Gov. Charlie Baker to the board of trustees for GCC and the Veterans Home at Holyoke’s board of trustees; and by Gov. Deval Patrick to the State Ballot Law Commission. Mass previously served on the Massachusetts Local Government Advisory Commission, the board of directors for the Massachusetts Municipal Association and the governing board of the Massachusetts Association of Town Finance Committees.
In addition to his community service, Mass served eight years in the 104th Infantry of the Massachusetts National Guard, deploying less than two weeks after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, to Bosnia and Herzegovina in southeastern Europe as a non-commissioned officer in the Division Training and Synchronization Office.
Reach Domenic Poli at: dpoli@recorder.com or 413-930-4120.