Tarr: Focus will be on state budget

By Bobby Grady

» Staff Writer

Cape Ann voters chose Andrew “Dru” Tarr as the next 5th Essex District state representative and he is set to finish the remainder of the late Ann-Margaret Ferrante’s term which ends this fall.

Tarr won Gloucester, Manchester and Rockport over Republican Christina Delisio of Manchester-by-the Sea and unaffiliated candidate Gil Frieden of Essex, according to unofficial results of Tuesday’s special state election. Frieden narrowly won Essex, beating Tarr by 30 votes. Tarr will soon begin his work as the state representative for Gloucester, Rockport, Manchester and Essex. He said his top priority in the immediate weeks following his election will be working on the state budget in the House of Representatives.

Frieden offered his congratulations to Tarr, and is excited to continue serving and helping Cape Ann despite losing the election.

“I am overjoyed that Essex handed me my win and I am looking forward to November. Congratulations to Dru and I am grateful and excited for the past few months,” Frieden said. “I’m hoping people are feeling energized about the direction of Cape Ann and my service doesn’t stop. I’m going to continue working to make Cape Ann better.”

Delisio said she was thankful for all those who supported her campaign, and will continue working to make Cape Ann better for its residents.

“While this wasn’t the outcome we hoped for, I am incredibly proud of what we built together. I’m grateful for every volunteer who gave their time, every supporter who donated, every conversation at a door and every vote cast,” she said in a statement. “This campaign was powered by people who care deeply about our future and that doesn’t end today. We must continue to fight for the audit that we voted for and policies that actually attract businesses and jobs to Cape Ann and Massachusetts.

SEE TARR, PA GE 2

Andrew “Dru” Tarr

Continued from Page 1

Publ ic service doesn’t require a title. I will continue to stay engaged, speak up and work toward making our community stronger.”

Lawmakers will begin discussing the budget and how much each district gets allocated in mid-April. Tarr said his goal is to ensure he is well informed on the ongoing conversations and advocating for Cape Ann.

“I think it’s really important that we fight for every single dollar we can to come back to the district,” Tarr said. “Ann-Margaret was able to use her longevity and position and bring in a lot of money to the district through the budget, and I want to make sure we can pick up a little bit where she left off.”

Tarr said he wants to ensure all Cape Ann municipalities are getting as much money as they can while also advocating for funding programs such as The Open Door, the Gloucester Marine Genomics Institute, Pathways for Children and “services to the people who are really in need.”

Other issues Tarr said he wants to begin tackling for the remainder of the term are housing affordability, economic development and education, but his main focus right now is the budget.

In the short term Tarr said he wants to keep people informed on any affordable housing laws to prevent future surprises much like the one brought on by the MBTA Communities Act. He also said he will advocate for reforming Chapter 70, the law outlining how schools get funded.

“Right now the formula is arcane, you put a big number in, but it doesn’t filter out to everyone in quite the same way,” he said.

Tarr, who worked as Ferrante’s legislative aide for nine years, said he wants to continue and build on the strong relationships Ferrante formed. “I’ve had the benefit of reaping the reward of her work by building those relationships over the past nine years and I want to make sure we are noticed and have a seat at the table,” he said. “That means I’m reading everything I can get my hands on, I’m going to hearings even if there’s nothing for Cape Ann and just making sure I can be the most effective advocate.”

Staff Writer Bobby Grady may be contacted at 978-6752714 or bgrady@gloucestertimes. com.