Councilor pulls papers for state rep race
FITCHBURG » Ward 3 City Councilor Paul Beauchemin said Monday he is making plans to run in the upcoming November election to fill state Rep. Stephan Hay’s seat after Hay announced he wouldn’t be seeking re-election.
Beauchemin, who has served on the council for over six years, confirmed Monday that he pulled nomination papers for the 3rd Worcester District seat.
“I took out nomination papers because I believe I can do a good job for the city,” he said. “I would do the job to the best of my ability and work very hard on behalf of the people.”
While Beauchemin pulled papers on Monday, he said he’s still mulling the decision carefully.
“I am going to talk with my family and then make the best decision for us,” he said.
Beauchemin said he’d like to take the work he’s been doing in Ward 3 and bring it to the Statehouse.
“There are a lot of things I’d like to do for the city, if I’m elected,” he said.
He is running as an unenrolled candidate in the election.
Beauchemin, 69, is a graduate of St. Bernard’s Central Catholic High School with additional training at Worcester Boys’ Trade High School. He was a machinist at Swissturn in
Oxford.
At-large City Councilor and President Michael Kushmerek, who has served on the council since 2016, and Glenn Fossa, a current License Commissioner and retired member of the Fitchburg Police Department, also confirmed they’d be running for the 3rd Worcester District seat last week.
Kushmerek, a Democrat, said he’s been considering running for some time.
“Honestly, public service has always been my dream. We have been fortunate to have talented and dedicated leadership in our state delegation,” he said. “Working with these leaders is something that I have aspired to since I was a college student learning about the political process.”
Fossa, 59, is running as a Republican and hopes to make a difference for his constituency.
“This is a critical time for Fitchburg,” said Fossa. “We want to continue the momentum that we have here in the 3rd District, and that means working with all parties.”
The primary for the office is scheduled for Sept. 1 and the General Election will be held on Nov. 3.
If an at-large city councilor were elected to the House of Representatives in November and chooses to resign midterm, the remaining councilors would select a replacement for the remainder of the term, according to the city charter.
Candidates would submit letters of interest to the City Clerk and a public hearing and vote would be held.
The last time this occurred was when former City Councilor Tom Donnelly was selected in 2018 following Sen. Dean Tran’s resignation, and after Hay was elected in 2016.
If a ward councilor were elected, the charter calls for a special election where ward voters would choose a replacement for the rest of the term.
However, it is not a requirement for sitting city councilors to resign if elected to the Statehouse. There is history of some serving the remainder of their council term while being state representative.