Jo Comerford
@jocomerford.bsky.social
Massachusetts State Senator fighting for the people of the Hampshire, Franklin, Worcester district. http://linktr.ee/jocomerfordma; senatorjocomerford.org
Books open doors, challenge us, and connect us to new ideas. No one should decide for all of us what we can read, learn, or imagine. Thank you to the Jones Library & Branches for your advocacy and for being champions for the freedom to read: canva.link/r50t2owsqpol...
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Earlier this week, Housing and Livable Communities Secretary Juana Matias toured three housing development sites in western Massachusetts — in Orange, Greenfield, and Montague.
The Massachusetts Department of Higher Education has opened applications for Tomorrow's Teachers Scholarship program. Tomorrow’s Teachers supports students studying at Commonwealth public colleges and universities by providing scholarships of up to $25,000 per year toward their education.
Over $17 million in grant funding is on its way to 17 municipalities and 8 organizations across the Hampshire, Franklin, Worcester district through the Community One Stop grant program. Very grateful to a broad range of agencies and legislative colleagues who made this possible.
Check out our team's latest newsletter. It's packed with news, information, and ways to take action: conta.cc/4ADXXqV Sign up to get it directly: bit.ly/4pSCcgj
Thank you to the Connecticut River Conservancy for another Source to Sea Clean Up. Hundreds of volunteers in the watershed turned out. Glad to be among them in Greenfield on the Green River.
September 16 was an exciting day in Athol! I joined HHS Sec. Kiame Mahaniah, Ed Sec. Stephen Zrike, Rep. Whipps, and teams from Heywood Hospital at the Athol Community Elementary and Middle Schools to discuss school-based medical and behavioral health services and family-centered care.
Looking forward to a community conversation happening this week in Orange, hosted by Indivisible North Quabbin. Hope to see you there!
Democracy works, when we work together. Join me at Bombyx Center for Arts & Equity for an important conversation on September 16th at 6:30 p.m. The event is free, but registration is strongly encouraged: bombyx.live/events/democ... Hope you can join for the conversation!
Let's hear it for affordable HOUSING — Housing that makes it possible for seniors to age in place with dignity, for young families to put down roots, and for students to live, learn, and build their futures without being priced out.
Sign up for remote office hours happening Thursday, September 10, via Zoom with Constituent Services Director Jessie Cooley. Register for a slot here: calendly.com/jessie-coole... If the available appointments don't work for you, please contact Jessie directly: jessie.cooley@masenate.gov
In this video, I ask a few of my most fervent commenters: * How did you know I was a lesbian? * Is it "loser" or "looser"? * And...how do you pronounce "twatwaffle"? And finally, how can we find a way forward, together?
Important from Brooke Hauser @ @bostonglobe.com re the Quabbin: www.bostonglobe.com/2026/08/31/s...
The Quabbin has long quenched Boston’s thirst. Now its towns are struggling and asking anyone who drinks water to help. - The Boston Globe
The Quabbin Reservoir supplies drinking water to 2.5 million people who mostly live in Greater Boston, but not a drop to those who live beside it.
bostonglobe.com
This summer, MA leapt forward for children and families across the Commonwealth with the most significant update to the child welfare system in decades.
"The uncomfortable truth for MWRA is that residents and businesses in the Quabbin towns have been subsidizing the true cost of Quabbin water for the past 88 years."
Jo Comerford@jocomerford.bsky.social · 2mo agoMic drop: www.masslive.com/opinion/2026...
In Massachusetts, we believe that medical decisions belong to patients and their doctors, not to politicians. That's why the Senate passed legislation to strengthen abortion protections (Senators and lead advocates are pictured below), which Governor Healey recently signed into law.
On July 16, the MA Senate adjourned in memory of acclaimed author & Hatfield resident Jane Yolen. Rep. Lindsay Sabadosa and I read an adjournment during formal session, joined by Yolen’s daughter Heidi E. Y. Stemple and her partner Dennis Wehrly. May Jane's memory forever be a blessing.
Honoring the life and work of Jane Yolen
senatorjocomerford.org
Conference committees are hard at work hashing out major bills. Take a look at my latest update on what’s moving and what’s next: senatorjocomerford.org/a-conference...
A Conference Committee Update
senatorjocomerford.org
Check out our team's latest newsletter. It's packed with news, information, and ways to take action: conta.cc/4wgmFua Sign up to get it directly: bit.ly/4pSCcgj
Powerful via @cwbeacon.bsky.social featuring a range of Quabbin Watershed community representatives. The MWRA wants readers to believe that the only tradeoff for Quabbin equity is to burden low income towns to the east. That's a real stretch of the facts. commonwealthbeacon.org/environment/...
‘It’s like the Hunger Games’: Quabbin Reservoir towns take funding fight to Beacon Hill amid extended drought
A perfect storm of long-held resentments, the well-known story of the financial crunch squeezing small towns across the state, and an act of blameless chance — weather — is raising the stakes and stok...
commonwealthbeacon.org
On 7/31, the MA State Senate became the 9th state leg. body in U.S. to pass a Res. to support the treaty on the prohibition of nuc. weapons, days before the 81st Annivs. of U.S. bombings of #Hiroshima + #Nagasaki. H/t @repmcgovern.bsky.social @markey.senate.gov.
Important via @bostonglobe.com re a call to action to ban Native athletic mascots issued by 8 MA Tribal Nations: www.bostonglobe.com/2026/07/31/m...
Governor Healey urged to push for ban of Native American sport mascots in Massachusetts schools - The Boston Globe
About 25 communities in Massachusetts still have Native American sports mascots at their public schools, according to a state steering committee.
bostonglobe.com
This summer, my team and I worked with a superstar team of interns and fellows. From left to right: Cat Hackett (Northeastern University School of Law), Rebecca Steere (UMass Amherst), Will Hood (UMass Amherst), Isabella Ervin (UMass Amherst), and Jonathan Parker-Yourga (Georgetown University).
A must-read from Dr. Matteo Pangallo on regional equity for Quabbin Watershed Stewards: commonwealthbeacon.org/opinion/town... H/t @cwbeacon.bsky.social @massgovernor.bsky.social @kimdriscollma.bsky.social
Towns surrounding the Quabbin Reservoir protect the water for 2.7 million people in Eastern Mass. They're getting financially starved in the process.
The state’s payments in lieu of taxes system treats Quabbin land as nearly worthless. In reality, it's the most valuable land in Massachusetts: Without it, more than 2.7 million people across Eastern ...
commonwealthbeacon.org
Fun fact making the rounds at the State House today: Massachusetts grows peaches, and watermelon can be yellow! Our district interns Will, Isabella & Jonathan joined State House interns Rebecca & Cat to share western Mass produce (Red Fire Farm, Clarkdale Fruit Farms) & UMass Amherst cookies. 🍑🍉
Looking for more information on the Senate's economic development proposal that passed last week? Check out my most recent blog post: senatorjocomerford.org/not-a-laughi...
Not a laughing matter
senatorjocomerford.org
My response to Boston Public Radio hosts Jim Braude and Margery Eagan re: their coverage of my amendment to the Senate's economic development proposal to expand agritourism in MA. I hope they accept my invitation to spend a day on farms in our district! www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ch_Q...
Sen. Comerford responds to Boston Public Radio on agritourism
YouTube video by Jo Comerford
youtube.com
The ELM Action Fund endorses @jocomerford.bsky.social for State Senator! As Vice Chair of the Joint Committee on Ways & Means, she has been a leading advocate for investments in #CleanEnergy. She consistently champions #BuildingDecarbonization #LandProtection & #Solar senatorjocomerford.org
