HANSON – State Rep. Josh Cutler, D-Duxbury, is leaving his seat in the General Court to take a position with the Healey Administration as undersecretary for apprenticeship, work-based learning and policy in the Executive Office of Labor and Workplace Development.
The move clears the way for a race to fill the open seat this year, and area candidates are already expressing interest in, or intention to, run.
“It’s been the honor of my career to serve the residents of the 6th Plymouth District in the Mass. Legislature for the past 11 years,” Cutler wrote in a statement posted on his Facebook page and circulated to supporters last week. “This is a job that I have truly loved! So it is with mixed emotions, but a grateful heart that I write to share that I will be stepping down as a state representative.”
The 6th Plymouth District includes Duxbury, Pembroke and portions of Hanson and Halifax.
Cutler described the new position as a “great opportunity to advance the workforce issues I’ve championed in the Legislture as House chairman of the Labor Committee these past two terms.
“Rep. Culter has been a tremendous partner in advancing workforce development, and we are excited that he will continue his leadership in our administration as we work to grow important programs like registered apprenticeship,” said Gov. Maura Healey in a statement on the appointment. “I’m confident that Rep. Cutler will continue to support Massachusetts residents and businesses in this role and add great value to the team.”
As part of his responsibilities, Cutler will oversee the Division of Apprentice Standards including the expansion of Registered Apprenticeship, the growth of work-based learning career pathways in partnership with the Executive Office of Education, and the Department of Economic Research and other policy efforts for the secretariat such as future of work, caregiving in the workplace, and more.
“Josh Cutler has been and will continue to be an advocate of workforce development initiatives. He has been very supportive of South Shore Tech’s efforts to modernize our school through MSBA,” said the school’s Superintendent/Director Dr. Thomas J. Hickey. “Furthermore, Josh understands that South Shore Tech is a key player in workforce training after hours and I know he will continue to be a strong partner on the Career Technical Initiative and other programs that strengthen our local economy.”
Hanson Town Administrator Lisa Green expressed both disappointment about hearing about Cutler’s decision, as well as hope for a good relationship with a new representative.
“I am excited to join the Healey-Driscoll Administration and look forward to working with Secretary Jones as we implement policies and programs to help support our workers and enable our businesses to thrive,” said Cutler who is the Chairman of the House Labor and Workforce Development Committee. “I am grateful to the Sixth Plymouth District for giving me the honor to represent them in the House for the past decade and look forward to supporting them and communities across the state in this new role.”
“Of course, he’s going on to an important position and it’s a loss in a legislative partner for the town of Hanson,” Green said. “But we look forward to who his successor will be and establishing a great new relationship with that legislative partner when they come on board. We wish Josh Cutler all the best of luck.”
According to Hanson Select Board Chair Laura FitzGerald-Kemmett, both Ken Sweezey – the Republican who ran against Cutler in the last election – and Becky Colletta, Cutler’s friend and law partner, have individually informed her they are running for the seat.
“From the moment that Josh declared his candidacy [in his first campaign for the State House] I have supported him, and I’ve never regretted it,” FitzGerald-Kemmett said. “I’ve been nothing but grateful for his partnership and his support of our community all these years. He’s gotten us all kinds of grants, he understands Hanson, he advocates for us and I just hope the next person that we get does half as much as Josh – he’s been amazing. I’ve got nothing but positive things to say about him.”
Sweezey has already submitted a candidate’s announcement to the Whitman-Hanson Express [See stoy above].
“Becky Colletta is running, and I texted Ken Sweezy yesterday and he confirmed to me that he is running,” she said Monday.
“I want to thank Rep. Cutler for his years of service – but I truly believe the residents of this district are looking for a new vision and fresh leadership that more accurately reflects the values of our neighbors on the South Shore,” Sweezey stated in his announcement. “I promised a common-sense conservative approach during the campaign in 2022 and I reaffirm that commitment now. I will be a representative for everyone – which includes many of us who feel they have not been represented on Beacon Hill for far too long.”
“I’m excited about the opportunity to serve the people of Duxbury, Pembroke, Hanson, Halifax, and Marshfield,” Sweezey continued. “Let’s get started!”
Town Clerk Elizabeth Sloan, however, said she had been unaware that Cutler would not be running again and that no nomination papers had yet been pulled for the race.
Cutler’s friend and supporter Joe Pelligra said that, as he understands it, the office change will be a slow transition.
“I think it will be over the next five months,” he said. “He’s just not going to run again, which leaves the door open to a lot of competitors.”
Pelligra said Cutler felt that being offered the position in the Healey administration was something he couldn’t pass up.
“He’s been in the Ways and Means for labor and workforce development in his job duties as state Rep., so this ties right into what he’s doing.”
Cutler was under the weather last weekend and unable to return calls for comment, referring press inquiries to his statement.
“I leave with warm feelings for my colleagues on both sides of the aisle,” Cutler said. “I know that our delegation will continue to work together in a bipartisan way. It’s never been about party affiliation for me, but always about working together to help people and solve problems. … Thank you for your trust, friendship and the honor of allowing me to serve!”
President of the Massachusetts Business Roundtable J.D. Chesloff and the President of the Massachusetts Building Trades Union Frank Callahan have both supported Cutler’s appointment, as has President of the Massachusetts AFL-CIO Chrissy Lynch.
“During his time in the legislature, Chair Cutler has been a great leader, partner, and advocate for our workforce and has championed efforts to grow and expand opportunities for residents across the state,” Lynch said. “While we will miss his leadership and presence on the Labor and Workforce Development Committee, I know he will work just as ferociously for our workers in his new role within the Healey-Driscoll Administration.”
Cutler is a six-term state representative and House Chair of the Labor and Workforce Development Committee. He is a member of the Mass. STEM Advisory Council and recently served as co-chair of the Future of Work Commission and the WorkAbility Subcommittee on disability employment. He also co-chairs the Coastal Caucus.
In the House, Cutler has been a champion for workforce development, vocational education, and career center funding. He is lead sponsor of the wage transparency act, disability hiring tax credit, and apprenticeship standards and re-entry works legislation.
Cutler was a recipient of the Thomas M. Menino Public Service Award for his work on disability employment policy. He has also been recognized as Legislator of the Year by the Mass. Developmental Disabilities Council, the Association of Developmental Disabilities Providers, the Mass. Mental Health Counselors Association, and the Plymouth-Bristol Central Labor Council.
Cutler holds a master’s degree in public policy from the University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth, and a juris doctor degree from Suffolk Law School. He is also an attorney and the author of two books on local history.