Baddour Named Massachusetts Municipal Association Legislator of the Year
MUNICIPAL LEADERS ACROSS MASSACHUSETTS
HONOR SENATOR STEVEN BADDOUR AS LEGISLATOR OF THE YEAR
January 21, 2012 - The Massachusetts Municipal Association has recognized State Senator Steven A. Baddour (D-Methuen) as a distinguished “Legislator of the Year” based on his record of accomplishment for cities, towns and local taxpayers during the 2011 legislative session. Sen. Baddour, who serves as the Vice Chairman of the powerful Senate Ways and Means Committee, was presented with the award at the municipal association’s annual awards ceremony on January 21, 2012, before a crowd of local officials from across the state.
“This has been a very positive and productive legislative session for cities and towns, including passage of municipal health insurance reform legislation, the most important reform law to benefit cities and towns in the past 30 years, and local officials across Massachusetts deeply appreciate that Senator Baddour served as a strong, vocal, visible and very effective leader on this key issue,” said MMA Executive Director Geoff Beckwith. “The new law will save cities and towns, taxpayers, and municipal employees millions of dollars a year, all while guaranteeing high quality health insurance for local workers and preserving countless jobs for teachers, police officers, firefighters and other key municipal employees.”
In announcing the award, Natick Selectman Josh Ostroff, the President of the MMA, stated that “in addition to municipal health insurance reform, Senator Baddour’s remarkable record during the 2011 session contains many other acts to benefit the communities of Massachusetts, including: the fiscal 2012 state budget, which restored $65 million in vital local aid to every town and city; the passage of a $200 million Chapter 90 program to repair local roads and bridges, the highest in state history; and the enactment of strong pension reform legislation without mandates on local systems, which will reduce local pension costs by $2 billion over the next 30 years.”
“Local officials in every corner of Massachusetts know that Vice Chairman Baddour cares deeply about cities and towns, and that he seeks out opportunities to support and aid communities,” said Beckwith. “This is reflected by his record, and by the fact that this is the second time Senator Baddour has been named MMA Legislator of the Year. We are deeply grateful for his commitment to local government and local taxpayers,” he concluded.
The MMA is the statewide nonprofit, nonpartisan association of cities and towns that provides all 351 communities with a broad range of services, including advocacy, training and education, publications, policy research, cost-saving programs and management assistance.
For more information on the Massachusetts Municipal Association and the Legislator of the Year Award, please visit the MMA website here.
