Fenton stages bid for District 8 seat on Governor’s Council

Michael Fenton is a Springfield City Councilor and is running for Governor’s Council for District 8.
Reminder Publishing file photo

SPRINGFIELD — Springfield City Councilor Michael Fenton has announced that he will run against incumbent Tara Jacobs to represent Western Massachusetts on the Governor’s Council.

The Governor’s Council is an influential body that reviews judicial appointments and advocates for the state’s judicial infrastructure needs.

The Governor’s Council is a body of eight members, presided over by the lieutenant governor. The council meets once a week to consent on the governor’s choice of judges, clerk magistrates and members of the Parole, Appellate Tax, Industrial Accident and Industrial Accident Reviewing boards, as well as public administrators, notaries and justices of the peace. Governor’s Council members also advise the governor on major outlays from the state treasury, such as building courthouses, and on pardons and commutations.

“The Governor’s Council is really a check on the governor,” Fenton said. “It’s the perfect complement of my skill set. This position really needs someone who has legal training to scrutinize judicial appointments.”

Fenton has been an attorney for 17 years, most recently with Shatz, Schwartz and Fentin. He is also a professor at Western New England University School of Law. He added that his 14 years spent on the City Council have provided him with the experience to thoroughly vet decisions based on facts and information.

For Fenton, reviewing the governor’s selection of judges is among the most consequential decisions. The process of being named a judge is “rigorous and invasive,” he said. “It is deemed by many to be the highest accomplishment of an attorney.”

He said candidates must demonstrate that they have the “highest ethical standards, the appropriate demeanor” and the requisite background. “Life-changing moments happen in these courtrooms,” Fenton said.

Because the districts are population-based, District 8 is the largest geographical district, consisting of 102 cities and towns west of Palmer.

Fenton said the Governor’s Council provides “a chance to elevate Western Massachusetts people to more positions.” Fenton said no current members of the state Supreme Judicial Court, the Appellate Tax Board or the Parole Board hail from Western Massachusetts.

“The council should be doing more than just reacting,” Fenton said. “They should be recruiting members of the bar, so vacancies don’t occur, or if they do, they are as short as possible.”

As a member of the Governor’s Council, Fenton said, “Investing in our judicial infrastructure would be a top priority.” He referenced the courthouses in Pittsfield and Springfield as just two of those in need of review. Particularly close to home for Fenton is the replacement for the Roderick L. Ireland Courthouse, Springfield’s district court.

“When I ran for this position four years ago, it was a campaign issue. We still don’t have a site. We deserve a first-class hall of justice for Hampden County,” Fenton said. “For a while, the state refused to acknowledge there was a problem with the Springfield courthouse. Meanwhile, people are going to work in a sick building.”

Fenton said there are also smaller courthouses that should also be reviewed, including ones in Chicopee and Northampton. Aside from courthouses, he said, “If there are large projects that have gone unfunded — roads, bridges — I could use the position’s proximity to the governor to advocate for that.”

For Fenton, the position in Boston would be all about Western Massachusetts. He said, “If the Governor’s Council isn’t going to advocate for this, who will?”