Voters in the state’s largest Senate district, which covers 57 towns and cities in Berkshire, Hampden, Franklin and Hampshire counties, have a choice between Democratic incumbent state Sen. Paul Mark and Republican David Rosa in this year’s election.
The district includes Southwick and many of the Hilltowns, including Blandford, Chester, Chesterfield, Cummington, Goshen, Granville, Huntington, Otis, Tolland, Westhampton, Whately, Williamsburg and Worthington. Mark, who had previously been a state representative in Berkshire County, is running for re-election after his first two-year term in the Senate.
Reminder Publishing submitted photo
Reminder Publishing reached out to both candidates, but despite several emails and telephone calls, Mark did not respond.
His opponent, Rosa, 70, is from Dighton — a southeastern Massachusetts town that is not part of the district. Rosa is a retired Defense Department employee, and a veteran of both the U.S. Air Force and the Massachusetts Army National Guard, retiring at the rank of captain. He has been married to his wife, Zita, for 48 years, is a former Dighton Parks and Recreation commissioner and was a longtime member on the board of the Taunton River Watershed Alliance.
Asked about his background, he compared his service in Operation Iraqi Freedom to the decision made by Democratic vice presidential candidate Tim Walz, who Rosa said resigned from the military “at the first sign of real trouble,” before his own unit deployed overseas.
Like Walz, he has worked as a high school teacher — in mathematics.
He said his work experience includes managing government contracts and keeping within a budget. He also pointed to his “several terms” as an elected member of the parks commission in his hometown.
Reminder Publishing submitted photo
He ran for Congress in a southeastern Massachusetts district in 2016, losing by a margin of 70-30 to Democrat Joseph Kennedy III. He also ran losing campaigns for southeastern Massachusetts seats in the state Senate in 2014, as a Republican, and U.S. representative in 2012 and 2000, as an independent.
Rosa said he has drafted a bill to change Chapter 40B, the state law that encourages cities and towns to develop more affordable housing. He did not provide specifics of what changes his bill would make.
Another of his priorities is changing the state’s approach to housing people who need emergency shelter, many of whom are immigrants.
“I hope to put a spotlight on Gov. Maura Healey’s gross misappropriation of over a billion dollars of hard-earned taxpayer dollars,” he said. “These tax dollars were paid by liberals, conservatives, rich and poor alike. None of this misappropriated/stolen money helped the poor in Pittsfield or achieved liberal or conservative goals. It was channeled into the hands of big corporate hotel chains and foreigners from across the globe. If this isn’t actually a crime, it is certainly morally bankrupt. No party puppet Democrat raised their voice against this abusive behavior. One must ask why?”
He said Mark is part of “the corrupt one-party system” that “continues to heap its misguided tax-heavy plans on the people of Massachusetts.”
Rosa said his campaign strategy is “to continue to be there for the voters so they can make a choice to free themselves from abusive Democrat one-party rule. To provide that voice for fiscal justice and real representation? Let’s bring our tax dollars back to the district to build the better future we have worked for and deserve!”
Sen. Mark
Mark was first sent to Beacon Hill when the 2nd Berkshire District elected him as its state representative in 2010. He was re-elected five times.
In 2022, he won election to an open seat in the state Senate, defeating a primary election opponent and a general election opponent.
A former lineman for Bell Atlantic and Verizon, Mark is a practicing lawyer with law degrees from Suffolk University and Northeastern University.
His reelection website touts his advocacy for progressive, working-class issues.
According to his website, as an elected official, Paul has pushed Medicare-for-all; higher education funding reform, student debt relief, and additional funding for vocational programs across the state; solutions to combat the climate crisis while providing good paying jobs for our communities; and ensuring that Western Massachusetts has access to affordable transportation and high-speed broadband internet.
