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Boston Herald
Boston Herald
22 May 2023
Chris Van Buskirk


NextImg:Anne Gobi leaving Senate to serve as rural affairs director in Healey administration

Sen. Anne Gobi, a fifth-term state senator from Spencer, plans to leave her legislative position in June to serve as the director of rural affairs for Gov. Maura Healey, according to a source familiar with the search.

Healey announced the new post in March, pitching it as a way to ensure that rural communities in Massachusetts are better represented in state government. The role will be housed under the Executive Office of Economic Development and responsible “for cultivating rural economic development.”

Gobi plans to assume the new role on June 5 and step down from her Senate post the day before, according to the source.

Filling Gobi’s seat at that point in the legislative session would require a special election for the Worcester and Hampshire Senate district. In her bid for reelection in November, Gobi beat out Republican challenger James Amorello by more than 5,000 votes.

The Healey administration previously said the rural affairs director will be tasked with conducting a review of all state grant opportunities to ensure that “barriers for rural and small towns are mitigated.”

“They will also be instructed to host dedicated office hours for rural towns to receive technical assistance to identify and explore grant opportunities,” the administration said in a statement announcing the post.

In a March statement, Healey said the rural affairs director represents the first time a staff member is dedicated to “coordinating across state government to support economic development.”

“We want to send a clear message to every single person who calls rural Massachusetts home – we see you, we value you, and we’re going to work every day to ensure you have the representation and support you deserve,” Healey said.

Gobi co-chairs the Legislature’s Agriculture Committee