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Barry Finegold
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| Member of the Massachusetts Senate from the Second Essex and Middlesex district | |
| Assumed office January 2019 | |
| Preceded by | Barbara L'Italien |
| In office January 5, 2011 – January 7, 2015 | |
| Preceded by | Susan Tucker |
| Succeeded by | Barbara L'Italien |
| Member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives from the 17th Essex district | |
| In office January 1997 – January 5, 2011 | |
| Preceded by | Gary Coon |
| Succeeded by | Paul Adams |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1971-03-03) March 3, 1971 (age 53) Norwood, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Amy Finegold |
| Residence | Andover, Massachusetts |
| Alma mater | Franklin & Marshall College Massachusetts School of Law Harvard University |
| Profession | Attorney |
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Barry R. Finegold (March 3, 1971 in Norwood, Massachusetts[1]) currently serves as a Democratic member of the Massachusetts Senate representing the Second Essex and Middlesex district since 2019. He previously served from January 2011 to January 2015. He is a former state representative of the 17th Essex district in Massachusetts. In January 2014, he announced that he would be a candidate for the Democratic nomination for Treasurer and Receiver-General of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. On September 9, 2014, Finegold lost in the Democratic primary to Deb Goldberg, who was elected Treasurer in November 2014.
Barry Finegold was raised in Andover and Tewksbury with his two sisters. Both of his parents taught in local school systems for 33 years, his mother in the Andover Public Schools, and his father at Northern Essex Community CollegeinHaverhill. Finegold attended both Andover and Tewksbury public schools. He then attended Franklin and Marshall College in Pennsylvania, graduating with a major in government with a business concentration. He went on to graduate from the Massachusetts School of Law in Andover and was admitted to the Massachusetts Bar in 1998. He is a partner with the law firm of Dalton & Finegold, LLP, which specializes in real estate, estate planning, and corporate law. Finegold also holds a Masters in Public Administration from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. He and his wife, Amy, live with their three children Ava, Ella and Max, and their bulldog Otis in Andover.
Finegold was elected to the Andover Board of Selectmen at age 24. A year later, in 1996, he won election to the Massachusetts House of Representatives as a Democrat. He held this position for 11 years, representing the 17th Essex District, consisting of Andover, Tewksbury and Lawrence. In 2010, he won election to the Massachusetts Senate representing the Second Essex and Middlesex District consisting of Andover, Dracut, Lawrence and Tewksbury. In 2012, he was re-elected to the Senate with 65% of the vote. In 2018, Senator Finegold won the seat with 63% of the vote.
During his time on Beacon Hill, Finegold has proposed and enacted numerous pieces of legislation on critical issues, such as:
Since returning to office in January 2019, Senator Finegold has prioritized funding for public education and mental health resources, continued to push for election law reform, and advocated for school safety. In January, Finegold filed the "SAVE Students Act," takes a three-pronged approach to school safety: It would require school districts to establish a threat-assessment training and response program, create an anonymous reporting system run by the state Department of Education, and provide all middle school and high school students with evidence-based education on how to spot warning signs for violence and suicide [3].
In July 2019, he introduced "Conrad's Law," named after Conrad Roy, who died by suicide in July 2014 after being coerced by his girlfriend, Michelle Carter. The bill, filed with Representative Natalie Higgins, was written in collaboration with Northeastern University School of Law Professor Daniel Medwed and is supported by Conrad's parents. It would allow prosecutors to charge defendants who encourage, coerce, or manipulate another person into committing or attempting suicide, despite knowing that the victim previously thought about, considered, or tried to commit suicide; the crime would be punishable with up to five years in prison. [4].
Finegold ran for Massachusetts State Senate in 2010, seeking to represent the Second Essex and Middlesex district. The incumbent, Susan Tucker, was retiring. After winning the Democratic primary election, Finegold faced off against Republican Jamison Tomasek and Tea-Party-endorsed independent candidate Jodi Oberto for the seat. Finegold won the race with strong showings in Andover and Lawrence. He lost the towns of Dracut and Tewksbury by narrow margins.
Finegold won reelection in 2012 against Republican Paul Adams, sweeping every precinct of all four communities [5].
In March 2018, Finegold announced that he was running for the seat he previously held from 2011 to 2015. He won the three-way primary election by 47% defeating Michael Armano (32%) and Pavel Payano (20%) in the primary race and won the general election by a 2-to-1 ratio against Republican Joe Espinola, earning 63% of the vote to Espinola's 37%. [6]
In 1999, Finegold won the Kennedy School Fenn Award for Political Leadership for his leadership in bringing together legislators and officials from New Hampshire and Massachusetts to address the traffic problems on I-93. His efforts led to the opening of the breakdown lane during rush hours, which greatly reduced congestion during peak commuting hours.[4]
In 2003, Finegold was selected as one of the top young Democrats 100 to Watch by the Democratic Leadership Council.
The Massachusetts Alliance on Teen Pregnancy recognized Barry as Legislator of the Year for his efforts to save their programs from drastic budget cuts.
In 2014, Finegold was named a Clean Energy Champion by the New England Clean Energy Council. Clean Energy Champion Awards are presented to Legislators who have consistently taken the lead in advancing clean energy in the Commonwealth. [7]
