By Max Bowen-max.bowen@northstarreporter.com
Adam Scanlon’s first term as state representative won’t begin until January, but he’s decided to get a head start on the role.
At the Nov. 9 Town Council meeting, Scanlon announced he would step down from his seat to focus on preparing to represent the 14th Bristol District. His last meeting with the council will be Nov. 23 for a tax classification hearing. Scanlon has participated in this before, and after speaking with Council President Keith Lapointe, decided he would do so again.
“In these types of situations you can get a lot of information up to the hour for these,” he said.
Scanlon was elected to succeed State Rep. Betty Poirier [R-North Attleborough], defeating fellow Town Councilor John Simmons by more than 1,600 votes. Poirier has held the position for more than 20 years, announcing in April that she would not run for re-election.
A former member of the School Committee and Town Meeting Representative, Scanlon received endorsements from a number of local and state officials, as well as many different organizations. Since last week, Scanlon has been meeting with local officials to learn more about the needs of the district, as well as other state officials to see where their goals align.
“I’ve already spoken to one [state rep] to talk about transportation improvements,” said Scanlon. “I’m understanding the house rules and seeing what the first 100 days will look like.”
With Scanlon stepping down, his seat on the council would need to be filled by the runner-up in the June 2019 Special Election, Michael Bedard, who received the most votes after the nine council members. If Bedard doesn’t accept the role, it will proceed in that order until someone accepts. Scanlon said this added time will give the new member a better view of the council’s role so they can decide if they want to run in the Town Election.
“This allows me to focus on other initiatives during the transition period,” said Scanlon.
