max.bowen@northstareporter.com
With the November election only weeks away, Tamisha Civil said that voters can expect her to take every opportunity to hear their stories.
Civil, of Stoughton, is running for the vacant District 2 seat of the state’s Governor’s Council. She defeated fellow Democratic candidates Sean Murphy, Muriel Kramer and David Reservitz to earn the party’s nomination in the September primary. She now goes on to face Republican candidate Francis T. Crimmins, Jr., who ran unopposed for his party’s nomination.
“I want to thank the voters for putting their trust in me,” wrote Civil in response to questions sent by the Reporter. “This is really a dream come true. I’m proud to have spent my life fighting injustice, whether it was serving as a legal advocate for a domestic violence shelter or reducing recidivism as an Associate Probation Officer.”
Civil said she was grateful to her opponents for running “such great campaigns” and believe that the voters resonated with her message, in particular, her cousin’s story.
“My family has experienced the other side of a criminal justice system, where my cousin was wrongfully convicted of murder,” Civil said in a previous interview. “And he spent 27 years in jail and was exonerated from those charges in 2021.”
Civil said that too many people feel left behind by the system and are demanding change, and her campaign is about advocating for that.
The Massachusetts Governor’s Council, also known as the Executive Council, is composed of eight individuals elected from districts, and the lieutenant governor who serves ex officio, according to the state’s web site. The eight councilors are elected from their respective districts every two years. District 2 includes North Attleborough.
The council meets weekly to record advice and consent on warrants for the state treasury, pardons and commutations, and recording advice and consent to gubernatorial appointments such as judges, clerk-magistrates, public administrators, members of the Parole Board, Appellate Tax Board, Industrial Accident Board and Industrial Accident Reviewing Board, notaries, and justices of the peace.
In the past, Civil cited her experience as a strong factor in her candidacy. This includes her 10 years with the Massachusetts Trial Court, working as an associate probation officer with the Massachusetts Probation Services, and the Suffolk County District Attorney’s office as a victim witness advocate.
Civil said she has had the chance to speak with her Republican opponent and described the encounter as “civil” and “cordial.”
“I will run my campaign and let him run his. Here’s what I will say: this election is about the values we want for our district,” she said. “At a time when reproductive healthcare is under attack nationwide, voters are looking for someone who will protect our rights here in Massachusetts. At a time when so many are struggling with addiction, we need a candidate who will ensure judges treat addiction as a mental health issue, not as a crime. I am the only candidate in this race who has promised to only vote for pro-choice judges who emphasize recovery and recidivism. This November, we need to elect Democrats up and down the ballot to protect our rights and prove we won’t go back.”
