max.bowen@northstarreporter.com
With almost 40 years working as a judge in Massachusetts, Francis T. Crimmins Jr. believes he comes very qualified to serve in a role whose duties include vetting those recommended for judgeships.
Crimmins, 68, of Stoughton, is running for the currently vacant District 2 seat on the Governor’s Council in the Nov. 5 election. A Republican, he is running against Democrat Tamisha Civil, of Stoughton. When asked why is seeking the seat, Crimmins said that the “rule of law is under attack” in this country.
He feels that in recent years, people have lost confidence in the judicial branch of the government, due in part to judges making decisions based not on the law itself, but through political and partisan considerations. He seeks to restore that trust through serving on the council.
Crimmins added that during COVID, meetings of the council began to be livestreamed, and he saw little questioning being done of those recommended by the governor for appointments to judgeships.
“And I think that’s one of the big reasons people lose confidence in the system,” he said.
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.
Crimmins has been a member of the bar since 1981 and in 1992, was appointed by then-Gov. William Weld to be an associate justice to the Stoughton District Court with assignments all over eastern Mass. He also served as first justice of the Stoughton Division District Court Department of the Massachusetts Trial Court from 2001 to 2010 and held a position as associate justice of the Appellate Division of the Department of the Trial Court.
In 2022, Crimmins was appointed chairman of the Massachusetts State Ballot Law Commission by then-Gov. Charlie Baker, serving in that capacity until 2024. In addition, he has worked for years in municipal government, as Stoughton Town Manager from 2010-2012 and from 2014-2018 as Avon Town Administrator. He said this work has allowed him to become very familiar with the area of District 2.
“We’re all dealing with the effects of illegal immigration,” Crimmins said. “We’re all dealing with the effects of not funding police adequately. Departments are having a tough time getting people out of the academy just to maintain their levels of service, and we have to hold people accountable that are in the system, and those are the things that make me run for this job.
“I have a breadth of experience that assists somebody who sits on a council with seven other members to make decisions about who are the best people to serve the public in those important positions,” Crimmins said. “What competencies do you need to be in those positions? Does somebody have the right temperament to be a public servant? I’ve done that. I’ve been there.”
Tamisha Civil’s experience includes 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. When asked about his opinion on his opponent, Crimmins said he is running for the council seat, not against a person, but on his qualifications, which he feels have far more depth than Civil’s.
“I don’t care who’s the opponent, but you know, if you compare the records, comparing a record of somebody who’s serving as an associate probation officer in the court with the person who was the first justice of the same court isn’t close,” he said.
When asked about vetting nominations for judges, Crimmins cited the state’s seven trial court departments, and how one needs a different skillset to serve on each and how his own years with the courts have prepared him for that.
“The competency you need to be on a land court is certainly a lot different than what you need to serve well on the probate and family court, so you have to see if the person has the experience of having dealt with the areas that are within the subject matter of that particular court,” he said.
Crimmins added that it’s important to see what a nominee has done to show their commitment to public service and ask questions on that service at the hearing.
“And if I’m fortunate enough to be elected, I will ask those questions for the people in District 2, including the people from the Town of North Attleborough and the 36 other communities that make up District 2, so they will know what type of person is becoming a judge or a collect magistrate,” said Crimmins.
