Civil, Crimmins compete for Governor’s Council seat

Milton and Canton residents will help decide who sits on the Massachusetts Governor’s Council when they vote Tuesday, Nov. 3.

Both towns fall within District 2, one of three contested council seats on the statewide ballot. Incumbent Democrat Tamisha Civil faces Republican Francis T. Crimmins Jr., according to the state’s official candidate list.

The Governor’s Council is a colonial-era body that checks the power of the executive branch. Its eight elected members confirm judges, approve pardons and commutations, and sign off on Parole Board appointments, according to the council’s official website. Members serve two-year terms with no term limits.

Republican gubernatorial nominee Mike Minogue said he plans to govern without a lieutenant governor after his running mate suspended his campaign, CommonWealth Beacon reported. Under the Massachusetts Constitution, the governor presides over the council, with the lieutenant governor presiding in the governor’s absence.

The candidates

Civil, a Democrat from Stoughton, is the incumbent. The Franklin Observer reported she is the first woman of color elected to the District 2 seat. A former associate probation officer and victim-witness advocate, Civil has said her work is personally motivated by her cousin’s wrongful 27-year imprisonment before his exoneration in 2021, according to the Franklin Observer.

Her stated priorities include confirming judicial nominees who support reproductive rights, take a public-health approach to substance use and are committed to dismantling systemic injustice across Massachusetts.

Crimmins, also from Stoughton, is a former Massachusetts District Court judge. He spent 17½ years on the bench, including service as first justice of Stoughton District Court, according to his campaign website.

His campaign emphasizes independent scrutiny of nominees’ qualifications, temperament, integrity and judgment. He says his evaluations would consider public safety, fairness, constitutional rights and respect for the law.

District 2 communities

District 2 stretches across dozens of communities south and west of Boston. Along with Milton and Canton, it includes Brockton, Framingham, Natick, Needham, Randolph, Stoughton, Franklin, Attleboro and North Attleborough, among others.