Ron Strider
Well-Known Member
Sen. Jennifer Flanagan of Leominster is expected to deliver her letter of resignation Thursday, one day after Gov. Charlie Baker announced the veteran Statehouse lawmaker as his appointment to the state's newly formed Cannabis Control Commission.
Although Flanagan, a 41-year-old Democrat, voted against the ballot measure legalizing adult recreational marijuana use, she said her focus now will establishing rules governing the state's newest industry.
"The people have spoken, just as they do on every ballot measure. ... (W)e need to look forward not backwards," Flanagan told the Sentinel & Enterprise Wednesday at her Leominster office. "It's here, it was passed by the voters, so we need to address it. We need to do it responsibly in the way that's right for Massachusetts."
During her tenure in the Legislature, Flanagan focused on mental-health and substance-abuse issues. She said such experience is crucial for a regulator writing rules governing substances.
"Public health in general needs to be factored in," she said. "I think it's important that somebody with a mental health/substance use background be part of the conversation."
Flanagan dismissed claims that her initial vote against legalization precludes her from regluating the industry, saying, "There's going to be a lot of questions about me. I've taken a lot of votes. I've said a lot of things, but the reality is, the job at hand is to make sure we do this right.
Sen. Jennifer Flanagan of Leominster will resign her seat effective Aug. 31 to become Gov. Charlie Baker's appointee to the state's Cannabis Control Commission, the governor announced Wednesday.
Sen. Jennifer Flanagan of Leominster will resign her seat effective Aug. 31 to become Gov. Charlie Baker's appointee to the state's Cannabis Control Commission, the governor announced Wednesday.
Sen. Jennifer Flanagan of Leominster will resign her seat effective Aug. 31 to become Gov. Charlie Baker's appointee to the state's Cannabis Control Commission, the governor announced Wednesday.
Baker commended Flanagan in a statement, saying her "experience and service will be invaluable to the Cannabis Control Commission.
"As a member of the Legislature, Senator Flanagan has been a champion and important partner with us on bipartisan efforts to enact comprehensive legislation around substance use prevention, treatment and recovery," said Baker.
Flanagan said she is also looking forward to her new role.
"I am honored to have been chosen as Governor Baker's appointee to the Cannabis Control Commission and I am grateful for the trust he has placed in me," she said. "I look forward to serving on the commission as Massachusetts moves forward in responsibly regulating this new industry."
With many years of representing North Central Massachusetts communities, first in the House and then in the Senate, local officials contacted Wednesday had high praise for her commitment dedication.
Flanagan, who earned a master's degree in mental health counseling from Fitchburg State University, served four years in the House before being elected to the Senate in 2008 to represent the Worcester and Middlesex District.
Fitchburg State President Emeritus Robert Antonucci said Flanagan's training as a counselor and her role crafting legislation to address the opioid epidemic makes her a natural appointee of Baker's, a Republican.
"The governor recognized her skills and her competency rather than her political party; it wasn't a partisan appointment. ... (T)hat didn't enter the picture," he said. "What entered the picture I think was her background in the health-related fields."
Senate President Stanley Rosenberg offered high praise to Flanagan, and Baker for his choice.
"Senator Flanagan is an excellent choice to serve on the Cannabis Control Commission," said Rosenberg, an Amherst Democrat. "Her academic, professional and legislative experience make her eminently qualified to serve. And, she's tough but fair, and her integrity is beyond reproach. Well done, Governor Baker!"
The Act to Ensure Safe Access to Marijuana, signed by Baker on July 28, calls for a five-member Cannabis Control Commission appointed by the governor, the treasurer and attorney general, with the treasurer designating the chair of the panel.
According to the law, commissioners are paid about $120,000, three-fourths annual salary of the secretary of Administration and Finance, which is currently at $161,000. The commission chair receives a salary equal to the Administration and Finance secretary.
In the Senate she was the chair of the Mental Health and Substance Abuse Committee; Children, Families, and Persons with Disabilities Committee; and the Special Senate Committee on Opioids, which helped craft legislation to tackle the state's opioid crisis.
"Her experience and service will be invaluable to the Cannabis Control Commission and to the people of Massachusetts as the Commission, our administration, the Treasurer, Attorney General, lawmakers, educators and public health and safety professionals work together to ensure the effective, responsible and safe implementation of the adult use of marijuana in the Commonwealth," said Baker in the statement.
Flanagan's appointment is the first of the five that must be named by Aug. 31 by the Attorney General Maura Healey, state Treasurer Deborah Goldberg and Baker.
Healey is responsible for appointing a member with a background in public safety, while Goldberg must choose a member that has experience in corporate management, finance and securities.
The two additional CCC members will be appointed by a majority vote of the governor, attorney general and treasurer. Of those two, according to the statute, one will have professional experience in oversight or industry management, including commodities, production or distribution in a regulated industry and the other one will have a background in legal, policy or social justice issues related to a regulated industry.
Goldberg will appoint the chair of the commission, according to statute.
Baker, Goldberg and Healey have already made five appointments each to the Cannabis Advisory Board, which will make recommendations to the commission.
Under the law, commission members serve five-year terms and may be reappointed to a second term but may not serve more than 10 years.
Before being elected to the Legislature, she was an aide for state Rep. Mary Jane Simmons.
Flanagan also earned a bachelor's degree in political science from UMass Boston.
After decades on Beacon Hill, Flanagan said she's eager to embrace a new challenge.
"It's been 21 years that I've been" at the Statehouse, Flanagan said. "I've met a lot of great people I've done a lot of good things, and it was certainly something to think about, but I think the opportunity that came along was one that I really wanted to embrace and challenge myself with."
News Moderator: Ron Strider 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Sen. Flanagan resigning to join cannabis panel - Lowell Sun Online
Author: Amanda Burke
Contact: Contact Us - Lowell Sun Online
Photo Credit: Facebook
Website: Breaking News, Sports, Weather, Traffic - Lowell Sun Online
Although Flanagan, a 41-year-old Democrat, voted against the ballot measure legalizing adult recreational marijuana use, she said her focus now will establishing rules governing the state's newest industry.
"The people have spoken, just as they do on every ballot measure. ... (W)e need to look forward not backwards," Flanagan told the Sentinel & Enterprise Wednesday at her Leominster office. "It's here, it was passed by the voters, so we need to address it. We need to do it responsibly in the way that's right for Massachusetts."
During her tenure in the Legislature, Flanagan focused on mental-health and substance-abuse issues. She said such experience is crucial for a regulator writing rules governing substances.
"Public health in general needs to be factored in," she said. "I think it's important that somebody with a mental health/substance use background be part of the conversation."
Flanagan dismissed claims that her initial vote against legalization precludes her from regluating the industry, saying, "There's going to be a lot of questions about me. I've taken a lot of votes. I've said a lot of things, but the reality is, the job at hand is to make sure we do this right.
Sen. Jennifer Flanagan of Leominster will resign her seat effective Aug. 31 to become Gov. Charlie Baker's appointee to the state's Cannabis Control Commission, the governor announced Wednesday.
Sen. Jennifer Flanagan of Leominster will resign her seat effective Aug. 31 to become Gov. Charlie Baker's appointee to the state's Cannabis Control Commission, the governor announced Wednesday.
Sen. Jennifer Flanagan of Leominster will resign her seat effective Aug. 31 to become Gov. Charlie Baker's appointee to the state's Cannabis Control Commission, the governor announced Wednesday.
Baker commended Flanagan in a statement, saying her "experience and service will be invaluable to the Cannabis Control Commission.
"As a member of the Legislature, Senator Flanagan has been a champion and important partner with us on bipartisan efforts to enact comprehensive legislation around substance use prevention, treatment and recovery," said Baker.
Flanagan said she is also looking forward to her new role.
"I am honored to have been chosen as Governor Baker's appointee to the Cannabis Control Commission and I am grateful for the trust he has placed in me," she said. "I look forward to serving on the commission as Massachusetts moves forward in responsibly regulating this new industry."
With many years of representing North Central Massachusetts communities, first in the House and then in the Senate, local officials contacted Wednesday had high praise for her commitment dedication.
Flanagan, who earned a master's degree in mental health counseling from Fitchburg State University, served four years in the House before being elected to the Senate in 2008 to represent the Worcester and Middlesex District.
Fitchburg State President Emeritus Robert Antonucci said Flanagan's training as a counselor and her role crafting legislation to address the opioid epidemic makes her a natural appointee of Baker's, a Republican.
"The governor recognized her skills and her competency rather than her political party; it wasn't a partisan appointment. ... (T)hat didn't enter the picture," he said. "What entered the picture I think was her background in the health-related fields."
Senate President Stanley Rosenberg offered high praise to Flanagan, and Baker for his choice.
"Senator Flanagan is an excellent choice to serve on the Cannabis Control Commission," said Rosenberg, an Amherst Democrat. "Her academic, professional and legislative experience make her eminently qualified to serve. And, she's tough but fair, and her integrity is beyond reproach. Well done, Governor Baker!"
The Act to Ensure Safe Access to Marijuana, signed by Baker on July 28, calls for a five-member Cannabis Control Commission appointed by the governor, the treasurer and attorney general, with the treasurer designating the chair of the panel.
According to the law, commissioners are paid about $120,000, three-fourths annual salary of the secretary of Administration and Finance, which is currently at $161,000. The commission chair receives a salary equal to the Administration and Finance secretary.
In the Senate she was the chair of the Mental Health and Substance Abuse Committee; Children, Families, and Persons with Disabilities Committee; and the Special Senate Committee on Opioids, which helped craft legislation to tackle the state's opioid crisis.
"Her experience and service will be invaluable to the Cannabis Control Commission and to the people of Massachusetts as the Commission, our administration, the Treasurer, Attorney General, lawmakers, educators and public health and safety professionals work together to ensure the effective, responsible and safe implementation of the adult use of marijuana in the Commonwealth," said Baker in the statement.
Flanagan's appointment is the first of the five that must be named by Aug. 31 by the Attorney General Maura Healey, state Treasurer Deborah Goldberg and Baker.
Healey is responsible for appointing a member with a background in public safety, while Goldberg must choose a member that has experience in corporate management, finance and securities.
The two additional CCC members will be appointed by a majority vote of the governor, attorney general and treasurer. Of those two, according to the statute, one will have professional experience in oversight or industry management, including commodities, production or distribution in a regulated industry and the other one will have a background in legal, policy or social justice issues related to a regulated industry.
Goldberg will appoint the chair of the commission, according to statute.
Baker, Goldberg and Healey have already made five appointments each to the Cannabis Advisory Board, which will make recommendations to the commission.
Under the law, commission members serve five-year terms and may be reappointed to a second term but may not serve more than 10 years.
Before being elected to the Legislature, she was an aide for state Rep. Mary Jane Simmons.
Flanagan also earned a bachelor's degree in political science from UMass Boston.
After decades on Beacon Hill, Flanagan said she's eager to embrace a new challenge.
"It's been 21 years that I've been" at the Statehouse, Flanagan said. "I've met a lot of great people I've done a lot of good things, and it was certainly something to think about, but I think the opportunity that came along was one that I really wanted to embrace and challenge myself with."
News Moderator: Ron Strider 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Sen. Flanagan resigning to join cannabis panel - Lowell Sun Online
Author: Amanda Burke
Contact: Contact Us - Lowell Sun Online
Photo Credit: Facebook
Website: Breaking News, Sports, Weather, Traffic - Lowell Sun Online
