About Barry Finegold

Barry Finegold is part of the next generation of Massachusetts leaders making the bold choices that will move our state and nation forward.

Barry was elected State Senator for the 2nd Essex and Middlesex district in 2010. His district includes the communities of Andover, Dracut, Lawrence and Tewksbury.

From the beginning of his career as an Andover Selectmen at age 24, State Representative at age 25, and then election as State Senator, Barry has been an independent and principled voice, even when it wasn’t politically popular or it meant standing up to politics-as-usual.

Barry is exactly the kind of leader we need as our State Senator in the 2nd Essex and Middlesex District. He is working to revitalize the Merrimack Valley by attracting high technology businesses that create jobs and protect our environment.

During his tenure on Beacon Hill, Barry has earned a reputation for hard work, tenacity and results by taking the lead on critical issues such as:

  • A bipartisan effort with Senate Minority Leader Bruce Tarr to freeze the unemployment insurance rate, saving small businesses over $200 per employee.
  • Securing $631,000 in public safety funding for the City of Lawrence to re-hire police officers in 2011. Seven officers were able to return to work to increase patrols throughout the city thanks to these funds.
  • Fighting for our community hospitals such as Lawrence and Lowell General Hospitals during the debate on health care cost containment, getting amendments passed which ensured that these hospitals will have a seat at the table on the commissions that will be making health care cost decisions going forward.
  • Ethics Reform to provide for increased responsibility and transparency across state government.  Among other measures, this comprehensive legislation tightened rules on gifts given to public officials, expanded the definition of “lobbyist” and the disclosure requirements that lobbyists are subject to, and increased the penalties for the violations of lobbying laws and other ethics laws.
  • In 2009, in response to a terrible ice storm that knocked out power for many for as much as two weeks, Barry created landmark legislation to protect consumers by increasing the accountability of our public utilities.  Crucial protections for our communities have been lacking for far too long - and this law provides much-needed safeguards for our communities by giving the state the authority hold utilities accountable if they do not respond adequately to an outage.
  • The Safe Haven Act, made permanent as Massachusetts law in August 2007, establishes designated locations, such as emergency rooms or fire and police stations, where a parent can leave their newborn if they are unable to properly care for the child.
  • The 2010 Act Relative to the Achievement Gap which expands access to charter schools and creates powerful tools to help local and state officials turn around failing schools.  This Act also establishes Innovation Schools; in-district charter schools developed and managed at the local level to add autonomy and flexibility in how schools meet the state’s high educational standards.
  • Nursing home reforms to protect our seniors and securing funding to make Massachusetts one of the first states to establish a consumer report card on nursing homes.
  • Senator Finegold helped fight for a comprehensive Rules package to improve our government, limit the power of entrenched interests and make it more responsive to our families.
  • As co-chair of the North East Solid Waste Committee, Finegold secured $54 million to assist communities throughout the Merrimack Valley such as Dracut, Andover, and Tewksbury to address increasing costs of waste disposal. This funding helped towns and cities meet environmental regulations and implement clean air technology upgrades at power plants.

In 1999, Finegold won the Kennedy School Fenn Award for Political Leadership for his leadership in bringing together legislators and officials from New Hampshire and Massachusetts to address the traffic problems on I-93. His efforts led to the opening of the breakdown lane during rush hours, which greatly reduced congestion during peak commuting hours.

Finegold learned the value of hard work and education from his parents: his mother taught for 33 years in the Andover Public Schools and his father taught 33 years at Northern Essex Community College in Haverhill. Barry attended both the Andover and Tewksbury public schools and graduated from Franklin and Marshall College.Taking classes at night, Senator Finegold graduated from the Massachusetts School of Law in Andover and was admitted to the Massachusetts Bar in 1998. He is presently a partner with the law firm of Dalton & Finegold, LLP. Finegold also holds a Masters in Public Administration from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.

In his first term, Senator Finegold is serving as the Senate Chair of the Joint Committee on Election Laws.

While a member of the House, Finegold was a member of the House Committee on Ways and Means and the Joint Committee on Economic Development and Emerging Technologies among others. He also served as the Vice Chair of the Joint Committee on the Judiciary, and the House Chair of the Joint Committee on Telecommunications, Utilities and Energy.

Barry, his wife Amy, and three children, Ava, Ella and Max, live in Andover, MA.