Sen. Joseph Boncore, who has served in the First Middlesex and Suffolk District senate seat since 2016, announced last week that he will be resigning from his position. He will be submitting his official letter of resignation this week.
Boncore is leaving the Senate to become the new chief executive officer at the Massachusetts Biotechnology Council (MassBio).
“I’m excited to start this new chapter in my life, but I’m a little sad to close the chapter of my life as an elected official,” said Boncore. “I really loved serving the people of Winthrop, Revere, Cambridge, and Boston for the last five and a half years in the State Senate. But I’m excited to join MassBio and work in a thriving industry that’s had tremendous growth over the last decade. I really look forward to taking this organization to the next level.
“As many people are aware, I’ve had the experience with my twin boys, who were born severely prematurely, to see firsthand the impact that the life science industry can have on patients and patients’ families across the Commonwealth, so it just seemed the right time for me to take my advocacy skills and move on to advocate for patients in Massachusetts and across the country” said Boncore.
Boncore won a special election for the Senate seat in May, 2016. He put together an impressive record of accomplishments in the State while rising through the ranks to a leadership position as the Senate Chair of the Joint Committee on transportation.
“I’ve had an incredible opportunity to get a lot accomplished with the entire Senate and Senate President Karen Spilka, for issues that were near and dear to my heart like criminal justice reform and housing affordability and finding a way to deal with the transportation infrastructure woes that have plagued the Commonwealth.”
Boncore said he what he will most about his work as a senator is the constituent services “and dealing with constituents that I’ve grown to know and love in a lot of cases over the past 5 ½ years.”
“I think any elected official will tell you that there’s no better feeling that being able to help people in their time of need,” said Boncore.
He thanked his colleagues in state government in the district, including former House Speaker Robert A. DeLeo, and State Reps. Jeffrey Turco and Jessica Giannino, Adrian Madaro and Aaron Michlewitz for their support and teamwork.
“It’s been a pleasure to not only represent the constituents, but having the opportunity to serve on Senate President Spilka’s leadership team and work with that team on policy issues and driving the Commonwealth forward,” said Boncore.
Finally, he expressed his appreciation to his father, current Winthrop Town Council President Philip Boncore. “My father has obviously had a long career in public service and in some ways he guided me into a life of serving and helping others,” said Boncore. “That’s what piqued my interest to run for the State Senate, and that’s what got me to a position where I’m able to take the next step in my life and help so many patients. Patient advocacy is really at the core of the job I’ll be doing, and I’m looking forward to doing it, and I guess, in the image of my father that he set out for me. Helping people has always been something that’s been ingrained in me since I was a child.”