Representative Quinn to run for Sheriff

Here is his press release

Quinn Announces Candidacy for Bristol County Sheriff

State Representative John F. Quinn (D-Dartmouth) today announced that he will seek the Democratic nomination for Sheriff of Bristol County to challenge the longtime incumbent Republican Thomas Hodgson in the November 2010 election. “The Bristol County House of Correction is spiraling out of control and it is time that Sheriff Hodgson is relieved of his duties,” said Quinn. “Now more than ever it is time for new management and new leadership. It is time to pull back the curtains and let the light shine on the irresponsible practices that are currently occurring in the Sheriff’s office.”
Quinn is currently serving in the Massachusetts State Legislature representing the 9th Bristol District which includes the towns of Dartmouth, Freetown and Lakeville, and the City of New Bedford. During his tenure in the House of Representatives, he has been a leader in public safety initiatives, budgeting issues and in bringing transparency and accountability to state government. He has chaired the House Banking Committee, was Vice-Chairman of the Judiciary Committee and a member of the Committee on Post Audit and Oversight. Quinn is currently a ranking member of the Ways and Means Committee and has vast experience and knowledge of the budgeting process. He will bring this experience to the office of Bristol County Sheriff, stating that “for too long there has been gross financial mismanagement in which public safety has taken a back seat to public relations and I vow to reverse that trend.”
As examples of this financial mismanagement, Quinn cites the millions of dollars in ill-spent legal fees and costs of court judgments, sweetheart pension deals for the well connected and Hodgson’s opposition to participating in the consolidation of services with the State despite the fact that it will save millions of dollars a year for the taxpayers of the County and the Commonwealth. “Sheriff Hodgson talks a good game about saving taxpayers’ money but in fact he has squandered millions of taxpayer dollars on frivolous expenses which now puts the County in a perilous financial condition,” said Quinn. “As Sheriff of Bristol County, I will demand that the Office be run in a fiscally responsible manner, making sure that taxpayer dollars are expended solely on appropriate programs and services.”

(more after the jump)

In the area of public safety, Rep. Quinn has been involved in numerous initiatives including his work with Representative Stephen Canessa and Senator Mark Montigny on the creation and continuation of the Shannon anti-crime gang violence grants, which has brought several million dollars to Bristol County communities. He is leading the fight for legislation regarding deceptive weapons, and along with Senator Joan Menard, filed a bill creating a separate offense for an assault with a firearm. However, no public safety issue is more important than the legislation he is fighting for in partnership with District Attorney Samuel Sutter and Representative Antonio Cabral, as well as the entire Bristol County delegation. This legislation would expand the existing dangerousness statute to include more gun and gang crimes under which defendants can be detained pre-trial if the judge considers them a danger to the community.
Quinn has continually stood up against political insiders and the abuse of power during his entire career. He has fought to change the rules of the Legislature in order to dilute the concentration of power in the hands of a select few and was recently acknowledged in the Boston Globe as one of “seven brave souls” who voted not to re-elect indicted former Speaker Salvatore DiMasi despite the political ramifications. Quinn has challenged Boston power brokers by fighting to protect Buzzards Bay from the oil industry and well connected developers. He has also aligned himself with the Fall River delegation against the LNG facility. Currently, Quinn, with the rest of the Bristol County delegation, is engaged in an on-going battle with private law schools in an effort to bring a public law school to the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth. “The decisions I will make as Sheriff will be based on serving and protecting the citizens of Bristol County as a whole and not on benefiting the few,” said Quinn.
With the election a year away, Quinn is well aware that there is much work to be done in his current position in the Legislature. “I am currently focused on doing the job I was elected to do by the people of the 9th Bristol District. We have many difficult economic challenges that we are currently facing and I am fully engaged in helping to address these issues,” said Quinn.
Quinn has an impressive educational background which is well suited for the position of Sheriff of Bristol County, especially with the severe financial mismanagement issues that currently exist. Quinn is a graduate of Dartmouth High School and holds an undergraduate degree in Economics from the University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth. He also holds a J.D. from Suffolk University School of Law and a master’s degree of Public Administration from the prestigious Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. Quinn is married to Jane Kvilhaug Quinn, formerly of Fairhaven, and they are the proud parents of two children, Brendan, age 14 and Emily, age 12.

Mr. Quinn's email address for his campaign is quinnforsheriff@gmail.com
Good luck. John.