Meet Mara Dolan, Candidate For MA Governor's Council District 3

BROOKLINE, MA — Public Defender Mara Dolan is running for the Massachusetts Governor’s Council, District 3, which includes Brookline, Newton, Waltham, and Arlington among its 32 cities and towns. Patch caught up with Dolan to hear more about her campaign and what the Governor’s Council does.

The Governor's Council is made up of eight elected Councilors who vet and vote on judicial nominations, commutations and pardons, and members of the Parole Board. According to Dolan, voting for members of the Governor’s Council is a very empowering because residents have a direct say in who will appoint these legal officials.

“The campaign has been great so far because when voters learn that they have a say in those decisions, they’re really excited about it,” Dolan said. “A big part of my campaign is democracy education.”

Dolan said she is prepared and qualified for this role due to her 15 years of experience working in the court system every day, something that separates her from incumbent Marilyn Petito Devaney.

“I’ve worked in courts in Lawrence, Springfield, and Worcester, I’ve worked in superior, district and juvenile courts, and I’ve represented clients getting ready for hearings,” Dolan said. “I think it’s essential to this position that [we elect] someone who is in our court system. Unless you’re in the court system and seeing what’s happening, you have no way of knowing what’s going on."

Dolan said one thing she is passionate about changing in Massachusetts is the record high opioid crisis, a tragedy she watches constantly in the courts.

“A lot of folks who suffer from substance use disorder wind up in our court system,” she said. It’s expensive, doesn’t work, and can make recovery harder. The most perilous thing is prisons that don’t provide methadone to inmates who need methadone maintenance.”

And the best advice Dolan has ever received? It came from an attorney who was working with her on her first case.

“The attorney said to me, ‘Remember the only thing between your client and the awesome power of the state is you,’ and I feel the same way about being a Governor’s Councilor.”

The Democratic primary will take place on September 6. For more information on Dolan's campaign, go to MaraDolan.com.