Planning Council Names Rep. Walsh Legislator of the Year

The Metropolitan Area Planning Council has named State Rep. Chris Walsh, a Democrat who serves Framingham, as its “Legislator of the Year” for his work championing critical funding for transportation, trails and other smart growth projects west of Boston.

Rep. Walsh, who has represented the 6th Middlesex District since 2010, will receive the 2015 Legislator of the Year award at the Council’s Annual Meeting today, May 27 at 9 a.m. the Salem Waterfront Hotel.

Rep. Walsh, an architect, has worked with the Metropolitan Area Planning Council as lead House sponsor of the agency’s regional transportation ballot initiatives, and helped secure funding to construct public walking trails atop MWRA-owned aqueducts stretching across MetroWest.

“Representative Walsh has been a consistent champion for smart growth principles in the Legislature, and we are extremely pleased to be honoring him with this award,” said MAPC Executive Director Marc Draisen, in a statement.

“I am honored to be named the MAPC Legislator of the year,” said Walsh. “I look forward to continuing to work with MAPC on innovative transportation issues and smart growth initiatives in the future.”

A graduate of the Portsmouth Abbey School in Rhode Island, Rep. Walsh received a B.A. from the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) in 1982 and is a registered architect and owner of Chris Walsh & Company Architects in Framingham.

Before election to the House, he served on Framingham Town Meeting, the Framingham Historical Society, and the Framingham Historic District Commission.

Walsh is an elected member of the Framingham Library Trustees.