Kate Lipper-Garabedian Announces State Representative Run

MELROSE, MA — Kate Lipper-Garabedian, fresh off a landslide re-election to the Melrose City Council, announced her intentions to run for the state representative seat soon to be vacated by the city's incoming mayor.

She is the first to publicly announce her intentions to run for Paul Brodeur's seat in the 32d Middlesex District.

Multiple officials in Melrose have privately weighed running but wanted to see how the field played out. Lipper-Garabedian, buoyed by a re-election to her at-large seat that saw her receive just 215 fewer votes of Brodeur himself, wasted little time.

Brodeur is expected to resign from the State House within days. He will be sworn in as Melrose mayor this week.

"I’ve dedicated my career to working on issues that matter in the region, like public education along with safe streets, vibrant commercial districts, sustainability, and smart investment of public dollars," Lipper-Garabedian said in a press release Tuesday evening. "Melrose has gained an excellent Mayor-Elect in Paul Brodeur, but our region has lost a strong advocate at the State House."

Lipper-Garabedian is the Chief Legal Counsel at the Massachusetts Executive Office of Education. Last week she rolled to her second term as an at-large City Councilor, netting 5,859 votes.

She has been a public school middle school teacher and worked in education and the legal system since graduating from Harvard Law.

"With my experience in City Council, state government, and the classroom, I will ensure that the 32nd Middlesex District is represented by someone who believes passionately about the role government can play in supporting individuals and their families, by someone who listens carefully and works hard for her constituents, and by someone who will get things done," she said.

The 32d Middlesex District spans all of Melrose, Precinct 5-2 in Malden and Precincts 4, 5 and 6 in Wakefield.

>>>Read: Kate Lipper-Garabedian Goes From Learner To Leader On Council

"On his deathbed, the late Congressman John D. Dingell shared, ‘In a democratic government, electedofficials do not have power. They hold power - in trust for the people who elected them,'" Lipper-Garabedian said. "That principle is front of mind for me today. It will remain so as we move forward together and build on our collective work to date."