State Rep. Stanley Won't Run For Waltham City Council Seat

WALTHAM, MA — Tom Stanley has served on the Waltham City Council for over two decades, years before he added the State Representative title to his resume.

However, Rep. Stanley, who serves the 9th Middlesex District in the Massachusetts House, will not seek reelection in Waltham's upcoming elections.

In his decision, Stanley cited a sense that he needed to prioritize state issues amid "the federally induced budget crisis that is looming over Massachusetts."

"Since the Trump Administration took over in January, extreme federal budget cuts to vital agencies, programs and services have been implemented," Stanley said.

He continued:

"Earlier this week, the Trump administration cut $106 million to Massachusetts schools. Last week, the Commonwealth Fund released its report on the serious impact the projected federal cuts will have on Massachusetts. These projections combined with the global Trump tariffs that began on Tuesday, April 1st confirmed the state’s worst expectations."

The Commonwealth’s state budget is $62 billion, $16 billion (25.8 percent) of which comes from the Federal government for various purposes, Stanley shared. The majority of this $16 billion is for Medicaid (MassHealth) which serves people with disabilities, women and children and older adults requiring long-term care, he said.

"Cuts to Medicaid and other areas will put financial stress on our entire budget," Stanley said.

He continued:

"Federal budget cuts in research, higher education and hospitals are already causing more unemployment and less state tax revenue. These institutions are the foundation of our local economy and critical to attracting the biotechnology, pharmaceutical and high-tech companies, the people they employ and state and local tax revenue they generate."

Stanley, who is the chairman of the Committee on Aging and Independence, also serves on four state commissions or task forces, including the Senior Housing Commission, two departments that could face additional strain in the near future, he said.

So he made the decision to step away from the City Council to better focus his time on the upcoming state issues.

“In order to meet these challenges, I have decided that I would be most effective concentrating on my legislative work at the State House for the next two critical years," Stanley said.

"Not campaigning for or serving on the City Council would free up time to increase my attention toward the budget crisis we are all about to face. As State Representative, I will of course continue to work in close contact with our Mayor and City Council on pertinent issues. That will not change.”