ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT OFFICES MOST MASSACHUSETTS VOTERS RARELY HEAR ABOUT
The Massachusetts Governor’s Council plays a direct role in deciding who receives some of the Commonwealth’s most important public appointments, including the judges who may serve on our courts for decades.
The Council also acts on pardons and commutations and provides constitutionally required advice and consent on state treasury warrants.
These are serious responsibilities with lasting consequences.
They deserve serious scrutiny, independent judgment, and experienced leadership.
WHAT DOES THE GOVERNOR’S COUNCIL DO?
The Governor’s Council, sometimes called the Executive Council, consists of eight Councilors elected from districts across Massachusetts. The Lieutenant Governor also serves as a member of the Council.
Its job is not to write laws. Its job is to provide an important constitutional check on certain decisions made by the Governor.
JUDICIAL APPOINTMENTS
The Council reviews and votes on nominees for Massachusetts judgeships and certain other court positions.
These decisions can influence the administration of justice for decades.
OTHER PUBLIC APPOINTMENTS
THE JUDGES CONFIRMED TODAY MAY SERVE FOR DECADES
Judicial appointments are among the most consequential decisions made by the Governor and Governor’s Council.
Judges make decisions involving violent crime, families, businesses, constitutional rights, victims, defendants, and the liberty of Massachusetts citizens.
Once confirmed, those judges can remain on the bench for years.
That means Councilors have a responsibility to look beyond a résumé.
They should examine a nominee’s experience.
Their temperament.
Their integrity.
Their understanding of the law.
Their respect for constitutional rights.
Their ability to exercise judgment fairly and independently.
Confirming a judge should never become a rubber-stamp vote.
FRANK HAS SAT ON THE
OTHER SIDE OF THE TABLE
OTHER SIDE OF THE TABLE
Frank Crimmins understands the judicial confirmation process from a perspective few candidates for Governor’s Council can offer.
He has been the nominee.
Frank was appointed to the Massachusetts District Court in 1992 and went on to serve for 17½ years as a judge, including service as First Justice of the Stoughton District Court and in the District Court Appellate Division.
He knows what it means for the Commonwealth to entrust someone with judicial authority.
He knows what qualities matter after the hearing is over and the judge actually takes the bench.
And he knows that qualifications on paper are only part of the equation.
Judgment, temperament, integrity, fairness, preparation, and respect for the law matter just as much.
HE DOESN’T HAVE TO GUESS WHAT MAKES A GOOD JUDGE. HE’S BEEN ONE.
FRANK’S STANDARD FOR JUDICIAL NOMINEES
QUALIFICATIONS
JUDICIAL TEMPERAMENT
INTEGRITY
PUBLIC SAFETY
INDEPENDENCE
RESPECT FOR THE LAW
Those are the kinds of questions Frank believes every serious judicial confirmation should address.
The Governor’s Council, sometimes called the Executive Council, consists of eight Councilors elected from districts across Massachusetts. The Lieutenant Governor also serves as a member of the Council.
Its job is not to write laws. Its job is to provide an important constitutional check on certain decisions made by the Governor.
PUBLIC SAFETY BEGINS WITH SOUND JUDGMENT
The Governor’s Council does not prosecute crimes, patrol neighborhoods, or sentence defendants.
But it helps decide who will sit on Massachusetts courts and who will serve on bodies such as the Parole Board.
Those appointments matter.
Frank believes public safety must be part of the conversation whenever the Council considers nominees whose decisions will affect victims, offenders, law enforcement, and Massachusetts communities.
At the same time, public safety and constitutional rights are not opposing principles.
A strong justice system protects the public, respects due process, treats people fairly, and applies the law consistently.
Frank’s years on the bench give him firsthand experience balancing those responsibilities.
PARDONS AND COMMUTATIONS REQUIRE CAREFUL REVIEW
The Governor’s Council also has a constitutional role in pardons and commutations.
A pardon generally forgives the underlying offense, while a commutation changes or reduces a sentence without erasing the underlying conviction. The Governor’s action in these matters requires the involvement of the Council.
These decisions can involve rehabilitation, justice, public safety, victims, and difficult questions about individual cases.
They deserve thoughtful review rather than automatic approval or rejection.
Frank’s decades of courtroom and legal experience give him the background to examine these matters carefully, independently, and on the facts.
THE PUBLIC HAS A RIGHT TO KNOW
THE PUBLIC HAS A RIGHT TO KNOW
Governor’s Council decisions should not disappear into the State House with little explanation.
The public deserves to know who is being considered, what qualifications are being examined, how their Councilor voted, and why.
Frank believes a Councilor should be visible, accessible, and accountable to the people who elected him.
That means attending hearings prepared.
Asking meaningful questions.
Explaining important votes.
Listening to residents across District 2.
And remembering that the Council seat belongs to the people, not the person temporarily holding it.
Accountability should not end on Election Day.
THE GOVERNOR’S COUNCIL SHOULD BE A CHECK, NOT A RUBBER STAMP
THE GOVERNOR’S COUNCIL SHOULD BE A CHECK, NOT A RUBBER STAMP
The Constitution gives the Council a role for a reason.
Its responsibility is not simply to approve whoever is placed before it.
Councilors should ask questions, examine records, consider qualifications, listen carefully, and exercise independent judgment.
Frank Crimmins will approach every nomination with the seriousness the office demands.
No automatic approvals.
No automatic opposition.
No political litmus tests.
Judge every nominee on the record.
EXPERIENCE THAT FITS THE RESPONSIBILITY
THE LAW
THE COURTS
GOVERNMENT
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Because Frank has actually performed the job the Council is evaluating judicial nominees to perform. His experience gives him firsthand knowledge of courtroom responsibility, judicial temperament, legal judgment, and the demands placed on Massachusetts judges.
No. Frank believes every nominee deserves an individual, fair, and serious review.
His standard will be qualifications, temperament, integrity, independence, respect for the law, and the public interest.
The Council should neither rubber-stamp nominees nor reject them simply because of party politics.
EXPERIENCE MATTERS BECAUSE THESE DECISIONS LAST
Elections come every two years.
Judicial appointments can shape Massachusetts for decades.
The people entrusted with reviewing those appointments should understand the courts, understand the law, and have the independence to ask difficult questions.
Frank Crimmins brings that experience to the race for Governor’s Council.
He knows the courts because he served on them.
He knows the law because he has practiced it for more than four decades.
He knows public service because he has spent a lifetime doing it.
EXPERIENCE. JUDGMENT. ACCOUNTABILITY.
Judge. Attorney. Public Servant.
Follow Frank Crimmins' campaign for Massachusetts Governor's Council District 2. Campaign videos, interviews, town visits, and updates from across Southeastern Massachusetts.
Experience. Integrity. Judgment.
Committee to Elect Francis T. Crimmins Jr.
247 Washington Street, Unit 2
Stoughton, MA 02072
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