WCAC

 

After almost 25 years on the Waltham city council, Tom Stanley announced Wednesday that he would not seek re-election to his at-large seat—and Trump administration cuts are the reason.

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

 

He said “the federally induced budget crisis that is looming over Massachusetts” will require more commitment to his role as a state representative for the 9th Middlesex District, which includes a significant part of Waltham.

“Thousands of Waltham residents will be directly affected”

In a statement, Stanley said that more than 25% of the state’s $62 billion budget comes from the federal government. And now some of it is on the chopping block.

“The majority of this $16 billion ($14 billion) is for Medicaid (MassHealth) which serves people with disabilities, women and children, and older adults requiring long-term care. Cuts to Medicaid and other areas will put financial stress on our entire budget,” said Stanley. “Federal budget cuts in research, higher education and hospitals are already causing more unemployment and less state tax revenue.”

The impact on health care could be sizable, he said.

 

“With over two million vulnerable children, adults with low incomes, those with disabilities and 200,000 seniors in the state relying on MassHealth these cuts threaten not just health care access, but the financial stability of the Commonwealth’s health system,” Stanley said. 

“Thousands of Waltham residents will be directly affected,” he said.

 

Seniors are another area of concern for the chair of the Committee on Aging and Independence (formerly Elder Affairs Committee). Over the last four years, Stanley has helped to deliver “long-overdue reforms to our health care system serving senior residents.”

He said proposed cuts could have “catastrophic consequences for Massachusetts seniors and vulnerable residents.”

Stanley also serves on four housing-related state commissions or task forces, including a new senior housing commission. He said these will demand considerable attention amid the state’s critical housing shortage.

 

With so much going on, the veteran 9th Middlessex state rep said he anticipates more work at the State House to protect existing services—and expects more calls from constituents.

“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,” he said. 

“I am confident that we will get through this uncertain and anxious time if we all work together to resist federal policies that damage our state and our community and cause harm to our people of all ages.”

Potential Impact

The son of former Waltham mayor Bill Stanley, Tom Stanley was first elected to the Waltham city council in 1997. He is married and has two adult sons.

He was elected as 9th Middlesex state rep in 2000 and for decades served both at the State House and in the Waltham council chamber. 

Stanley said Wednesday that he has been “incredibly honored to have the voters choose to continually elect me in this dual role.”

He stepped aside from his at-large seat to run for Waltham mayor in 2015. After losing his bid to unseat incumbent Jeannette McCarthy, Stanley easily won back an at-large seat when he ran again in 2017.

 

His departure from the council could inspire Waltham residents to seek one of six at-large seats up for grabs this fall, especially since the at-large field was so large during the last election, in 2023.

Candidates planning to run in the fall municipal election can pull papers starting on April 30. 

File photos