Todd M. Smola (born c. 1977) is a

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

member of the

Massachusetts House of Representatives The Massachusetts House of Representatives is the lower house of the Massachusetts General Court, the state legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. It is composed of 160 members elected from 14 counties each divided into single-member ...

Smola represents the 1st Hampden District, serving the towns of Brimfield,

Holland Holland is a geographical regionG. Geerts & H. Heestermans, 1981, ''Groot Woordenboek der Nederlandse Taal. Deel I'', Van Dale Lexicografie, Utrecht, p 1105 and former province on the western coast of the Netherlands. From the 10th to the 16th c ...

Palmer Palmer may refer to: People and fictional characters * Palmer (pilgrim), a medieval European pilgrim to the Holy Land * Palmer (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters * Palmer (surname), including a list of people and ...

Sturbridge Sturbridge is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. It is home to Old Sturbridge Village living history museum and other sites of historical interest such as Tantiusques. The population was 9,867 at the 2020 census, with more ...

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...

Ware Ware may refer to: People * Ware (surname) * William of Ware (), English Franciscan theologian Places Canada *Fort Ware, British Columbia United Kingdom *Ware, Devon *Ware, Hertfordshire *Ware, Kent United States * Ware, Elmore County, Al ...

, and

Warren A warren is a network of wild rodent or lagomorph, typically rabbit burrows. Domestic warrens are artificial, enclosed establishment of animal husbandry dedicated to the raising of rabbits for meat and fur. The term evolved from the medieval A ...

Education

Smola graduated from Palmer High School in 1995. He earned an

associate's degree An associate degree is an undergraduate degree awarded after a course of post-secondary study lasting two to three years. It is a level of qualification above a high school diploma, GED, or matriculation, and below a bachelor's degree. The fi ...

liberal arts Liberal arts education (from Latin "free" and "art or principled practice") is the traditional academic course in Western higher education. ''Liberal arts'' takes the term ''art'' in the sense of a learned skill rather than specifically the ...

from

Holyoke Community College Holyoke Community College (HCC) is a public community college in Holyoke, Massachusetts. It offers associate degrees and certificate programs, as well as a transfer program for students to earn credits for transfer to other colleges. It was the ...

and a

Bachelor of Science A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University of ...

in geography and regional planning from

Westfield State College Westfield State University (Westfield State) is a public university in Westfield, Massachusetts. It was founded in 1839 by Horace Mann as the first public co-educational college in America without barrier to race, gender, or economic class. Ran ...

Political career

City of Palmer

Smola began his career in politics in 1997 at the age of 20, when he became the youngest elected member of the Palmer planning board in the city's history. Three years later, he became the youngest elected member on the Board of Selectmen; he served both offices simultaneously. While serving in Palmer, he served as chairman of the Board of Selectmen (2002–2003 and in 2004); the

Pioneer Valley The Pioneer Valley is the colloquial and promotional name for the portion of the Connecticut River Valley that is in Massachusetts in the United States. It is generally taken to comprise the three counties of Hampden, Hampshire, and Frankli ...

Planning Commissioner; and the education liaison to the Palmer Public Schools (for 2 years). As the chairman of the Board of Selectmen, Smola oversaw a local government transition that replaced the 3-member Board of Selectmen and Open Town Meeting with a Town Manager and a 9-member Town Council, first elected in November 2004. Additionally, Smola has served on the Palmer Senior Center Building Committee and the local Emergency Planning Committee.

Massachusetts House of Representatives

In 2001, Smola served as a legislative aide to State Representative Reed V. Hillman. Smola served in that capacity until August 2004, when he ran to replace Hillman in the legislature after his retirement. In the 2008-2009 Legislative Session, Smola served as the ranking member of the Joint Committee on Public Service and the Joint Committee on Telecommunications, Utilities and Energy. He has also been a member of the Joint Committee on Veterans and Federal Affairs, the Joint Committee on Municipalities Regional Government, the Joint Committee on Veteran's and Federal Affairs and the Joint Committee on Tourism, Arts and Cultural Development. Currently, Smola serves on the Joint Committee on Public Service and is the ranking member of the House Committee on Bonding, Capital Expenditures and State Assets.

Additional affiliations

Smola is currently a member of the Sons of AMVETS, the Parish of Divine Mercy Council, the St. Stanislaus Polish Lyceum, and the St. Joseph's Society.

References

External links

Representative Todd M Smola Official Website
1970s births Living people Republican Party members of the Massachusetts House of Representatives Westfield State University alumni People from Palmer, Massachusetts 21st-century American politicians Holyoke Community College alumni {{Massachusetts-MARepresentative-stub