Donald F. Humason Jr. (born July 31, 1967) is an American politician who served as

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well ...

Westfield, Massachusetts Westfield is a city in Hampden County, in the Pioneer Valley of western Massachusetts, United States. Westfield was first settled by Europeans in 1660. It is part of the Springfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population w ...

from 2020 to 2022 and current

town administrator A city manager is an official appointed as the administrative manager of a city, in a "Mayor–council government" council–manager form of city government. Local officials serving in this position are sometimes referred to as the chief exec ...

of Chester, beginning September 6, 2022. A member of the Republican Party, he previously represented the 2nd Hampden and Hampshire District in the

Massachusetts Senate The Massachusetts Senate is the upper house of the Massachusetts General Court, the bicameral state legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The Senate comprises 40 elected members from 40 single-member senatorial districts in the st ...

from 2013 to 2020, and as representative for the 4th Hampden District in 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 ...

between 2003 and 2013.

Political career

Massachusetts House of Representatives

In his first bid for public office, Humason was elected on November 5, 2002 with 63% of the vote and was re-elected in 2004, 2006, 2008, 2010, and 2012. He resigned on November 20, 2013 after he was elected to the State Senate. Humason's committee assignments were as follows. ;186th General Court (2009–2011) * Joint Committee on Consumer Protection and Professional Licensure * Joint Committee on Higher Education * Joint Committee on Public Health * Joint Committee on Transportation * Joint Committee on Economic Development and Emerging Technologies ;187th General Court (2011–2013) * Joint Committee on Consumer Protection and Professional Licensure * Joint Committee on Rules * Committee on Rules ;188th General Court (2013–2015) * Joint Committee on Consumer Protection and Professional Licensure * Joint Committee on Economic Development and Emerging Technologies ;189th General Court (2015–2017) * Joint Committee on Children, Families and Persons with Disabilities * Joint Committee on Public Service * Joint Committee on Veterans and Federal Affairs * Joint Committee on Ways and Means * Committee on Intergovernmental Affairs * Committee on Bonding, Capital Expenditures and State Assets * Committee on Ways and Means * Special Committee to Improve Government

Massachusetts Senate

On August 9, 2013, incumbent State Senator Michael Knapik resigned to become Executive Director of Advancement at

Westfield State University 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. Ra ...

. Humason defeated Michael Franco in the Republican primary on October 8 and defeated Democratic opponent David K. Bartley 53%-47%. A few weeks later, Humason was named as the new Senate Minority Whip by Senate Minority Leader

Bruce Tarr Bruce E. Tarr (born January 2, 1964) is an American politician who serves as a Republican member and Minority Leader of the Massachusetts Senate Since 1995 he has represented the 1st Essex and Middlesex District. He is a member of the United Sta ...

. As Minority Whip, Humason worked to coordinate votes within the Senate Republican Caucus and assist the Minority Leader in developing policy. He submitted his letter of resignation to

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university * President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...

Karen Spilka Karen Eileen Spilka (born January 11, 1953) is an American politician and attorney serving as a Democratic member of the Massachusetts Senate. She represents the 2nd Middlesex and Norfolk district, which includes the towns of Ashland, Framingha ...

on December 4 upon being elected

Mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well ...

of Westfield. A special election was scheduled for March 31, 2020, but was delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic until May 16; it was won by Representative John Velis, who previously won the 2014 special election to succeed Humason in the House. During his tenure in the Senate, Humason's committee assignments were as follows: ;188th General Court (2013–2014) * Joint Committee on Children, Families and Persons with Disabilities * Joint Committee on Consumer Protection and Professional Licensure * Joint Committee on Public Health * Joint Committee on Public Service * Joint Committee on Revenue * Joint Committee on Telecommunications, Utilities and Energy * Joint Committee on Veterans and Federal Affairs * Joint Committee on Ways and Means * Committee on Ways and Means * Committee on Bonding, Capital Expenditures and State Assets ;189th General Court (2015–2016) * Joint Committee on Children, Families and Persons with Disabilities * Joint Committee on Education * Joint Committee on Public Service * Joint Committee on Veterans and Federal Affairs * Committee on Intergovernmental Affairs * Committee on Bonding, Capital Expenditures and State Assets * Committee on Ways and Means ;190th General Court (2017–2018) *Joint Committee on Rules *Joint Committee on Children, Families and Persons with Disabilities *Joint Committee on Public Service *Joint Committee on Transportation *Joint Committee on Veterans and Federal Affairs *Joint Committee on Ways and Means *Special Committee to Review the Sexual Harassment Policies and Procedures *Committee on Bonding, Capital Expenditures and State Assets *Committee on Intergovernmental Affairs *Committee on Rules *Committee on Ways and Means ;191st General Court (2019–2020) *Joint Committee on Children, Families and Persons with Disabilities *Joint Committee on Public Health *Joint Committee on Public Service *Joint Committee on Veterans and Federal Affairs *Joint Committee on Ways and Means *Committee on Bonding, Capital Expenditures and State Assets (Ranking Member) *Committee on Ethics (Ranking Member) *Committee on Post Audit and Oversight *Committee on Ways and Means

Towns represented

In Hampden County: Chicopee (Ward 7 - Precinct A and B, Ward 8 - Precinct A, Ward 9 - Precinct A),

Holyoke Holyoke is a city in Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States, that lies between the western bank of the Connecticut River and the Mount Tom Range. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 38,238. Located north of Springfield ...

, Westfield, Agawam, Granville, Montgomery, Russell, Southwick and Tolland.
In Hampshire County: Easthampton and

Southampton Southampton () is a port city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. It is located approximately south-west of London and west of Portsmouth. The city forms part of the South Hampshire built-up area, which also covers Po ...

Appointments

* Senate Minority Whip (2013–2017) * Military Asset and Security Strategy Task Force * Senate Assistant Minority Leader (2017–2020)

Mayor of Westfield

In January 2019, two-term

incumbent The incumbent is the current holder of an office or position, usually in relation to an election. In an election for president, the incumbent is the person holding or acting in the office of president before the election, whether seeking re-ele ...

Mayor Brian P. Sullivan announced he would not seek re-election. On March 21, Humason ran for mayor against Michael McCabe, a 34-year captain of the Westfield Police Department. Humason narrowly defeated McCabe in a close race, winning 4,983 votes while McCabe received 4,886. Neither side declared victory as the results were within the margin of error, but McCabe chose not to seek a recount and conceded. He ran for re-election to a second term in 2021, but lost to McCabe in a rematch.

Town administrator of Chester

After his tenure as Mayor of Westfield ended, Humason was chosen by the Chester selectboard to be the next town administrator.

Electoral history

State Legislature Westfield mayoral election, 2019 Westfield mayoral election, 2021

References

External links

Senator Donald F. Humason Jr.
official Massachusetts legislative website
Biographyvoting record
an
interest group ratings
at

Project Vote Smart Vote Smart, formerly called Project Vote Smart, is a non-profit, non-partisan research organization that collects and distributes information on candidates for public office in the United States. It covers candidates and elected officials in s ...

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Humason, Donald Jr. 1967 births Republican Party members of the Massachusetts House of Representatives Republican Party Massachusetts state senators Mayors of Westfield, Massachusetts Westfield State University alumni Living people 21st-century American politicians