Francis T. “Frank” Crimmins is seeking election to the Massachusetts Governor’s Council in District 2, bringing more than four decades of experience in law, the judiciary, municipal government, and public service to an office with enormous responsibility for the Commonwealth’s justice system.
Crimmins has served Massachusetts as a District Court Judge, First Justice of the Stoughton District Court, attorney, Town Manager, Town Administrator, Selectman, Town Moderator, and member and chairman of the State Ballot Law Commission.
His campaign is built around a straightforward principle:
Experience Matters.
“The Governor’s Council is not a ceremonial position,” Crimmins said. “Councilors are asked to review the qualifications, temperament, experience, and judgment of the men and women nominated to serve on our courts. Those decisions affect public safety, families, constitutional rights, and confidence in our justice system. Experience matters when making decisions of that magnitude.”
The eight-member Governor’s Council reviews and votes on gubernatorial nominations to the judiciary and other important state positions. Yet despite the significance of those responsibilities, the Council remains one of the least understood elected bodies in the Massachusetts government.
Crimmins believes District 2 deserves a Councilor who understands the judicial system from the inside.
Having served on the bench himself, including as First Justice of the Stoughton District Court, Crimmins understands what is required of a Massachusetts judge and what should be expected of nominees seeking lifetime influence over the lives of citizens who enter our courtrooms.
The people who choose judges should understand the courtroom.
Frank Crimmins does.
“As a former judge, I know the responsibility that comes with putting on that robe,” Crimmins said. “A judge must have more than a good résumé. The position requires judgment, temperament, fairness, respect for the law, and an understanding that every decision can have a real impact on someone’s life.”
Crimmins said his experience will allow him to ask nominees meaningful questions rather than simply reviewing credentials on paper.
“The Council should never be a rubber stamp,” he said. “Its constitutional responsibility is to provide advice and consent. That means asking difficult questions, examining a nominee’s record, and making sure the people appointed to our courts have the experience, temperament, integrity, and respect for the law that Massachusetts citizens deserve.”
Crimmins’ career gives him a perspective few candidates for Governor’s Council can match. He served as a Massachusetts District Court Judge beginning in the 1990s and later became
First Justice of the Stoughton District Court. His judicial service also included work in the District
Court Appellate Division. After leaving the bench, he continued practicing law and later returned to municipal leadership, including service as Town Manager in Stoughton and Town Administrator in Avon. He has also served on the Massachusetts State Ballot Law Commission.
That combination of courtroom experience, legal knowledge, executive leadership, and public service is at the heart of the Crimmins campaign.
“This election should not be about political connections or simply occupying a seat,” Crimmins said. “It should be about qualifications. It should be about accountability. And it should be about whether the person representing District 2 has the background necessary to make informed decisions about the judiciary.”
Crimmins is also making public safety a central part of his campaign.
Judges routinely make decisions involving violent offenders, bail, sentencing, restraining orders, families, addiction, mental health, and constitutional rights. While the Governor’s Council does not decide those individual cases, it plays an important role in deciding who receives the authority to make those decisions.
“Public safety begins with good judgment,” Crimmins said. “When the Governor nominates someone to the bench, the Council has an obligation to determine whether that nominee is prepared for the responsibility. Those decisions deserve serious scrutiny.”
The campaign will also emphasize transparency and accountability within the Governor’s Council itself.
Crimmins believes voters should know how their Councilor evaluates nominees, what questions are being asked, and why consequential confirmation votes are being cast.
“The government earns trust through transparency,” Crimmins said. “People may not follow every Governor’s Council hearing, but they should be able to trust that their representative is doing the homework, asking the right questions, and putting the interests of the Commonwealth ahead of politics.”
Crimmins is seeking to represent Massachusetts Governor’s Council District 2, a geographically diverse district stretching across dozens of communities.
His campaign will focus on three fundamental commitments:
Experience. Accountability. Public Safety.
“The Governor’s Council has an important constitutional responsibility,” Crimmins said. “The people of District 2 deserve a Councilor prepared to perform that responsibility on day one.”
Experience matters. Qualifications matter. Judgment matters.
“And when Massachusetts is choosing the men and women who will sit on our courts,” Crimmins said, “we cannot afford to get it wrong.”
ABOUT FRANCIS T. “FRANK” CRIMMINS
Francis T. Crimmins Jr. is an attorney, former Massachusetts District Court Judge, former First Justice of the Stoughton District Court, and longtime municipal and civic leader. His public service has included roles as Stoughton Selectman, Town Moderator, Town Manager, Avon Town Administrator, and service on the Massachusetts State Ballot Law Commission.
Crimmins is a lifelong resident of Stoughton and is a candidate for Massachusetts Governor’s Council, District 2.
CAMPAIGN MESSAGE
EXPERIENCE MATTERS
The people who choose Massachusetts judges should understand the courtroom.
Francis T. Crimmins does.
