September 2, 2020 Submitted by Joan Meschino Campaign
When she was first elected, State Representative Joan Meschino (D-Hull) knew the job of representing Hingham, Hull, Cohasset, and North Scituate at the State House would be exciting and challenging. What she didn’t know was how sincerely satisfying it would be to serve the district’s residents.
“Every day, I have the chance to do something to make life better for residents in our towns. I get to work and interact with people and to be part of good solutions for many local issues, initiatives, and needs,” said Representative Meschino.
Representative Meschino has made progress on many of the big issues facing our District during her second term. Very notably, she has had success working to interrupt the climate crisis. Her signature bill, An Act to create a 2050 Roadmap to a clean and thriving Massachusetts, was passed by the House in July and now is moving forward toward passage. She continues to oppose the proposed Weymouth compressor station and related expansion of carbon-based fuel infrastructure. She is also working closely with local and state officials to prepare for sea level rise and more frequent intense coastal storms, including protecting our transportation infrastructure. She has fought for expanded service on the region’s commuter rail and ferry systems, and has advocated for state economic investments, such as Seaport Economic Council grants, in Cohasset, Hingham, Hull, and Scituate.
Other big issues for Meschino are: addressing the opioid epidemic, ensuring that seniors and veterans have access to high quality, affordable health care, and making sure that our public libraries are adequately funded. Finally, she has worked hard to bring more state funding to the district through the state’s annual budgets.
Representative Meschino is dedicated to responding to resident needs during the pandemic, such as connecting residents with unemployment insurance, health insurance, and other supportive services. She also hosted a series of webinars to connect local businesses with small business loans and resources to support our Main Street economy during the public health crisis.
Meschino is proud of her work during her second term, as well as joining her colleagues in voting for the Student Opportunity Act, a transformative statewide investment in public schools; legislation to reduce distracted driving; and lifting a decades-old family welfare cap.
“Completing my second term, I am more optimistic than ever that we can find answers to the problems and challenges we face. After working with residents and officials in our towns we’ve proven, when we work together, as we have, we succeed!” Representative Meschino said. “As your State Representative, I will keep working on the issues that are important to us and fighting for our district’s bright future.”
About Representative Joan Meschino
Representative Joan Meschino is an experienced, qualified leader with a proven record of accomplishment that ranges from her leadership on the South Shore to advocacy for progressive causes across Massachusetts to strong attention to constituent services. Joan was a 2019 Henry Toll Fellow and participated in an intensive leadership program hosted by the Council of State Governments (csg.org).
Many residents know Joan from her years of public service across the South Shore. Joan was elected to two terms as a Selectman in Hull and served on numerous town boards and committees, as well as regional boards and statewide commissions. Notably, she served as Hull’s representative to the Metropolitan Beaches Commission for ten years and was elected by her peers to its Executive Committee for ten years.
Joan is a seasoned nonprofit executive and an attorney. She began her legal career in criminal defense and civil rights law. The majority of her time in private practice was spent as a transactional attorney in health care settings, until she transitioned to nonprofit leadership and public service. Prior to her election as state Representative, she was the Executive Director for the Massachusetts Appleseed Center for Law and Justice, Inc., a public interest law center that promotes equal rights and opportunities for Massachusetts residents. Under her leadership and management, Massachusetts Appleseed's influence and impact in access to justice policy expanded significantly.
Joan has been a leader in the legal community as well as in her local community. She was honored with a "2014 Top Women in Law" award by Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly. She was a strong advocate during her service on the Massachusetts Bar Association's Access to Justice Section Council. A longtime active member of the Women’s Bar Association, Joan is a member of its Emeritus Board and continues to lead a mentoring circle for women lawyers.
A lifelong resident of the district, Joan and her husband live in Hull. Joan grew up in Hull and worked summers on her father’s lobster boat to pay for college. Joan graduated from Harvard University with a B.A. in English, and earned her J.D. from University of New Hampshire Franklin Pierce School of Law.
To learn more about what Representative Meschino’s work and her current committee assignments, please visit: joanmeschino.com or facebook.com/JoanMeschinoStateRep/.