Ruth Balser
Member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives
from the 12th district

Ruth B. Balser (born October 30, 1948) is an American state legislator serving in the Massachusetts House of Representatives.[1] She is a Newton resident and a member of the Democratic Party.[2]

Balser received her bachelor's degree at the University of Rochester and her PhD at New York University. She was a practicing clinical psychologist. She was an alderman for the City of Newton from 1988 to 1995 and has been a member of the state legislature since 1999.[2]

Balser was a political opponent of former Massachusetts House Speaker Thomas Finneran. She voted against Finneran's renewal of tenure as Speaker in 2003. She, along with several other opponents of Finneran, were demoted to appointments on a committee that held training sessions for House members.[3] Her political fortunes improved when Finneran was replaced by Salvatore DiMasi as Speaker in 2004.[4] Balser served two terms as the House Chair of the Joint Committee on Mental Health and Substance Abuse.[5]

She ran for mayor of Newton in 2009 and was endorsed by The Boston Globe.[6] She lost narrowly to former John Kerry aide Setti Warren, 51–49 percent.[7]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Elections Division. "State Representative elections: 12th Middlesex district". PD43+. Retrieved May 5, 2020.
  2. 1 2 "Member Profile - Ruth B. Balser". Massachusetts General Court. Retrieved 15 February 2014.
  3. ↑ Seth Gitell (February 13–20, 2003). "Finneran's funk". Boston Phoenix. Archived from the original on 3 April 2013. Retrieved 15 February 2014.
  4. ↑ Matt Viser (June 16, 2005). "In from the cold". The Boston Globe. Retrieved February 16, 2014.
  5. ↑ "Ruth Balser - State Representative from Massachusetts - About Ruth". Archived from the original on 3 November 2013. Retrieved 16 February 2014.
  6. ↑ "Newton: Ruth Balser for mayor". The Boston Globe. November 2, 2009. Retrieved February 15, 2014.
  7. ↑ "November 3, 2009 City Election, Contested Races Only, City of Newton, Massachusetts, Official Results" (PDF). City of Newton. Retrieved 15 February 2014.


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