Timothy J. Toomey Jr.
Toomey circa 1995
Member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives
from the 26th Middlesex and 29th Middlesex district
In office
January 4, 1993 – January 4, 2016
Preceded byPeter A. Vellucci
Succeeded byMike Connolly
Cambridge City Councillor
In office
1990–2022
Cambridge School Committee Member
In office
1986–1990
Personal details
Born (1953-06-07) June 7, 1953
Political partyDemocratic
ResidenceCambridge, Massachusetts
Alma materSuffolk University
WebsiteTimToomey.org

Timothy J. Toomey Jr. (born June 7, 1953) was the Massachusetts State Representative for the 26th Middlesex District, which comprises East Cambridge and East Somerville, and a member of the Cambridge City Council. He served as a state representative from 1993 to 2016 and has served as a city councillor since 1990.[1] Toomey has also served as a member of the Cambridge School Committee and vice mayor of Cambridge.[1] He is a member of the Democratic Party and has run as a Democrat for the office of state representative; Cambridge City Council elections are, however, non-partisan.

Early life

Toomey is a graduate of Matignon High School in Cambridge and holds a bachelor's degree from Suffolk University in Boston, MA.[2]

Political career

Toomey began his career in government in 1985 when he was elected to the Cambridge School Committee and served two terms as a committee member.[3]

City council

In 1989, Toomey ran for a position on the Cambridge City Council and was elected.[4] He has won re-election every two years since, with his most recent victory coming in 2019.[5]

In 2006, Toomey was elected by the city council to a two-year term as vice mayor of Cambridge.

Massachusetts House of Representatives

In 1992, Toomey ran for the State Representative seat vacated by Peter Vellucci.[6] He earned 48% of the vote in the Democratic primary, defeating Karen Uminski by a nine-point margin and securing the party nomination. Toomey earned 72% of the vote in the general election, and was sworn in as a State Representative in January 1993.[7]

In 2004, Toomey handily defeated author David R. Slavitt.[8][9]

In 2016, Toomey was defeated[10] in the Democratic primary by local environmental activist and attorney opponent Mike Connolly.[11] The primary was held on September 8, 2016.[12]

Toomey had previously served as the House Chair of the Joint Committee on Public Safety and Homeland Security and the Joint Committee on Public Service, as well as Vice Chair of the Joint Committee on Revenue.[13]

Political views

Immigration

Toomey has described himself as a supporter of policies that benefit immigrants.[14] As a State Representative he supported legislation that would allow immigrants without legal status who were brought to Massachusetts as children to receive in-state tuition rates at state schools.[15][16]

In August 2010, Toomey submitted a resolution to the Cambridge City Council in support of the DREAM Act, which was adopted by the membership.[17][18]

Transportation

Toomey has voiced opposition to the State's proposal to expand MBTA commuter rail service[19] to North Station via the Grand Junction Railroad.[20] The line, which was purchased by the Massachusetts Department of Transportation, runs through residential areas of Toomey's district. Toomey is an avid supporter of the Grand Junction Multi-Use Path proposal that would bring a walk/bike route to eastern Cambridge, connecting with Boston on the southern end and Somerville on the north. He won a substantial investment from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to fund a partial feasibility study and construction of a section of the Grand Junction Path during a Fall 2013 zoning negotiation.[21]

Gun control

In 2009, Toomey filed legislation that would limit Massachusetts residents to purchasing one firearm per month.[22]

Abortion and reproductive rights

In 2016, in the Democratic Party primary, Toomey's opponent Mike Connolly was endorsed by NARAL Prochoice Massachusetts.[23] NARAL stated that Rep. Toomey has called abortion an "act of violence" on the House floor, and voted to restrict abortion access on a bill to codify in Massachusetts law a woman's right to choose.[23]

In 2014, Toomey was noted as "100% pro-life" by the Mass Citizens for Life.[24][25]

Casino gambling

Toomey was the only member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives from Cambridge to vote for expanded casino gaming in Massachusetts.[26] He reasoned that casinos would provide an economic benefit to the state, and released the following statement: "[the expanded gaming bill] would increase revenue and create jobs while mitigating community impacts and implementing a comprehensive regulatory structure..."[27]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "Cambridge Municipal Elections".
  2. ↑ "Member Profile - Timothy J. Toomey, Jr". Archived from the original on 2010-12-03. Retrieved 2010-12-28.
  3. ↑ "Tim Toomey - Cambridge City Council Candidate 2007".
  4. ↑ http://rwinters.com/elections/council1989.pdf
  5. ↑ "City Council Election Official Results November 13, 2015". 13 November 2015.
  6. ↑ Massachusetts Elections Division. Massachusetts Election Statistics 1990. Pg. 288. Available at: https://archive.org/details/massachusettsele1990mass
  7. ↑ Massachusetts Elections Division. Massachusetts Election Statistics 1992. Pg. 394. Available at: https://archive.org/details/massachusettsele1992mass
  8. ↑ Peguero, Robin M. (3 November 2004). Harvard Affiliates Lose in Local Races, Harvard Crimson
  9. ↑ Beam, Alex (19 December 2006). 'Blue State' author has a blue past, Boston Globe
  10. ↑ "Once 'No Money Mike,' Cambridge's Mike Connolly now primed for Beacon Hill".
  11. ↑ "Home". mikeconnolly.org.
  12. ↑ https://www.sec.state.ma.us/ele/
  13. ↑ "Member Profile - Timothy J. Toomey, Jr". Archived from the original on 2010-12-03. Retrieved 2010-12-28.
  14. ↑ "Obama Executive Order is a Step Forward for US Immigration Policy – Cambridge City Councillor Tim Toomey". 22 June 2012.
  15. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2011-07-28. Retrieved 2010-12-28.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  16. ↑ "Rep. Toomey on the In-State Tuition Bill | Blue Mass Group". 30 August 2006.
  17. ↑ "City of Cambridge - CITY CLERK OFFICE, CAMBRIDGE MASSACHUSETTS".
  18. ↑ "Cambridge City Council passes resolution supporting DREAM Act - Cambridge, Massachusetts - Cambridge Chronicle & Tab". Archived from the original on 2012-11-09. Retrieved 2010-12-28.
  19. ↑ "City of Cambridge - CITY CLERK OFFICE, CAMBRIDGE MASSACHUSETTS".
  20. ↑ "Cambridge city councilor says no thanks to Worcester-Boston commuter line - Cambridge, Massachusetts - Cambridge Chronicle". Archived from the original on 2011-11-11. Retrieved 2010-12-28.
  21. ↑ "Turning the Grand Junction into a Space for our Community – Cambridge City Councillor Tim Toomey". 22 October 2013.
  22. ↑ "Bill Text - H2287". Archived from the original on 2011-07-28. Retrieved 2010-12-28.
  23. 1 2 http://www.prochoicemass.org/news/press/20160722.shtml
  24. ↑ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-09-29. Retrieved 2016-08-21.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  25. ↑ "The Voter's Self Defense System".
  26. ↑ "Cambridge legislators split on gambling bill".
  27. ↑ "With an exception, Cambridge's legislators say no to casinos - Cambridge, Massachusetts - Cambridge Chronicle & Tab". Archived from the original on 2012-11-09. Retrieved 2010-12-28.
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