Tarr Sworn As GOP Leader – Again

REGIONAL – As state Sen. Bruce Tarr of Gloucester was sworn in last week to his seventh term as the Senate Republican leader, the second Essex house seat was left vacant as a special committee tries to decide if Democrat Kristin Kassner or Republican Lenny Mirra won the election.
Following a recount of the votes in the House seat, Kassner was certified as the winner by one vote. Mirra, who has represented several North Shore towns for a decade, challenged her victory in court but was rebuffed.
The court ruled that it was up to the House to decide the race. The issue is before the Committee to Examine the Returns.
Tarr, who will serve his 15th term in the House, now represents Newburyport and Salisbury for the first time. In addition to Gloucester, Tarr represents Boxford, Essex, Georgetown, Groveland, Hamilton, Ipswich, Manchester-by-the-Sea, Middleton, Newbury, four precincts in North Andover, North Reading, Rowley, Topsfield, Wenham and West Newbury.
Mirra said he would continue to represent the district while the committee decides who was elected.
But Nancy E Stehfest, Chair of the Hamilton Democratic Town Committee, complained, “I can find no precedent for leaving a former representative in place when the district he once represented no longer exists.”
Following the 2020 census, the legislative map was redrawn, making drastic changes to Mirra’s old district.