Campbell Commits to Strengthening New Bedford Office as Attorney General

Democratic nominee and frontrunner for Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Campbell made a stop in Bristol County over the weekend, attending a clam boil held by the Somerset Democratic Town Committee at the Elks Lodge in Fall River.

While she was there, she reaffirmed her commitment to establishing an expansive regional presence in Bristol County if elected AG.

Campbell, escorted by Somerset State Rep Pat Haddad, went table to table to meet the local residents and town committee members as they enjoyed their aluminum trays of clams and fixings.

Haddad's district has recently been thrust into the national spotlight after President Joe Biden visited Brayton Point, a former coal-fired plant in Somerset that will now be a major manufacturer of power for the offshore wind industry, to deliver a speech a nationally televised speech on his climate agenda.

"Andrea believes in smart economic growth and clean energy," Haddad told WBSM. "And I think that will be very helpful in my district as we go forward to build a clean energy center down at Brayton Point."

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Other elected officials in attendance were Democratic State Committeewoman Lisa Lemeuix, Fall River State Representative Alan Silvia, and Westport Senator Mike Rodrigues.

Campbell, a former Boston City Councilor and City Council President, recognizes that the economic and political centers of gravity are located squarely in the Commonwealth's capital city, and that often causes smaller communities outside of Boston's orbit to believe that they are being overlooked.

At the outset of her campaign for Attorney General, Campbell launched the “Listening to Our Gateway Cities” tour, an initiative to visit all 26 gateway cities in the Commonwealth, including New Bedford and Fall River, to meet the residents and find out how best to respond to each community's needs.

"These are the communities that feel left out and left behind," Campbell told WBSM. "I've learned that from local elected officials, State House elected officials, residents, community organizations, and community organizational leaders. So if we say we want to center them in the work, we have to show up – but I want to do more than just show up as Attorney General."

Campbell said that if elected, she wants to expand and strengthen the reach of regional AG's offices located outside of Boston. Campbell specifically committed to strengthening the regional office located in Downtown New Bedford.

"There are so many folks in New Bedford and the surrounding communities that don't even know the AG's office has a satellite office there," Campbell said "So I think we can absolutely make sure people are aware of that. I think (regional offices) have to be hiring folks that speak different languages, are culturally competent, and come from the community, as a way to build trust and to be effective in the services that they are providing to those residents."

Campbell will appear on WBSM's SouthCoast Tonight with Chris McCarthy and Marcus Ferro on Monday, October 3, at 8 p.m.