STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE
A MONTH AFTER they left office, former Gov. Charlie Baker and Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito are wading back into the political fray with endorsements of the Republican candidate running for mayor of Attleboro.
Jay DiLisio has been serving as acting mayor of the Bristol County city since former mayor Paul Heroux, a Democrat, gave up the mayoralty last month to take over as the county sheriff. With the special election scheduled for February 28, his campaign on Monday promoted the endorsements from Baker and Polito.
“Jay has consistently demonstrated his dedication to public service and to the citizens of the Commonwealth. Jay’s expertise and knowledge were critical to navigating the trials of the COVID pandemic, and his executive and managerial presence at the Registry will be greatly missed,” Baker said, referring to DiLisio’s job as southeast district manager for the Registry of Motor Vehicles.
Polito said that, if elected, DiLisio “will set a collaborative tone that will resonate from Attleboro to Boston.” She added, “Attleboro has an opportunity to make great advancements in these next several years, and Jay is the leader to make that progress happen.”
Baker and Polito are not the only Republicans with Beacon Hill experience supporting DiLisio. His campaign account has received donations from Rep. Jay Barrows of Mansfield and former Rep. Betty Poirier of North Attleborough.
The other candidates in the Jewelry City’s special mayoral election are City Councilor Cathleen DeSimone (unenrolled), former city councilor John Davis (Democrat), and Timothy Barone (unenrolled). Heroux, a former state representative, has backed DeSimone and contributed to her campaign.