John is our state board secretary and an active member of the MSAC Cambridge Chapter. In his working life, he had been active in the union movement, anti-war movement, civil rights,and LGBT movements. In 2012 he retired and moved to Massachusetts, with his husband Ted, from Florida where he had been working as a lawyer for organizations like SEIU Local 1991.
After he retired, he didn’t want to stop being an activist and fighting for the rights of all so when he found out about Mass Senior Action, he immediately joined and jumped right into the action. John recently shared at an outreach in Cambridge, “Mass Senior Action felt like the place for me because I believe the only way we can make positive change is by coming together and collectively acting.”
He is a regular presence at board meetings, steering committee meetings, local outreaches, the State House, and everywhere in between-always with a smile on his face.
John has been a leader on MSAC’s campaign to Bridge The Health Care Gap for people 65 and over, testifying before the Joint Health Care Finance Committee at the State House and recruiting legislative sponsors within the Cambridge Delegation, leading the effort to organize the very first municipality resolution in favor of the bill.
John’s activism has earned him respect from his MSAC peers at both the chapter and state level. In fact, his chapter nominated him as their Unsung Hero in 2015 because of his above-and-beyond efforts to build the senior voice and our community.