Marblehead immigration attorney Diann Slavit Baylis is running for Governor’s Council in Massachusetts’ 6th District. Slavit Baylis took out nomination papers this week from the Secretary of State’s Office and plans to collect nomination signatures throughout the district.
The Governor’s Council is an elected body in Massachusetts that provides advice and consent on the Governor’s judicial appointments, pardons and commutations, and warrants for the state treasury. The Council also plays a role in the certification of statewide election results.
“We need judges with knowledge, integrity and compassion at every level of our judiciary, and I will be a voice for that on the Governor’s Council” said Slavit Baylis. “What many people don’t know is that critical decisions impacting the lives of children who enter the country unaccompanied, like the clients that I have represented as immigration counsel, are being made in our state probate courts. This is a dangerous time for immigrant families. We must ensure that people appointed to judgeships understand immigration law, and that they will stand up for the constitutional rights, safety and best interests of immigrants and immigrant children.”
While most immigration proceedings take place in federal immigration courts, Special Immigrant Juvenile Status, a path to citizenship for unaccompanied minors, is determined at the state level through the probate courts.
The District 6 Governor’s Council seat is currently held by Terrence W. “Terry” Kennedy, a Lynnfield resident and lawyer with an office in Everett. Kennedy first won election to the Governor’s Council in 2010. In addition to Marblehead, the district includes Chelsea, Everett, Lynn, Lynnfield, Malden, Medford, Melrose, Nahant, Reading, Revere, Saugus, Somerville, Stoneham, Swampscott, Wakefield, Winchester and Winthrop. It also includes some neighborhoods in Boston and Cambridge.
Slavit-Baylis is a graduate of Merrimack College and Suffolk Law School. She has a long history of public service, including volunteering for the Lawyer of the Day program at Essex Probate Court. Earlier in her career she served as deputy campaign coordinator for the Massachusetts Democratic Party, and she is currently an active member of the Marblehead Democratic Town Committee. Slavit Baylis has also supported the work of the Massachusetts Coalition to Prevent Gun Violence, having testified at legislative hearings and spoken at State House rallies to urge action on much-needed gun violence prevention legislation.
“I come from a tradition of public service,” said Slavit Baylis, the youngest daughter of former Haverhill Harbormaster William “Red” Slavit. “There is important work to be done on the Governor’s Council, and I look forward to engaging voters in a conversation about their priorities, and what I can offer them as their Councilor from the 6th District.”
The primary is set for Sept. 1 and the general election is Nov. 3.
