Joseph Sullivan (Mayor)
Encyclopedia
Biography
Mayor Sullivan was born and raised in Braintree. His parents are the late James and Betty Sullivan. He attended Ross Elementary School, and graduated from Braintree High SchoolBraintree High School
Braintree High School is a secondary school located in Braintree, Massachusetts, within Norfolk County. The school is part of the Braintree Public Schools department and is located to the north side of Sunset Lake at 128 Town Street.-General:...
in 1977. Mayor Sullivan graduated from UMass Amherst, and also earned a Master of Public Administration
Master of Public Administration
The Master of Public Administration is a professional post-graduate degree in Public Administration. The MPA program prepares individuals to serve as managers in the executive arm of local, state/provincial, and federal/national government, and increasingly in nongovernmental organization and...
degree from the John F. Kennedy School of Government
John F. Kennedy School of Government
The John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University is a public policy and public administration school, and one of Harvard's graduate and professional schools...
at Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
. He is married to wife Barbara and together they have two children, Molly (born 1990) and Patrick (born 1992). In June 2011, Sullivan announced that he was seeking re-election for a second term as Mayor of Braintree. He ran against Paul Walsh, who ran for Braintree Mayor in 2007 but lost in the preliminary election. On November 8, 2011, Sullivan was re-elected for a second term as mayor.
Public life
- Town Meeting Member for 25 years
- Youngest Selectman of Braintree, elected in 1986 served two three-year terms on the board
- Director of the Braintree Historical Society
- First ran for Massachusetts State Legislature in 1992; won that election and five more to serve 1993-2003 during which Chairman of the House Committee on Transportation from January 1997 to February 2003
- In 2007 succeeded by Joseph R. DriscollJoseph R. DriscollJoseph R. Driscoll is an American politcian who was a member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives from 2003–2011, representing the 5th district of Norfolk County.-Public life:...
, who had been a legislative aide to Sullivan. - February 2003 appointed Executive Director of the Massachusetts Lottery; in charge of 400 employees, five regional offices, and the allocation of $4 billion dollars of annual revenue.
- Elected as the first mayor of Braintree in the town's 367 year history in November 2007.
- He has had two assistants since his term as Mayor. Mark CusackMark CusackMark James Cusack is the State Representative of Massachusetts from the 5th Norfolk District. He previously served as the Assistant to Braintree Mayor Joe Sullivan. He was sworn in on January 5, 2011.-Public life:...
(2008-2011) and Christopher P. Griffin (2011-Present).