Get to know Tri-Town’s new State Rep. Mark Sylvia

Newly elected State Rep. Mark Sylvia began his first term in January, representing Marion, Rochester, Mattapoisett and the rest of the 10th Bristol District. Sylvia, a Democrat, took over from longtime Democrat Bill Straus, who served the district for multiple decades. 

Sylvia earned a bachelor’s degree in political science and master’s degree in public administration from American University. He served as Town Manager of Plymouth, and under the administration of former Gov. Deval Patrick, as director of the state’s Green Communities program, as commissioner of the Department of Energy Resources and as energy undersecretary of the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs. 

Sylvia has most recently worked for the last 10 years in the private sector as chief of staff of renewable energy company BlueWave. 

He is also a former Fairhaven School Committee member and has been Fairhaven Town Moderator since 2008.

The Fairhaven native recently sat down with Sippican Week reporter Leighah Beausoleil to discuss the new job, cost of living issues and pickleball.

How has the first couple months in office been so far?

It's been great. There's a learning curve that goes with any new job, and certainly in terms of getting my feet firmly planted on the ground — meeting my fellow colleagues, the other 18 freshmen representatives and building relationships with each one of them. Learning how the legislative process works, specifically in the House — I had a good sense of how it worked, but there are always things to learn. 

It's been setting up office hours in the district and going around to different town administrators and Select Boards and other local elected officials, filing legislation and evaluating which bills I'd like to co-sponsor.. … We've had a number of votes since then, and so it has been a great experience so far. I remain as excited, as honored and as grateful as on day one to represent the communities in our district. 

What parts of former Rep. Bill Straus' work do you plan to focus on in your own term? 

Legislation or efforts that directly support or impact the 10th Bristol district. … In the campaign, I talked about the importance of supporting our local industries like the cranberry industry, tourism and fishing — and fishing is everything from commercial fishing to oyster farms and aquaculture, which is a big part of our local blue economy down the South Coast. So those types of priorities will be priorities of mine — some of which will be filing legislation or refiling legislation that Rep. Strauss had filed.

I talked very much about the importance of focusing on cost of living issues, so that's everything from health care to affordable housing to child care. There is a bill that relates to prescription drugs that Rep. Straus had filed in the last session that I'm reviewing now, and may refile.

What committees have you been assigned and what are you most interested in?

I spent the last 10 years in the private sector on energy issues, and prior to that six years in administration on energy issues for our district. We're dealing with a lot more than just energy issues, and so I am so happy that I've been appointed to the Joint Committee on Environment and Natural Resources. That committee, in essence, has jurisdiction over issues like water and wastewater issues, coastal resiliency and coastal management, state parks, the Department of Conservation and recreation, fish and wildlife and land use and land preservation. All of those issues are front and center in the 10th Bristol district, and so I'm really excited that I get to be on that committee, because I do feel like I can help make a difference for our district by serving on that committee.

I also have been appointed to the Joint Committee on Labor and Workforce Development. That, again, is an issue that's front and center — jobs, workers rights, workforce training — those are all very important to our district and, quite honestly, the Commonwealth as a whole. So being on that committee will really enable me to help our district from a labor workforce perspective.

I also got two House specific committees. One is Climate Action and Sustainability, and I'm certain I was probably appointed to that committee in part because of my background in the clean energy space, but the other one is on Federal Funding. … Its initial intent was during the Biden administration, when the state was receiving a number of funding opportunities through the Infrastructure Act and the Inflation Reduction Act and a few other of the Biden administration's priorities. It was in essence an oversight committee, both in how those dollars are being spent and what programs are being set up for federal stimulus. Now, it may very well take on a very different role because of the uncertainty in Washington with federal funding to states. 

What do you hope to accomplish in terms of housing?

I think one of the most important things is to ensure that through my office, we identify and communicate to our constituents and the communities what programs and services are available under the new Affordable Homes Act that passed it in this last session. That was a major bill that was passed by the legislature and signed by the governor with significant investment in affordable housing.

Our office will also help to identify where there's opportunities and advocate for funding. If there are community requests that are made from the municipalities, for example, legislators can submit letters of support. So I think it's a combination of identifying what's available and also advocating for the communities for some of the funding that's available. I also think making sure that the administration rolls out and implements everything that's in the Affordable Homes Act — that's important. I have no reason to believe they won't, but I think we all agree there's a sense of urgency on housing.

Did you ever picture yourself being in this position prior to deciding to run?

It's something I always wanted to do. I didn't know how it would manifest — whether it would be as a state rep — I had the honor and privilege of being on the Fairhaven School Committee, and I've been the elected moderator in Fairhaven. I've been very grateful for that opportunity to help bring people together, but I had always hoped that there would be the opportunity for me to do something — to be a state representative. I worked in the executive branch. I worked on the executive side, and that's enormously rewarding to work in state government, but I always had a real desire to to be a legislator, but never knew if it was going to be possible because you just don't ever know. Life is funny. 

When Bill announced that he wasn't running again. I knew immediately that it was what I wanted to do, and I felt that I had prepared myself to be the best possible rep I could be, having state and local experience and private sector experience. The careers that I pursued — it was always careers where I could make a difference, even in the private sector working for a clean energy company that's a certified B Corp like that, is definitely providing a public benefit, and you're doing good. To have experience in all of those areas, I really feel gives me the experience I need to be as effective as I can be because I do understand what it's like to work in business and to be part of a startup, and I know what the state government does and how they do it.

What’s life like outside the office?

I'm a dad of two. My son, Mitchell, is graduating from college this year. My daughter, Scarlett, is graduating from Old Rochester. She's a senior at Old Rochester, so having had the opportunity to go to her soccer games, and support her in her different activities or going to school plays with her. I think spending time with my children and my family is something that's very important to me, and I try to do that as much as I can. But also I love to run. I love playing pickleball. … I’m trying to remember that I need to have that personal time and connect with people, not just as a rep, but in recreation. I have a dog and a cat, and I love to take my dog, Daisy, for walks, and like to spend time with friends.

Is there anything else you’d like your constituents to know?

I'm continuing to get out into the communities and spend as much time in the district as I can because that's probably one of the most important roles. … You'll see me out there. We have office hours in every one of our six communities in the district, and I encourage people to continue to reach out by email or phone or to set up one-on-one appointments. If you want to share your thoughts or concerns, we will be as accessible as we need to be to address the needs of the community. … I love what I do and I'm honored to do it, and if people from the district want to come and visit us, I'm happy to take you on a tour of the state house or into the House Chamber.