Massachusetts state representative Tom Conroy addressed students in the WHS lecture hall on Wednesday, January 30. In addition to discussing current issues like the environment, gun control and education, Conroy opened the discussion by accepting questions from the audience. The Democratic legislator currently has three daughters at WHS, each of whom are juniors.

Conroy developed an interest in politics and public policy as early as high school, and he further cultivated this interest in college. After graduating, Conroy lived in Washington D.C. for four years, working in Capitol Hill.

Following years of experience in the private sector, Conroy decided to enter the public arena again by running for the state representative position of the 13th Middlesex District, which includes Wayland, Sudbury and Lincoln.

“I decided that I had the kind of skills, background and experience to actually be an elected official as opposed to just somebody who works on public policy,” Conroy said.

Conroy won his election against Susan Pope, and he assumed office in 2007.

While Conroy enjoys aiding the passage of bills into law, his favorite aspect of being a state legislator is helping his constituents.

“When I can have some kind of intervention with a constituent, a family or a person who’s down on their luck, and I’m able to help them get access to government services so that they can have a better quality of life, that’s extraordinarily satisfying,” Conroy said. “Making people’s lives a little bit better is a very rewarding aspect of this job.”

Conroy encourages students to embrace education, anticipating the role of today’s teens in the economy of the future.

“We need really bright, intelligent and hardworking individuals to maintain our economic competitiveness here in the United States,” Conroy said.

Conroy was a Democratic candidate in the 2012 Massachusetts Senate race, though he wasn’t ultimately elected. For now, Conroy remains a state representative in his third term.

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