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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                             Contact:          Robert Keough

Date: May 23, 2007                                                                                        (617) 626-1109

                                                                                                                        Lisa Capone

                                                                                                                        (617) 626-1119

 

RICHARD SULLIVAN APPOINTED DCR COMMISSIONER

 

Westfield mayor, land trust founder pledges to bolster state parks, beaches, and forests

 

BOSTON – Wednesday, May 23, 2007 – Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Ian Bowles today named Richard Sullivan, currently mayor of Westfield, to be Commissioner of the Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR).  He takes office June 11.

 

“Governor Patrick and I are thrilled to have Rick Sullivan taking charge of the state’s parks, beaches, and forests,” said Secretary Bowles.  “He has a true passion for parks and recreational facilities of all kinds. And he has the public management experience to deliver a quality product to the public.”

 

“I am proud to become commissioner of an agency that is responsible for 450,000 acres of parks, beaches, and open space,” said Sullivan, who worked as a state lifeguard at a Westfield pool growing up.  “This is a great opportunity to work on something I care deeply about – the quality of life in Massachusetts.  Parks, open spaces, and recreational opportunities are central to the quality of life we all want, and they are things that companies look at when they decide whether or not to locate here.  The desire for clean beaches and parks is very clear.  I will do everything I can to satisfy that desire.”

 

Sullivan, 48, has been mayor of Westfield since 1994; in that capacity, he also serves as chairman of the Westfield School Committee.  He is a past president of the Massachusetts Mayors Association, chairman of the Turnpike Advisory Board, and member of the Governor’s Local Advisory Committee. 

 

“Governor Patrick and Secretary Bowles have made a great choice in appointing a fellow mayor, Richard Sullivan, to lead the Department of Conservation and Recreation,” said Mayor Thomas Menino of Boston.  “DCR is responsible for nearly half the open space in the City of Boston, as well as the countless historic parkways and bridges that are critically important to our residents, businesses, and visitors alike.  Rick Sullivan uniquely understands the needs of cities and towns and I look forward to working with him to ensure that the tremendous legacy of parks and recreational assets under DCR’s stewardship meet the ever expanding needs of our citizenry.”

 

“Rick Sullivan has been recognized as a leader throughout the Commonwealth on environmental issues, fiscal management issues, and educational issues,” said Mayor Michael McGlynn of Medford.  “He brings with him a strong administrative background and a reputation for working with everyone toward the goal of improving quality of life for all.  I am excited about having the opportunity to work with Rick in his new role, as he tries to revitalize our conservation lands, which have been ignored and shortchanged in recent years.”

 

“Rick Sullivan is an impressive choice for DCR commissioner,” said Bernie McHugh, coordinator of the Massachusetts Land Trust Coalition.  “He has a long background in both parks and land conservation.  In Westfield, he has worked well with advocates on urban parks, but also on agricultural land protection.  He is the whole package for DCR.”

 

Sullivan served as founding president of the Winding River Land Conservancy, which has protected 1,700 acres of land in western Hampden County.  “The Conservancy wouldn’t have been founded, and couldn’t have been successful, without his support,” said Mark Noonan, a board member and former executive director of the Conservancy, which was established in 1998.  In one project, the Conservancy restored a beach that ultimately became part of DCR’s Hampton Ponds State Park.

 

“You’ve got a good man there, you really do,” said Lynn Boscher, executive director of the Greater Westfield Chamber of Commerce.  “He’s a good financial manager, and he is a leader. He can take an idea and win people over.  There are projects here that people have talked about for years.  He got them done.  Westfield has a Business Improvement District – only the third one in the state.  Without his help and support, it would never have come to fruition.”

 

The Department of Conservation and Recreation is steward of one of the largest state parks systems in the country.  Its 450,000 acres are made up of forests, parks, greenways, historic sites and landscapes, seashores, lakes, ponds, reservoirs, and watersheds. 

 

Sullivan is a graduate of Westfield High School, Bates College, and Western New England Law School.  He is married to Lisa Oleksak Sullivan.  They have three children, Courtney, Kick, and Michael.  

 

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